What Was the Star of Bethlehem?

In Matthew 2, we read about wise men known as Magi following a star from Persia to Judea in search of the

Christ child. The Magi were kingmakers who studied many ancient writings. Six hundred years earlier, the

Jews had been exiled into Babylon and then Persia, so these Magi had the Hebrew prophecies foretelling the birth of the king.

Moses said, A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel. And Daniel, a prophet revered by the

Persians, wrote about when this would happen. The Magi came to Jerusalem and said, Where is he who has been born king of the

Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him. Since the prophecies were

Hebrew, they assumed any Jew would know where to go, but Israel was so far from God, King Herod had to consult his own wise men to know what the

Magi were talking about. The Magi followed the star until it came to rest over the place where the child was, and they found

Jesus in Bethlehem, just as the scripture said. The Magi worshipped him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Much speculation has been made about the star of Bethlehem, searching history for some kind of astral phenomenon.

The most popular theory is that the star was a conjunction of Jupiter and Venus in August of 3

BC and again in June a year later, but that's not a very bright idea. According to Matthew, the star was always ahead of them and it moved, stopping over the house where Jesus was.

Clearly there's no natural explanation. The Magi were led by something supernatural, and so are we to worship