伯利恒之星

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东方三博士的崇拜，佛罗伦撒画家Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337)。伯利恒之星在这诗小孩上面的一颗彗星。乔托见证了1301年哈雷彗星回归。

参看 伯利恒之星 (植物).

伯利恒之星,也被称作圣诞之星或者耶稣之星,是耶稣降生时的一个异像，在耶稣降生后引导 圣经东方三博士到耶稣所在的地方。^[1] in the New Testament. The 东方三博士是来自东方的三个人，注意到天空中星星的异像来到犹太行省耶路撒冷拜访大希律王。^[2] On the basis of 旧约 圣经预言, Herod told the magi that the child they sought was in Bethlehem, a nearby village. The magi went the Bethlehem, found Jesus, paid him homage, gave gifts, and then returned to their "own country."^[3]

Christians regarded the star as a miraculous sign given by God to mark the birth of the Christ (or the Messiah). Ancient theologians claimed that the star was a fulfillment of several prophecies, including the Star Prophecy. In modern times, astronomers have proposed various explanations for the story, including a nova, a planet, a comet, an occultation, and a conjunction (massing of planets). The subject is a favorite at planetarium shows during the Christmas season,^[4] although the Biblical account suggests that the visit of the magi took place 2 years after Jesus was born.^[5] The visit is traditionally celebrated on Epiphany.^[6]

[编辑] 圣经的叙述

马太福音描述"博士" (古希腊共通语 magoi) 到达希律所在的耶路撒冷，告诉他关于新犹太王之星的事情:

当希律王的时候，耶稣生在犹太的伯利恒。有几个博士从东方来到耶路撒冷，说：“那生下来作犹太人之王的在哪里？我们在东方[7]看见他的星，特来拜他。” 希律王听见了，就心里不安；耶路撒冷合城的人，也都不安。他就召集齐了祭司长和民间的文士，问他们说，基督当生在何处？[8]

The statement that Herod was "frightened"^[9] by what the magi said has led some readers to conclude that Herod did not know of the star before the magi arrived. However, a close reading suggests that Herod was frightened by their statement that the "king of the Jews" had been born rather than by the star itself. He understood this phrase to refer to the Messiah, a leader of the Jewish people whose coming was foretold in Old Testament prophecy. So he asked his advisors where the Messiah could be born.^[10] They answered Bethlehem, birthplace of King David, and quoted the prophet Micah.^[11] The king passed this information along to the magi.^[12]

Adoration of the Magi, Chartres Cathedral, by Jehan de Beauce, 法国, 16世纪

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage. When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.[13]

Matthew's account suggests that the magi knew from the star that the "king of the Jews" had already been born even before they arrived in Jerusalem. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was born in a stable.^[14] By the time the magi arrived, Jesus was a child (paidion), not an infant (brephos) and he was living in a house with his mother.^[15] The magi presented Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.^[16]

In a dream, the magi were warned not to return to Jerusalem, so they "left for their own country by another road."^[17] When Herod realized that he had been tricked, he ordered the execution of all male children in Bethlehem age 2 and under, based on the information the magi had given him concerning the time the star first appeared.^[18]

[编辑] 解释

[编辑] 预言的应验

Matthew is written in a traditional Jewish style called pesharim, 强调预言的应验。The ancients believed that astronomical phenomena were connected to terrestrial events. Miracles were routinely associated with the birth of important people, including the 希伯来 族长, as well as 希腊 and 罗马 heroes.^[19]

The Star Prophecy^[20] in the 民数记 was well-known at the time that Matthew was written. It was cited by Josephus in reference to Vespasian.^[21] Origen, one of the most influential early Christian theologians, discussed the connection between this prophecy and the Star of Bethlehem:

If, then, at the commencement of new dynasties, or on the occasion of other important events, there arises a comet so called, or any similar celestial body, why should it be matter of wonder that at the birth of Him who was to introduce a new doctrine to the human race, and to make known His teaching not only to Jews, but also to Greeks, and to many of the barbarous nations besides, a star should have arisen? Now I would say, that with respect to comets there is no prophecy in circulation to the effect that such and such a comet was to arise in connection with a particular kingdom or a particular time; but with respect to the appearance of a star at the birth of Jesus there is a prophecy of Balaam recorded by 摩西 to this effect: There shall arise a star out of 雅各, and a man shall rise up out of 以色列.[22]

Matthew's use of the word magi connects the visitors to the magi of 巴比伦 who selected Daniel their chief in the 但以理书.^[23] The word is usually translated as "wise men" and refers to a person with the gift of interpreting dreams and other portents. Daniel was revered by Jews^[24] for a prophecy he made concerning the Messiah.^[25] If the magi knew of Jewish prophecy, from Daniel or elsewhere, they could have "conjectured that the man whose appearance had been foretold along with that of the star, had actually come into the world," according to Origen.^[26]

三博士的礼物黄金、乳香和没药^[15]应验了另一个由以赛亚做出的预言。^[27]

公元前7年11月12日18:00-21:30分耶路撒冷南方星空

[编辑] 天文学解释

Because the magi told Herod that they saw the star "at its rising," many readers have concluded that it was an astronomical object. Although there is no basis for the often repeated claim that the Greek text specifies a predawn or heliacal rising,^[4] it would be odd if professional stargazers felt the need to mention an ordinary nightly rising.

According to Origen, the star was in "the nature of those celestial bodies which appear at times, such as comets, or those meteors which resemble beams of wood, or beards, or wine jars."^[28]

In 1614, German astronomer Johannes Kepler determined that a series of three conjunctions of the planets 木星 and 土星 occurred in 7 BC and linked this event to the Star of Bethlehem.^[29] Although conjunctions were important in 占星术, Kepler was not thinking in astrological terms. He argued that a planetary conjunction could create a nova, which he linked to the Star of Bethlehem.^[29] Modern calculations show that there was always a large gap between the two planets, so these conjunctions were not impressive sights. An ancient almanac has been found in Babylon which covers the events of this period, but it makes no specific reference to the conjunctions.^[30]

Chinese and Korean stargazers observed an object thought to be a nova or a comet around 5 BC.^[31] This object was observed for over 70 days with no movement recorded.^[31] Ancient writers described comets as "hanging over" specific cities, just as the Star of Bethlehem was said to have "stood over" the "place" where Jesus was (persumably the town of Bethlehem).^[32] This phrase was not used to describe other astronomical objects, so perhaps the tail of a comet was thought to point to a specific terrestial location.

Another Star of Bethlehem candidate is Uranus, which was visible at various times. However, it probably moved too slowly to be recognized as a planet.^[33]

A zodiac from a 6th century mosaic at a synagogue in Beit Alpha, Israel

[编辑] 天文现象

The use of the phrase "king of the Jews" by the magi has led many writers to link the Star of Bethlehem to astrology. In Hellenistic astrology, Jupiter was the king planet and Regulus was the king star.^[34] As they traveled from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, the star "went before" the magi and then "stood over" the place where Jesus was. In astrological interpretations, these phrases are said to refer to retrograde motion and to stationing, i.e. Jupiter appeared to reverse course for a time, then stopped, and finally resumed its normal progression^[35] (This assumes that the magi had an instrument equivalent to an astrolabe that allowed them to detect to the motion of a planet between one night and the next.)

In 3-2 BC, there was a series of seven conjunctions, including three between Jupiter and Regulus and a strikingly close conjunction between Jupiter and Venus on June 17, 2 BC.^[36] "The fusion of two planets would have been a rare and awe-inspiring event," according to an influential paper by Roger Sinnott.^[37]

Astronomer Michael Molnar has proposed a link between a double occultation of Jupiter by the moon in 6 BC in Aries and the Star of Bethlehem.^[38] This event was quite close to the sun and would have been difficult to observe, even with a small telescope.^[39] Occultations of planets by the moon are quite common, but Firmicus Maternus, an astrologer to Roman Emperor Constantine, wrote that an occultation of Jupiter in Aries was a sign of the birth of a divine king.^[40] "When the royal star of Zeus, the planet Jupiter, was in the east this was the most powerful time to confer kingships. Furthermore, the Sun was in Aries where it is exalted. And the Moon was in very close conjunction with Jupiter in Aries," Molnar wrote.^[38] This set of conditions reoccurs every sixty years.^[38]

[编辑] 历史虚构

Matthew is the only one of the four gospels which mentions either the Star of Bethlehem or the magi. The Gospel of Mark and the hypothetical Q material in Luke and Matthew, considered to be the oldest and most historical material in the gospels under the doctrine of Markan priority,^[41] do not include a nativity narrative or any hint that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.^[42] The highly publicized Jesus Seminar, sponsored by the Westar Institute, concluded that both of the nativity narratives^[1] are almost entirely unhistorical and that Jesus was probably born in Nazareth rather than in Bethlehem.^[43] (Other scholars have suggested Capernaum.)^[44]

As there are no records of failed magi searches, the magi in Matthew seem to have witnessed an event that allowed them to determine with certainty that a king had been born.^[32] But a nova, a comet, or a conjunction would not qualify as a unique event. Moreover, several of the astronomical explanations that have been put forward are equally plausible as birth signifiers.^[32] The magi traveled a great distance, but when they arrive in Bethlehem they merely gave some gifts. They served the storyteller's purpose of glorifying Jesus, but their motives remain obscure.

Instead of focusing on the events around the time of the birth of Jesus, the historical fiction approach considers what sources were available to Matthew when he composed his gospel (AD 85-90) and what events might have influenced his thinking. His description of the miracles and portents attending the birth of Jesus echoed stories concerning the birth of Augustus (63 BC), the first Roman emperor.^[45] Linking a birth to the first appearance of a star was consistent with the popular belief each person's life was linked to a particular star.^[46] Magi and astronomical events were linked in the public mind by the visit to Rome of a delegation of magi at the time of a spectacular appearance of Halley's Comet in AD 66.^[32] This delegation was led by King Tiridates of Armenia, who came seeking confirmation of his title from Emperor Nero. Ancient historian Dio Cassius wrote that, "The King did not return by the route he had following in coming,"^[32] a line echoed in Matthew's account.^[47]

[编辑] 星星指引

The commonly held belief is that the star as described in the gospel narrative was an instrument of God. The Bible never specifically comments on who is directing the star, leading some to believe that it was actually a tool of Satan's. The fact that the star first leads the magi to Herod, who wished to kill Jesus, seems to support this theory. The star then leads them to Jesus, with the intent of return to report to Herod. Instead of being lead by the star back to Herod however, they are then contacted alternatively through a dream, telling them not to return to Herod, instead returning to their country by another road. This leads to the theory that the star was an instrument of Satan's, and the dream to not return to Herod originating from God.^[48]

[编辑] 耶稣出生的确切年份

"Adoration of the Magi," by Jean Fouquet. This illumination is from Heures d'Étienne Chevalier. France, 15th century. The Star of Bethlehem can be seen in the top right.背景中的士兵和城堡可能指代Battle of Castillon (1453).

Which event is most plausible as an explanation of the Star of Bethlehem depends on which year is accepted as the year Jesus was born. Both Luke and Matthew wrote that Jesus was born when Herod was king. According to Josephus, Herod died shortly after a 月食. This is usually identified as the eclipse of March 13, 4 BC. Jesus was born sometime between the first appearance of the Star of Bethlehem and the time the magi arrived in Herod's court. As Herod ordered the execution of boys age 2 and under, the star must have made its first appearance within the previous two years. This line of reasoning yields a date of 6-4 BC for the nativity.

One problem with the 6-4 BC date is that there was no census at that time, a key element in Luke's nativity narrative. Some modern authors identify Luke's worldwide census with a mass oath taking that occurred in 3-2 BC when Augustus was given the title "father of the nation."^[4] Luke wrote that Jesus was "about thirty" when he began his ministry in AD 29,^[49] which yields a birth year of 3-2 BC.^[50] There were also two lunar eclipses in 1 BC, so it is possible that Herod died at that time.^[51] However, coins issued by Herod's successors show that they dated their reigns as beginning in 4 BC.^[52]

[编辑] 参看

• 大卫之星
• 所罗门之印

[编辑] 参考文献

[编辑] 外部链接

• Video: Star of Bethlehem by Professor Konradin Ferrari d'Occhieppo