The Bethlehem Star
The Bethlehem Star is a 50-page e-magazine of historical fiction for the month of Jesus’ birth, a one-time-only publication of Scripture on Stage of Livonia, Michigan, with fictional 1st century Jewish reporters covering all the various Nativity stories from the Infancy Narratives of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, with a bunch of extra stories, sports, weather, letters to our readers, etc. to enhance the experience of immersion in the events and people of this time. It is written by John Dzwonkowski, M.A. Theology, former 9-year (college & grad school) seminarian with The Maryknoll Fathers of New York, retired Director of Religious Education for his own St. Priscilla Catholic Parish, and current Master Catechist with the Archdiocese of Detroit. John is also a Catholic playwright, having written, produced, and directed 25+ plays, primarily exploring the great variety of emotions, challenges, struggles, conflicts, and joys surrounding the ministry of Jesus, but especially the events of his birth, and then of his passion, death, and resurrection. John is also the co-founder of St. Priscilla's Movie & Drama Ministry; as well as his own theatrical venture of 30 years so far, Scripture on Stage; through which he performs live 60 and 90-minute theatrical productions of An Evening with Simon Peter, An Evening with St. Joseph, and Peter & Magdalen ...on Jesus, all for solely a Free Will Offering to various parishes throughout the Detroit Archdiocese, complete with myriad emotion-charged music, stage lighting, multiple props, and even a 14' tall Roman crucifix that is used by Peter to demonstrate how this was done by the Romans. John has also published through his Scripture on Stage a comparable fictional e-mag of 58 pages, The Jerusalem Star, supposedly published in Jerusalem of the 1st century on the Sunday evening of Jesus' resurrection. Here we again have a variety of fictional 1st century Jewish reporters covering the various events of Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection, but from their close-up point of view.
The Bethlehem Star is a 50-page e-magazine of historical fiction for the month of Jesus’ birth, a one-time-only publication of Scripture on Stage of Livonia, Michigan, with fictional 1st century Jewish reporters covering all the various Nativity stories from the Infancy Narratives of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, with a bunch of extra stories, sports, weather, letters to our readers, etc. to enhance the experience of immersion in the events and people of this time.
It is written by John Dzwonkowski, M.A. Theology, former 9-year (college & grad school) seminarian with The Maryknoll Fathers of New York, retired Director of Religious Education for his own St. Priscilla Catholic Parish, and current Master Catechist with the Archdiocese of Detroit. John is also a Catholic playwright, having written, produced, and directed 25+ plays, primarily exploring the great variety of emotions, challenges, struggles, conflicts, and joys surrounding the ministry of Jesus, but especially the events of his birth, and then of his passion, death, and resurrection.
John is also the co-founder of St. Priscilla's Movie & Drama Ministry; as well as his own theatrical venture of 30 years so far, Scripture on Stage; through which he performs live 60 and 90-minute theatrical productions of An Evening with Simon Peter, An Evening with St. Joseph, and Peter & Magdalen ...on Jesus, all for solely a Free Will Offering to various parishes throughout the Detroit Archdiocese, complete with myriad emotion-charged music, stage lighting, multiple props, and even a 14' tall Roman crucifix that is used by Peter to demonstrate how this was done by the Romans.
John has also published through his Scripture on Stage a comparable fictional e-mag of 58 pages, The Jerusalem Star, supposedly published in Jerusalem of the 1st century on the Sunday evening of Jesus' resurrection. Here we again have a variety of fictional 1st century Jewish reporters covering the various events of Jesus' passion, death, and resurrection, but from their close-up point of view.
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King Herod said to be “Excited” by III Visitors
Looking for Newborn King!
by “Underground” Royal Court Reporter Hezron of Ram
They are astronomers by trade, students of the stars, and
apparently very learned and successful ones at that. They
had brought with them a fair-sized caravan of servants and
gifts, most of which, of course, were pleasantly accepted by
our good King Herod. The man is shameless.
They remained in Jerusalem at least a fortnight, waiting,
they said, for the star they had been following to reappear
and direct their travel. In time, however, they did depart the
city, leaving through the Kidron Valley towards late
afternoon on the day before Sabbath. They’d only gone
about II-III miles along the southern road when, as night
approached, they made their camp, now about halfway
between Jerusalem and our small town of Bethlehem,
Royal court reporter Simon “Sketch” Quillquick
depicts the visit of III Men of Wisdom from the East in
the presence of a harried King Herod last week
during Herod’s experimental “Open Forum,” which
has, lamentably, already resulted in the torture and
death of no less than VII naïve complainers.
It’s not often that we receive visits from III
learned men of wisdom from among our people
in the region of our former exile, Babylon, right
here in our holy city Jerusalem!
But we did.
This month, three men, giving their names as
Kasper, Melchior, and Balthasar, appeared at the great
gate of the ornate palace of King Herod on the western
edge of the upper city, with the message that they had
come to our land in search of the meaning of the bright
new star that has appeared in the skies over our
Bethlehem.
III Visitors of Wisdom from the East travel through the
mountain passes to our Land, following our new
Bethlehem star. In our artist’s depiction, they are astride
their camels: (l-r) Kasper, Melchior, and Balthasar. That’s
me on the left inviting them to share a meal, in hopes that I
might interview them on their journey. Hezron of Ram
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