I\u2019m happy to report, however, that I was wrong in my initial assessment of The Great Christ Comet. Unquestionably,\u00a0Nicholl is a deeply knowledgeable and meticulous biblical scholar. Nearly every page\u00a0contains multiple footnotes, often to obscure books and scholarly journals. But he\u00a0is also humble. He acknowledges early on that the study of the mystery of the Star of Bethlehem requires expertise in multiple disciplines\u00a0including biblical studies, Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) history, and astronomy. I\u2019m impressed he\u00a0dialogued with multiple astronomers while working\u00a0on this book. Gary W. Kronk, a leading expert on comets, wrote the foreword.<\/p>\n
The input from astronomers is evident in the high quality and\u00a0great depth of discussions relating to the technical aspects of astronomy. Nicholl carefully explains the basic motions of celestial bodies in the night sky, always with attention to details relevant to ANE observers. He also does a very good job explaining the anatomy, orbital mechanics, brightness changes, and visual appearances of comets. Nicholl often draws on detailed historical accounts of bright comets, including many beautiful illustrations; the visual impact of a celestial phenomenon is an important part of the story of the Star. I couldn\u2019t\u00a0find any obvious errors in the book\u2019s astronomy content.<\/p>\n
Biblically\u00a0Focused, Persuasive Storyteller<\/p>\n
The biblical text is Nicholl\u2019s main source material. Early on, he makes a solid case that the nativity narrative should be taken as describing real historical events. Not only does he make use of the detailed description of the Star in Matthew 1:18\u20132:18, but he also brings in Numbers 24:17, Isaiah 9:2, and Revelation 12:1\u20135. Though\u00a0Kronk says\u00a0in the foreword that Nicholl is the first to tie the Revelation passage to the star, this isn\u2019t the case. In chapter 4, Nicholl actually states Ernest L. Martin did so in The Star of Bethlehem: The Star that Astonished the World<\/a>, as well as\u00a0Frederick A. Larson, likely influenced by Martin, in his\u00a0The Star of Bethlehem<\/a>\u00a0documentary.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\tThe Great Christ Comet: Revealing the True Star of Bethlehem\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tColin Nicholl\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tThe Great Christ Comet: Revealing the True Star of Bethlehem\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tColin Nicholl\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\tCrossway (2015). 368 pages. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\tCrossway (2015). 368 pages. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n I\u2019m not spoiling the conclusion\u00a0by telling you Nicholl strongly advocates the comet explanation for the Star; that much is evident on the book\u2019s cover. Before presenting his own theory, he critiques other well-known proposals. These include various conjunctions between Jupiter and other planets or stars, a nova or supernova, meteors, and an ordinary star. He also notes that the 12 B.C.\u00a0apparition of Halley\u2019s comet<\/a>, which some have\u00a0identified as the Star, is much too early to be consistent with the biblical chronology. I find his critiques to be persuasive.<\/p>\n Nicholl is a good storyteller. As I read\u00a0through each chapter\u00a0I\u00a0had the impression he\u00a0was retelling the story of how he\u2019d worked as a detective to solve the mystery of the Star, carefully sifting through subtle clues bit by bit\u00a0to arrive at a final, inescapable conclusion. Although at times the material can be technical\u00a0and the pace slow (with some very long footnotes!), I think he manages to\u00a0maintain the average reader\u2019s interest most of the time.<\/p>\n Theories and Chronologies<\/p>\n Without giving away the whole story, I\u2019ll briefly summarize Nicholl\u2019s theory. Only a comet, he argues,\u00a0can do all the things the Star is reported to have done in the nativity texts\u2014leading the Magi to Jerusalem,\u00a0then to Bethlehem,\u00a0then to the specific house in which the Christ child lay. I must admit I was astonished when I read Nicholl\u2019s description of the celestial sign he says prompted the Magi to make their long journey to Jerusalem. I won\u2019t spoil the surprise by revealing it here!<\/p>\n Nicholl even gives the orbital elements of the \u201cChrist Comet.\u201d This is quite an achievement. With these, anyone with modern planetarium software can follow its path across the ancient skies and confirm that it did everything Nicholl claims for it.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/the_great_christ_comet.jpg\")
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