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Episode 96: The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View with Aaron Adair

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Recap: The Star of Bethlehem is perhaps one of the most famous astronomical events, but it's one that we're not even sure really happened. Much ink has been spilled on the topic, and in this interview, Aaron Adair talks about his new book ("The Star of Bethlehem: A Skeptical View") and the methodic approach he takes, examining primary source material, interpretations of the text and possible events at the time, and what, based on the available evidence, the famous Star may have been, or if it was ever there.

Puzzler for Episode 96 [Same as Episode 94]: The equatorial circumference of the earth is 21,600 nautical miles, 24,901.55 miles, or 40,075.16 km. What is the circumference of the moon in nautical miles?

Answer to Puzzler from Episode 94: This puzzler is a continuance and will be addressed in Episode 101.

Q&A: There was no Q&A for this episode.

Additional Materials:

Transcript: There is no transcript because this was an interview. Topics that we discussed included:

  • What is the contemporary source material for there being a "Star" of Bethlehem?
  • How has and how should that material be interpreted?
  • Why is astrology important in this discussion?
  • What are some of the possible explanations for the "Star?"
  • What about a miraculous explanation?

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