Star of Bethlehem

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/star-of-bethlehem

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the biblical source?Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2
2. What is the proposed astronomical events?Planetary conjunctions (Jupiter-Saturn, Jupiter-Venus), comets, supernovae
3. Why did the wise men follow the star?They saw it as a sign of a new king and followed it to find Jesus.
4. How might the star have been a real planet or comet?Scientists think it could have been planets like Jupiter and Saturn together, a comet, or a bright exploding star called a supernova.

Magi: A term for Zoroastrian priests or astrologers from Persia, traditionally understood as the 'wise men' who visited Jesus.
Conjunction: An astronomical event where two or more celestial bodies appear close together in the sky as seen from Earth.
Supernova: A powerful and luminous stellar explosion, representing the final evolutionary stage of certain stars.
Historical-Critical Method: A scholarly approach to studying religious texts by examining their historical context, authorship, and literary development.