is admirably detected by
Sir Isaac Newton." (Gibbon's Rome, iv. 496, _note_.) _Dean Milman_ says:
"The weight of authority is so much against the common reading of both
these points (_i. e._, I. Tim. iii. 16, and I. John, v. 7), that they
are no longer urged by prudent controversialists." (Note in Ibid.)

[138:1] Gibbon's Rome, vol. iv. pp. 492-497.

[138:2] See Chambers's Encyclopaedia, art. "Apollinaris."

[138:3] Gibbon's Rome, vol. iv. p. 498.

[138:4] That is, separate _him_ from God the Father, by saying that
_he_, Jesus of Nazareth, was _not_ really and truly God Almighty himself
in human form.

[139:1] See Gibbon's Rome, vol. iv. p. 516.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM.

Being born in a miraculous manner, as other great personages had been,
it was necessary that the miracles attending the births of these
virgin-born gods should be added to the history of Christ Jesus,
otherwise the legend would not be complete.

The first which we shall notice is the story of the _star_ which is said
to have heralded his birth, and which was designated "_his_ star." It is
related by the _Matthew_ narrator as follows:[140:1]

"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, 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.'"

Herod the king, having heard these things, he privately called the wise
men, and inquired of them what time the star appeared, at the same time
sending them to Bethlehem to search diligently for the young child. The
wise men, accordingly, departed and went on their way towards Bethlehem.
"The star which they saw in the east went before them, till it came _and
stood over_ where the young child was."

The general legendary character of this narrative--its similarity in
style with those contained in the apocryphal gospels--and more
especially its conformity with those _astrological notions_ which,
though prevalent in the time of the Matthew narrator, have been exploded
by the sounder scientific knowledge of our days--all unite to stamp upon
the story the impress of poetic or mythic fiction.

The fact that the writer of this story speaks not of _a star_ but of
_his star_, shows that it was the popular belief of the people among
whom he lived, that each and every person was born under a star, and
that this