What Was the Star of Bethlehem?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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

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

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

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

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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.

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