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In Christian tradition, the Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, revealed the birth of Jesus to the Biblical Magi, and later led them to Bethlehem. The star appears only in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew, where astrologers from the east are inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem. There they meet King Herod of Judea, and ask where the king of the Jews had been born. Herod, following a verse from the Book of Micah interpreted as a prophecy, directs them to Bethlehem, to the south of Jerusalem. The star leads them to Jesus' home in the town, where they worship him and give him gifts. The wise men are then given a divine warning not to return to Herod so they return home by a different route. Many Christians see the star as a miraculous sign to mark the birth of the Christ (or messiah). Some theologians claimed that the star fulfilled a prophecy, known as the Star Prophecy. Astronomers have made several attempts to link the star to unusual astronomical events, such as a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, a comet or a supernova.〔"Star of Bethlehem." Cross, F. L., ed. The Oxford dictionary of the Christian church. New York: Oxford University Press. 2005〕 Many modern scholars do not consider the story to be describing a historical event but a pious fiction created by the author of the Gospel of Matthew.〔For example, Paul L. Maier, "Herod and the Infants of Bethlehem", in ''Chronos, Kairos, Christos II'', Mercer University Press (1998), 171; Geza Vermes, ''The Nativity: History and Legend'', London, Penguin, 2006, p22; E. P. Sanders, ''The Historical Figure of Jesus'', 1993, p.85; Aaron Michael Adair, "Science, Scholarship and Bethlehem's Starry Night", ''Sky and Telescope'', Dec. 2007, pp. 26–29 (reviewing astronomical theories).〕 The subject is a favorite at planetarium shows during the Christmas season, although the Biblical account describes Jesus with a broader Greek word, which can mean either "infant" or "child" (''paidon''), rather than the more specific word for infant (''brephos''), possibly implying that some time has passed since the birth. The visit is traditionally celebrated on Epiphany (January 6) in Western Christianity. ==Matthew's narrative== In the Gospel of Matthew account, the Magi (often translated as "wise men", but more accurately astrologers or astronomers)〔Brown, Raymond Edward (1988). ''(An Adult Christ at Christmas: Essays on the Three Biblical Christmas Stories )'', Liturgical Press, p. 11 ISBN 0-8028-3931-2; ''Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible'', Eerdmans (2000), p. 844.〕) arrive at the court of Herod in Jerusalem and tell the king of a star which signifies the birth of the King of the Jews: Herod is "troubled", not because of the appearance of the star, but because the magi have told him that a "king of the Jews" had been born,〔Thomas G. Long, ''Matthew'' (Westminster John Knox Press, 1997), page 18.〕 which he understands to refer to the Messiah, a leader of the Jewish people whose coming was believed to be foretold in scripture. So he asks his advisors where the Messiah would be born.〔.〕 They answer Bethlehem, birthplace of King David, and quote the prophet Micah.〔. Matthew's version is a conflation of and .〕 The king passes this information along to the magi.〔.〕 Matthew's account suggests that the magi knew from the star that the "king of the Jews" had been born even before they arrived in Jerusalem. They present Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In a dream, they are warned not to return to Jerusalem, so they leave for their own country by another route.〔.〕 When Herod realizes he has been tricked, he orders the execution of all male children in Bethlehem two years old and younger, based on the information the magi had given him concerning the time the star first appeared.〔 This is presented as a fulfillment of a prophecy and echoes the killing of firstborn by pharaoh in .〕 Joseph, warned in a dream, takes his family to Egypt for their safety. The Gospel links the escape to a verse from scripture, which it interprets as a prophecy: "Out of Egypt I called my son."〔 The original is from .〕 This was a reference to the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt under Moses, so the quote suggests that Matthew saw the life of Jesus as recapitulating the story of the Jewish people, with Judea representing Egypt and Herod standing in for pharaoh.〔"An Exodus motif prevails in the entire chapter." ()〕 After Herod dies, Joseph and his family return from Egypt, and settle in Nazareth in Galilee. This is also said to be a fulfillment of a prophecy ("He will be called a Nazorean," (NRSV)) for which no scriptural reference is known.〔 is sometimes identified as the source for because Septuagint ναζιραιον (Nazirite) resembles Matthew's Ναζωραῖος (Nazorean). But few scholars accept the view that Jesus was a Nazirite.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Star of Bethlehem」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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