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| The Star of Bethlehem | 
 enlarge | Actors: Frederick A. Larson, Stephen Mceveety
Studio: Genius Entertainment
Category: DVD
Buy New: $29.98
Buy New from $29.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  (53 reviews)
Sales Rank: 5435
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 65 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 80676
UPC: 796019806763
EAN: 0796019806763
ASIN: B000UAE7IQ
Release Date: October 23, 2007
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Description
THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM FASCINATES. For millennia, believers, scoffers and the curious have wondered at the Biblical account of the Star. The Bible recounts unusual, or even impossible astronomical events at Christ's birth. For many doubters, the account of the Star is easily dismissed as myth. For many believers, it's a mystery accepted on faith. But what happens if we combine current historical scholarship, astronomical fact and an open mind? Judge for yourself...
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| Customer Reviews: Read 48 more reviews...
The Star of Bethlehem January 6, 2009
Wow! Intriguing! Every Christian with a mind for science or a curiosity about the stars MUST own this video.
This documentary is done by a Christian lawyer, not a scientist or astrologist. But the things he discovered in the sky about Christmas and Easter using secular, scientific research techniques leave little room for doubt that the universe was flung into space in a careful, calculated plan by the Almighty Creator. Larson's exploration of the Scripture is thorough, backing up everything the computer model demonstrates in the sky. This astronomical finding may be even stronger scientific proof of God's existence than the archaeological evidence. A little over the heads of young kids, but my 12 and 16 year olds loved it!
 Fascinating, but... January 3, 2009
There are a great deal of issues that need to be addressed on Mr Larson's work, but let's just look at one, without even leaving the text of the bible.
Matthew 2:9 says that the star preceded the magi, until it stopped over the place where the child was.
Now, no matter whether you think the star was a comet, a supernova, a planet like Jupiter...a 'star' in the sky can't lead you to someone's specific house. It may lead you to a rather large area, but certainly not a tiny house.
You may contend, as Mr Larson seems to, that the star didn't lead the magi to a specific house, but to the city of Bethlehem. But does that follow the reading from Matthew?
Matthew 2:9 says that the star stopped over 'the place' where the child was. The bit question, then, is what is 'the place'? Is it Bethlehem, or the house where Jesus and family are staying? Since the verse doesn't say specifically, you have to look at the context of the surrounding verses to figure out what was indicated.
Let's assume that it's Bethlehem. We could paraphrase verses 8 and 9 as "Herod sent them to Bethlehem...the star preceded them, until it came and stopped over Bethlehem." This doesn't make much sense, because verse 8 already has them going to Bethlehem. Now verse 9 has the star leading them to the city they're already headed to.
Now consider if 'the place' is simply the house where they're staying. We could paraphrase it as "Herod sent them to Bethlehem...and the star preceded them, until it came and stopped over the house where the child was." This makes perfect sense as it reads.
Now look at verses 9 and 10 together. Read them as if 'the place' is Bethlehem. "...the star...came and stopped over Bethlehem...and on entering the house..." Wait a second, what house? All the sudden Matthew is referring to a house, implying he has mentioned it previously. (No, I haven't skipped over any relevant text, read the verses yourself.)
Now read it as if 'the place' is the house where they're staying. "the star...came and stopped over the house where the child was...and on entering the house..." Again, no explanation needed, it makes perfect sense as it reads.
Put simply, Matthew's chapter reads much more naturally when you assume that 'the place' refers to the house where Jesus and family are staying, as opposed to the city of Bethlehem. And if it does refer to the house, that's something a 'star' is unable to do. Read it both ways, and decide for yourself.
Also, if 'the place' is Bethlehem, consider this. They're following the star, it leads them to this city...and then what? They still have to find the house in a city of about 5,000. If 'the place' is a house, it leads them to a house, and they're done. The passage makes sense.
Lastly, if 'the place' is Bethlehem, consider this. The first 8 verses mention 'Bethlehem' twice in narrative, in addition to twice in Old Testament quotes. Then all the sudden in verse 9, does it make sense to all the sudden refer to Behtlehem as 'the place where the child was'?
As far as the rest of it goes...we haven't left the bible, and we already have a pretty major problem. We have another one when we consider that the consensus date for Herod's death is 4 BC, which if correct makes much of Mr Larson's argument invalid.
My experience with 'evidence' such as this tends to unravel the deeper we look into it.
A Sign for Our Times ... December 22, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
To satisfy his curiosity, this Bible-believing attorney has researched what the Old and New Testament scriptures say about the signs in the heavens, what all other historical sources say about the dates of Jesus birth and death, and what the latest computer modeling software reveals about the skies during the times of Jesus conception, birth, arrival of the wise men, and crucifixion in a compendium of starry poetry...
The outcome is astonishing and inspiring ~ be ready to have your breath taken away as the Star of Bethlehem is revealed like it has never been before... over 100 billion galaxies with over 100 billion stars each AND this presentation reveals that God's plans for the timing of Christ's arrival were made as He initially tossed all the stars into creation at the beginning of time. Wow.
This 65 minute video/dvd is interesting, well made, and captivating ~ and after you've seen it, you'll undoubtedly want to include it in your annual Christmas traditions as well as share it with your family and friends. You may as well order a couple of extra now to save yourself the trouble later :o)
Bon Appetit!
THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM December 21, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Was the Star of Bethlehem as told in Matthew's Gospel of the New Testament true or was it a myth made up later by early Christians? What if you could go back in time and actually view the ancient skies at the time of Jesus' birth? This film attempts to answer the first question by doing the 2ND. Using state of the art software, the same as used by NASA and other agencies, it is possible to examine the skies of Bethlehem in the days and years surrounding the estimated date of Christ's birth. The stars and planets move in such mathematical precision that it is possible to project forward and backward with incredible accuracy using this software. That in itself is so amazing when you consider the 100 BILLION galaxies that contain 100 BILLION stars each. Each one has a precise orbit and path that never deviates. Is it possible for all this to be coincidence? What Frederick Larson, author, lecturer and attorney, attempts to show is that it was astronomically possible and indeed probable that at the time of Jesus' birth the Planets Jupiter and Venus converged into what looked like a very bright star to the naked eye. He lists the nine characteristics of the star outlined in Matthew and then shows how his theory satisfies all nine of those conditions. Does this prove the birth of Jesus or that He was God come in the flesh? No, but it is more evidence (not necessarily proof) as to the historical accuracy of the Bible and that the Bible narrative is not destroyed by science. If you are a follower of the one called Jesus, you will be encouraged and strengthened in your faith. If you are not, it will cause you to at least stop and consider the claims of this ancient, yet modern, story of the miracle of Jesus' birth. Worth watching just for the lesson on astronomy.
Great DVD December 19, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a wonderful DVD on the Star of Bethlehem. I learned so many amazing things from watching it! My husband and I have probably purchased about 8 copies this year to give as Christmas gifts. It's a great gift for people we don't know what to purchase for! :)
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