According to Catholic scholars, was the Star visible over Bethlehem on the day of Nativity?

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I'm not sure what you mean by the day of Nativity? It was there when the Magi arrived at the residence.

In Matthew 2 the Magi followed the star they had seen in the east as it went ahead of them until it stopped over the exact place where the child was. So, this is not some star way up in the night sky; it must have been low to the ground at the time it hovers over the exact residence where the child lay. Moreover, the passage seems to imply the star was moving ahead of them as they followed it.

The most likely answer as to what this star is, is found by looking at other examples. When Paul encountered Jesus on the Damascus Highway at the time of his conversion (Acts 9) he and those with him saw a bright light, and heard a voice, but saw no man. This is after Jesus' ascension and he was no longer in earthly flesh. God is Spirit (John 4:24).

The bright light Paul saw is the same as what Moses saw in the burning bush that was not consumed; it wasn't consumed because it was not on fire; Moses was seeing the glory of the Lord. Indeed, Ezekiel 28:1 describes the glory of the Lord as "brightness shinning round about." In regards to the second coming of Christ Paul writing to the Thessalonians spoke of the "brightness of his coming," and Jesus in Matthew said as lighting flashes from east to west, so shall the coming of the Son of man be.

So, I believe the star of Bethlehem is either the glory of the Lord or an angel of light. Since it hovered over the exact residence of where the child laid in the manger it was not a literal distant star up high in the sky. So, the nature of the star of Bethlehem best fits these other descriptions.

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