{"product_id":"the-star-of-the-magi-the-mystery-that-heralded-the-coming-of-christ-9781564149626","title":"The Star of the Magi: The Mystery That Heralded the Coming of Christ","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Star of Bethlehem is still one of the most popular  and puzzling mysteries of the Bible. Its inclusion  at the very beginning of the very first Gospel  raises so many awkward questions for orthodox Christianity that one has to wonder how it ever made the canonical cut in the first place.  So why would the authors (and editors) of the Christian gospels choose Zoroastrian Magi and astrology to herald the coming of Jesus Christ? Did the Magi have some special significance then that we have since lost? After all  the New Testament narrative opens with them. So who were the Magi  and did their astrological beliefs really lead them to Jesus?  Now  for the first time  in The Star of the Magi  an author with a solid background in the history of astrology in ancient religion examines the Star. The result is a breathtaking blend of history  religious studies  astronomy  and astrology that tells the whole story as it has never been told before.  The Magi had definite expectations of a coming world savior who would be born of a virgin; all mysteriously encoded and foretold in Magian astrology. These ancient Persian beliefs had tremendous bearing on the development of Jewish Messianic expectations--it inspired early Christians and their Jewish and Persian neighbors  and gave them hope in their desperate battles against the Romans. Astronomy alone cannot unlock the secrets of the Star. There are simply too many phenomena to choose from--even astronomers concede that that we must now look to astrology for better answers.  The Persian  Zoroastrian astrology of the Magi is the key to this Christian mystery  and The Star of the Magi sheds new light on the role of astrology in the rise of monotheism and Messianic expectations throughout the ancient world.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45272555618357,"sku":"ByrdShop_1564149625","price":59.33,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781564149626.jpg?v=1780481570","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-star-of-the-magi-the-mystery-that-heralded-the-coming-of-christ-9781564149626","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}