Was the star of Bethlehem a legend manufactured by Christians or a miracle that marked the advent of Jesus?
It is a question of debate among religious scholars.
Rick Larson, a law professor from Texas A&M, tackles this topic in his presentation, "Signs."
"I love doing this," he said. "I've been working on a fascinating 2,000-year-old mystery."
Larson spoke to an audience of about 50 in Woodward Hall on Tuesday night. He has spoken to universities worldwide and uses Christian scriptures along with astronomy software to determine where the star of Bethlehem was and why it is so special.
Job, a book in the Bible, refers to stars, calling them by name, he said. In this scripture, God takes credit for the constellation Orion.
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More importantly, Larson said, is why the star the people of Jerusalem saw was so bright. He used the Starry Night software to determine what the night sky looked like in 3 B.C. Jupiter was rising with Venus, which accounted for the brightest star in history to the naked eye, Larson said.
"That's probably when the people got on their camels," he said, referring to the kings in the story of Christ's birth who traveled to give him gifts.
He said due to retrograde motion, Jupiter came to a full stop over Jerusalem on Dec. 25, 1 B.C.
"I'm not saying Jesus was born then, but that was the day they delivered presents to baby Jesus," he said.
Jason Dencklau, a member of Campus Crusaders for Christ, said Larson was asked to speak about the reality of the Bethlehem star.
"He does come from a Christian background, but he gives an objective look at what history and science have to tell us," he said.
Larson said the presentation wasn't only about the star of Bethlehem.
"This presentation is about a celestial poem starting at Christ's birth and ending at his death," he said.
Scriptures in the Bible refer to a virgin cloaked in the sun with a new moon at her feet, Larson said. When he looked at the sky during 3 B.C., he saw the constellation Virgo hovering in front of the sun with a new moon below it.
"I was amazed when I saw that," he said.
What's more amazing, Larson said, is what the Bible says about Christ's execution.
"Only April 3, 33 A.D. seems to fit the date of his crucifixion," he said. "This was also the day of the only lunar eclipse during Pilate's tenure."
Lunar eclipses are referred to as blood moons because of their red coloring, Larson said. Scriptures said witnesses refer to seeing a moon cloaked in blood.
"I was crying when I first saw this, because this is poetry of terrible beauty," he said.
Sophomore Rose Becerra said she was moved by Larson's presentation.
"I always wondered what (it) was all about," she said. "It was really interesting to see the whole event come to fruition."
