https://bigthink.com/13-8/star-of-bethlehem/

13.8 — December 21, 2022
What was the Star of Bethlehem?
Never stop looking at the skies in wonder.
Marcelo Gleiser

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On the nature of the astronomical phenomenon that took place (or not), there were three disparate reactions: Complete agreement with Molnar, qualified agreement, and radical disagreement. On the chronology of the events, most agreed that Jesus’s birth took place between 7-5 BCE. On the relation between astronomy and astrology, there was mostly disagreement on the intentions and the interpretations of astrologers from different regions in the Middle East. One major difficulty was to justify the visit of only three men, given the alleged power of the celestial portent. Why not a multitude of the devout? As for the “why,” Matthew was the one evangelist who considered celestial portents seriously, using them plentifully in his narrative.

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It seems that the Biblical story is just that, a story.

The “stories” of all the various religions seem to be the “fake news” of ill-remembered past events.

When you try to recount relatively recent events without written records, it’s impossible to make sense or even sort “fact” from the fiction of “false memories”.

In short, everything is suspect the further back you go in time.

Nice “stories”, but not “historical certainty”.

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