Could it be that Matthew's virgin birth account contains pagan elements? God despises sorcery, divination, and witchcraft (Deuteronomy 18:9, 14; Isaiah 2:6, etc). Those who followed the "star" were "from the east" (Matthew 2:1). Why would God work through such an event to signify the birth of his son? -- Jason Bowen (Los Angeles)
I think your suspicion is half right. God revealed himself to pagans, rather than to the "wise men" of the Jews, thus shaming the "chosen people" while presaging his choice of the heathen, to whom the gospel would soon open up and become available. Yet the only elements of the nativity account which are necessarily "pagan" are the pagans themselves. Quite possibly they were astrologers, yet in this case the "stars" led them to truth instead of to error, wishful thinking, or their usual priestcraft. The star--whether it was a comet, as some have suggested, or some other temporary celestial phenomenon--led them to Christ. And as is often quipped at Christmas time: "Wise men still seek Him."
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