The Wise Men from the East and the Star of Bethlehem
Matthew 2:1–2
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote:
“As to the star, there is nothing mysterious about it. The Magi . . . were not reading portents in the skies nor divining the destinies of men by the movement of celestial bodies in the sidereal heavens. The new star was simply a new star of the sort we are familiar with. No doubt it exhibited an unusual brilliance, so as to attract special attention and so as to give guidance to those who walked in its light, but it was, nonetheless, a star.”
(The Mortal Messiah: From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. [1979–81], 1:359.)
