The star of Bethlehem is a well-known part of the Christmas story. It only appears in the Gospel of Matthew, and it seems to have intrigued people more than even the virgin birth itself. It has also caused more speculation about possible naturalistic explanations than probably any other part of the Bible. Particularly as Christmas approaches it is a topic that people actually become interested in.
There have been many attempts at finding naturalistic explanations for the Star of Bethlehem. However, every single one of them does not explain one or more aspects of what is actually described in the Bible. Consequently, if you are looking for a naturalistic explanation you will not really find one.
Before continuing it is necessary to understand what the word star means in this context. Today we use the term only to refer to sun-like objects that produce energy by nuclear fusion. It is important to recognize when reading any ancient document, particularly in the Bible that when it was written the word star was much broader than our modern scientific term. In ancient times the word star referred to any light in the sky. If it was in the sky and it was not the sun and the moon it was referred to as a star. For someone looking at the question of what the star of Bethlehem was or any other use of the word star in the Bible it is important to recognize this fact.
Matthew 2:1-12
1, Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3, When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4, And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5, And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7, Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8, And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9, When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10, When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11, And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
12, And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
We get two references to the star in these verses. The first one is when the wise men come to Jerusalem. The second one is after they leave Jerusalem. They both give important clues about the star itself that eliminate any possibility of a naturalistic explanation.
The first one is a little vague, did they saw his star in the eastern sky, or when they were in the east. It is not this reference that excludes naturalistic explanations. That comes from the second reference.
In the second case the star is illustrated as guiding the wise men to Jesus Christ who contrary to most major scenes was probably about two years old by the time they got there. It is the fact that it moved in a way clearly contrary to the ordinary motions of objects in the sky in that stopped over a particular place that eliminates naturalistic explanations.
Because the star of Bethlehem is described and its second appearance as guiding the wise men to the exact house that Jesus and his parents were at the time, it had to be miraculous. However, it could be a miraculous form of a phenomenon we are familiar with. Ball lightning is a known phenomenon that fits the properties of the star of Bethlehem under God's direct control Makes an excellent model.
If ball lightning had been seen in the sky by the wise men in that day they would have called it a star. They could have seen it not only when they were in the east but because it is an earthly phenomenon, they could have seen it rising east of their location. It can even move around and settle over a single location. This makes it an excellent phenomenon to have been used by God for this special star as long as He had miraculously created and controlled it.
This is in no way a claim that star Bethlehem was a natural phenomenon. In fact, it's the exact opposite. The suggestion of ball lightning is simply a model using a known phenomenon that fits the description. Even if it was ball lightning it would have had to have been supernaturally created and controlled by God to completely fit what the Bible describes. That is the ultimate point regardless of what the star Bethlehem actually was, it had to be supernatural and no attempt to explain it fully naturalistically will ever work.
