Now Available at Amazon Kindle Unlimited

      "The Stars of Bethlehem an Enigma Wrapped within a Mystery" by K. C. Beckmann in Amazon's Kindle Unlimited library represents the accumulation of nearly four decades of study, research and reflection on the Star(s) of Bethlehem. An unknown first century Jewish-Christian storyteller included three ancient observations in an infancy account about the Jewish Christian Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. The author also wrote about Magi or Magicians who oversaw an ancient astronomical observatory constructed on a dormant volcano in Anatolia, a Greek word which meant “the East.” The Magi studied the “observances” that is, the Sun, Moon and unaided eye planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) as they traversed the Ecliptic through the twelve Zodiacal signs or constellations. 

     The purpose of the story was to address the question of the Jewish-Christian Messiah’s birthplace. While Jesus of Nazareth was known as a Nazarene (Matthew 2:23), Old Testament Jewish prophecy promised the birth of a blood and flesh Jewish Messiah at Bethlehem in the hill country of Judah (Matthew 2:4-6). To bring greater credibility, the author embedded three ancient observations to describe the Star(s) of Bethlehem. The author mentioned a Star(s) (Matthew 2:2) which the Magi would have been familiar with and later, a Star which the Magi would have otherwise had no interest (Matthew 2:7, 9-10, 16). The story was crafted in such a way to be read as a puzzle to be solved. While the story spoke of one Star of Bethlehem yet the devil was in the details. "The devil in the details" is an expression, an idiom which describes enigmatic elements hidden in details. It expresses "something that seems simple, yet the details are complicated and are difficult to reconcile!” The only way to correctly and fully understand the story is to expose the devil in the details which described multiple Stars of Bethlehem. 

     This story served as a defense against those who believed Jesus of Nazareth was born at Nazareth. It was also an attack on the Magi who failed in their observances to locate the Jewish Messiah at Jerusalem. The Magi depended on a fourteen hundred year old prophecy and a Star, Numbers 24:17 (a star shall arise out of Jacob and a scepter out of Israel) as a road map to Jerusalem. Yet, the author was silent about this prophecy. Instead the author drew from the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2), What ever happened to the Old Testament prophecy? Not until the conclusion of the book will the author reveal the final puzzle piece that  comments on the fourteen hundred year old prophecy which will surprise and astonish the reader!

     K. C. Beckmann is a retired clergy and a life-long amateur astronomer./nova hunter  He has independently discovered multiple novae, i.e., cataclysmic variable stars that brighten for brief periods of time and later return to their normal brightness. His work as an amateur astronomer and nova hunter has earned him national and international recognition. For more than two decades he was chair of a committee for all things on the frequency and distribution of classical galactic novae with a prestigious professional international organization consisting of professional and amateur astronomers.. Also his work as an amateur astronomer and nova hunter has been the topic of many books and articles on nova hunting. Drawing from both ancient and modern sources, Beckman'n's more than four decades of research, study and reflection on the Star of Bethlehem provides a bridge that connects all aspects of the Jesus of Nazareth's infancy narratives in the Gospel According to Matthew in a way never before told. It is a timely subject for the holiday season.

     For those who have a subscription to Amazon's Kindle Publishing Unlimited library the book is free to read. Otherwise Amazon charges a modest fee of $2.99. for a digital copy.

.If you have questions and would like to contact the author you may email at: kcb@whatajoyfulcelebration.com..