New Research Suggests Christmas Story Of Visit By Wise Men Was ‘Historically True’

Breitbart ^ | 12-25-2017 | Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D.

[blam]

Despite attempts by modern biblical scholarship to debunk the gospel account of three magi visiting the newborn Jesus in Bethlehem, the stories were “historically true” according to extensive research by author Dwight Longenecker. In his new book, Mystery of the Magi: The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men, Longenecker, a scholar and Catholic priest, states that an impartial study of the relevant data “shows beyond reasonable doubt” that the Magi of Matthew’s gospel were historical figures.

For many years, Longenecker writes, skeptical scholars have rejected the possibility that the infancy stories about Jesus could be historical for a number of reasons, such as the fact that they contain supernatural elements.

“The first problem with this is that the skeptic simply assumes supernatural experiences are impossible, therefore any story that contains supernatural elements must be a fanciful invention,” he notes.

“In the early twentieth century, Bible scholars began to write off the stories of Jesus’ birth—especially the story of the wise men—as pious fantasies,” he continues. “They did so without considering if the stories might, at least, be rooted in real events.”

Because of this prejudice, most scholars never did the necessary research to “sift out the historical element buried beneath levels of legend,” he says.

Moreover, the idea that there might be a historical basis to the magi story “became an academic no-go zone,” Longenecker says. “When one’s academic reputation might be at stake the motivation to challenge the academic dogma and entertain the possibility of a historical basis to the magi story becomes even more remote.”

As one Biblical scholar noted: “If you want a career in New Testament scholarship that’s somewhere you just don’t go.”

As a result, within the vast realm of Biblical scholarship there is surprisingly little research

(snip)

[mdmathis6]

Yeah I got all that already....

What you don’t want to accept ‘rationally’ is that you don’t know what the star was any more than I do! I can accept a more “rational” mechanistic view but you cannot accept that perhaps God did a more tactical supernatural work. You deny that God has any tactical intervening power other than what he may have set “strategically” or “providentially” in motion from the time of creation.

You will not address what the star “means” and what it meant to these gentile “magi”, astrologers, magicians, wisemen that so motivated them to check out what was going on when Jerusalem and Israel were blind to the times. I think the shock of gentile VIP Magi types showing up to worship a newborn jewish king while Herod reigned by treachery and murder got many talking and got the Satanic king plotting. It would appear Satan of old was also blindsided!

I remember reading of Hezekiah for whom God reversed the shadow of the sundial 10 degrees and of the Babylonian ambassadors sent to investigate the “great sign in the land”(how they suspected that Israel was the origin of it was another question). I remember reading of Joshua and how God lengthened the day and the sun and moon held place until Israel had won its battle. If God can tactically interfere in this manner....is it no great feat of God to create a supernatural beacon which guided rejoicing gentile Magi to worship a jewish young child, who is the living God in flesh?

[imardmd1]

Using straw-man arguments is kind of frowned on here. I'm not going to defend myself against your claims that you know what goes on in my mind, when you do not. Think on the final stanza of "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College" by Thomas Gray:

"To each his suff'rings: all are men,
Condemn'd alike to groan,
The tender for another's pain;
Th' unfeeling for his own.
Yet ah! why should they know their fate?
Since sorrow never comes too late,
And happiness too swiftly flies.
Thought would destroy their paradise.
No more; where ignorance is bliss,
'Tis folly to be wise."