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Scott Regener
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/31/06
Posts: 1210
Loc: SE Minnesota
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There's an article in the 12/07 S&T about the "Star of Bethlehem" story from the Bible. While the "science" part - trying to determine what the star might have been - is pretty good, the ancient history part is horrible. I suppose we shouldn't expect much from a planetarium presenter when it comes to an area out of their expertise.
Obvious problems include:
- Incorrect or incomplete information on authorship of Matthew
- Incorrect date given for writing of book (good evidence is was written prior to 70A.D.)
- Failure to acknowledge that the census known to occur in 6A.D. may not have been the census recorded in Luke.
- Failure to consider which mythology about virgin births may have been written first.
I was very disappointed.
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Orion SkyQuest 4.5XT
Orion SkyQuest XT10i w/COL
Urban (red) skies
Limiting Mag 3.5-4.0 Average
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Tom Polakis
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/20/04
Posts: 1325
Loc: Tempe, Arizona
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You should write to the author directly, particularly since you sound well-versed in the facts. When I write a piece, I can handle people disagreeing with my opinions, but I am very disappointed if I learn that I didn't have all the facts right.
Tom
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Tom Polakis
Tempe, AZ
Visual observing, DSLR photography, lunar & planetary imaging
http://www.pbase.com/polakis/
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trainsktg
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/23/05
Posts: 4952
Loc: Pacific Northwest
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A 'letter to the editor' might not be a bad idea either. I'm sure others interested, but not expert in the topic, would like to learn of these inconsistencies.
Keith
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He was a good little monkey and always very curious.
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llanitedave
Humble Megalomaniac
Reged: 09/26/05
Posts: 20063
Loc: Amargosa Valley, NV, USA
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I thought S&T "solved" the Star of Bethlehem mystery back in the '80's. Geez, now I want my money back from THAT issue! Where's the definitive conclusions, man?
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"Truth" is that which confounds our expectations...
Science is a bazaar, not a cathedral
"S.O.E." (Sauron's Other Eye), with 16" Royce conical mirror: A permanent work in progress.
The "Eye of Sauron" Observatory Open for Business!
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edwincjones
Close Enough
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 7980
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Quote:
I thought S&T "solved" the Star of Bethlehem mystery back in the '80's. Geez, now I want my money back from THAT issue! Where's the definitive conclusions, man?
Xmas sells!
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desertstars
Reged: 11/05/03
Posts: 41911
Loc: Tucson, AZ
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Quote:
I thought S&T "solved" the Star of Bethlehem mystery back in the '80's. Geez, now I want my money back from THAT issue! Where's the definitive conclusions, man?
I thought you were a scientist?
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Thomas Watson
Author of Mr. Olcott's Skies. Available in paperback and ebook from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
@desertstarsbks
Under Desert StarsEither Way, It's Reading
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Rick Woods
Postmaster
Reged: 01/27/05
Posts: 11940
Loc: Inner Solar System
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Quote:
I thought S&T "solved" the Star of Bethlehem mystery back in the '80's. Geez, now I want my money back from THAT issue! Where's the definitive conclusions, man?
This is a different Star of Bethlehem. This is the one Brian was born by.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Python's_Life_of_Brian
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- Rick
14" LX200
Cactus Patch Observatory
"The four points of the compass be logic, knowledge, wisdom, and the unknown. Some do bow in that final direction. Others advance upon it. To bow before the one is to lose sight of the three."
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rmollise
Postmaster
Reged: 07/06/07
Posts: 12033
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Quote:
There's an article in the 12/07 S&T about the "Star of Bethlehem" story from the Bible. While the "science" part - trying to determine what the star might have been - is pretty good, the ancient history part is horrible. I suppose we shouldn't expect much from a planetarium presenter when it comes to an area out of their expertise.
Obvious problems include:
I'll leave it to the theologians to comment on these "problems."
My opinion? No astronomical object can hope to fulfill the role of THE STAR as laid out in the New Testament. Its behavior makes no sense from an astronomical perspective.
Frankly, looking for objective evidence/reality of spiritual signs and wonders will inevitably lead to disappointment. If you want to find The Star, look _within_, not without.
--------------------
Uncle Rod
Rod's Latest Book:
Choosing and Using a New CAT
Uncle Rod's Astroblog: http://uncle-rods.blogspot.com/
Edited by rmollise (10/28/07 02:42 PM)
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