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 one which had been seen was _his star_. All ancient nations were very superstitious in regard to the influence of the stars upon human affairs, and this ridiculous idea has been handed down, in some places, even to the present day. Dr. Hooykaas, speaking on this subject, says: "In ancient times the Jews, like other peoples, might very well believe that there was some immediate connection between the stars and the life of man--an idea which we still preserve in the forms of speech that so-and-so was born under a lucky or under an evil star. They might therefore suppose that the birth of great men, such as Abraham, for instance, was announced in the heavens. In our century, however, if not before, all serious belief in astrology has ceased, and it would be regarded as an act of the grossest superstition for any one to have his horoscope drawn; for the course, the appearance and the disappearance of the heavenly bodies have been long determined with mathematical precision by science."[141:1] The Rev. Dr. Geikie says, in his _Life of Christ_:[141:2] "The Jews had already, long before Christ's day, dabbled in astrology, and the various forms of magic which became connected with it. . . . They were much given to cast horoscopes from the numerical value of a name. Everywhere throughout the whole Roman Empire, Jewish magicians, dream expounders, and sorcerers, were found. "'The life and portion of children,' says the _Talmud_, 'hang not on righteousness, but on _their_ star.' 'The planet of the day has no virtue, but the planet of the hour (of nativity) has much.' 'When the Messiah is to be revealed,' says the book _Sohar_, 'a star will rise in the east, shining in great brightness, and _seven_ other stars round it will fight against it on every side.' 'A star will rise in the east, which is the star of the Messiah, and will remain in the east fifteen days.'" The moment of every man's birth being supposed to determine every circumstance in his life, it was only necessary to find out in what mode the _celestial bodies_--supposed to be the primary wheels to the universal machine--operated at that moment, in order to discover all that would happen to him afterward.