Frederick Larson (filmmaker)

Frederick Anthony Heep "Rick" Larson (born March 26, 1953) is an American lawyer and law professor[4] who became a filmmaker after he investigated the Star of Bethlehem and became a traveling speaker on the topic, then made his first documentary film The Star of Bethlehem about his findings in 2007.[5] In March 2019 Larson released his second film, the documentary The Christ Quake, which had been in production since 2013.

For other people named Fred or Frederick Larson, see Fred Larson (disambiguation).

Frederick A. Larson
Larson's research into the Star of Bethlehem led him to believe the evidence points to the planet Jupiter.[1] This photo is from Cassini.
Born
Frederick Anthony Heep Larson[2]

(1953-03-26) March 26, 1953[3]
Los Angeles County, California, U.S.[3]
Alma materUniversity of Southern California, University of Southern California Law Center
OccupationFilmmaker, intellectual property law attorney, law professor
Years active2007–present
Spouse(s)Julie Davison Larson

Education and primary career

Larson graduated from the University of Southern California and earned his Juris Doctor degree at the University of Southern California Law Center.[6] His areas of legal expertise are intellectual property, business, and corporate law.[7] Larson was voted Professor of the Year when he was a teacher at Texas A & M University.[8]

Films

The Star of Bethlehem
Frederic Leighton's - The Star of Bethlehem. One artist's idea of one of the Magi looking east from his home.

Larson used the Starry Night astronomy software program after he became interested in the Christmas Star because he needed to produce one for the Magi he made as Christmas decorations for his yard, but did not know what to create.[9][10]

Larson became intrigued with the Star after reading astronomer Craig Chester's article,[11] based in part on the work of Ernest Martin[12] about the Bethlehem Star being a possible actual event.[13] Chester, a co-founder of the Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy, thought the planetary conjunctions of 2 BC were a more plausible explanation for what the Magi would have seen than events found in earlier dates.[14] Larson thinks astronomical events in 3-2 BC fit the evidence found in the Bible.[1] He also believes King Herod the Great died in 1 BC, although others, including astronomer David Hughes and astronomer Mike Molnar, believe Herod died in 4 BC.[15]

Larson examined the biblical account in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2[16] and located nine qualities of Bethlehem's Star:[10][17] It signified birth, it signified kingship, it was related to the Jewish nation, and it rose "in the East";[18] furthermore, King Herod had not been aware of it;[19] it appeared at an exact time;[20] it endured over time;[21] and, according to the book of Matthew,[22] it was before the Magi as they traveled south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, then it stopped over Bethlehem.[23]

Larson wrote the screenplay and was co-executive producer with Stephen McEveety,[24] whose films include The Passion of the Christ[25] and Braveheart.[26]

The Christ Quake

After he investigated the Star of Bethlehem, Larson began work on a second film, The Christ Quake, focused on uncovering physical evidence of the earthquake the Bible says took place when Christ died on the cross.[27] It is based on the book of Matthew 27:51, which says, "and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent".[28] On May 21, 2019 the DVD was released in English and in Spanish.[29] In addition to appearing in the documentary, Larson was its screenwriter and executive producer.[30]

Personal life

Larson studied under Francis Schaeffer in Switzerland at the L'Abri Christian community.[31]:191

[6] He founded the STAR project, a nonprofit organization that promotes unity among Christians of many denominations.[32] On July 28, 2016, Julie Davison Larson posted a message from Rick Larson in which he said he was married to her, that she was composing the music for every instrument of the orchestra for The Christ Quake film, and added, "I'm the one that cooks dinner when she is scoring."[33]

See also

References
  1. Foust, Michael. "Bethlehem Star: both natural & miraculous?" Baptist Press. December 14, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  2. "Attorney Licensee Profile". State Bar of California. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  3. California Birth Index
  4. "Rick Larson's Biography". Christian Book Previews. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  5. Lawton, Kim. "Star of Bethlehem". Interview with Rick Larson. PBS, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. December 21, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  6. Herd, Aimee. "BCN Interview with Rick Larson". Breaking Christian News. November 30, 2009. Retrieved on January 6, 2016.
  7. "Attorney profile: "Mr. Frederick A. Larson". Martindale-Hubbell online. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  8. Larson, Frederick. (2011). Science: "The Bethlehem Star". Faith and Culture: A Guide to a Culture Shaped by Faith. Zondervan, Michigan. Edited by Kelly Monroe Kullberg and Lael Arrington. Retrieved September 27, 2019. ISBN 978-0-310-33138-4.
  9. Christian Cinema. "The Star of Bethlehem: A Magnificent Obsession". Frederick Larson interview. November 24, 2009. Retrieved December 22, 2015
  10. Lawton, Kim. "Christmas star debate gets its due on Epiphany". USA Today. January 5, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  11. Chester, Craig. "The Star of Bethlehem". Imprimis. Reprinted December 1996 with editorial changes. 25(12). PDF; scroll to December 1996 and click. Originally printed 1993. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  12. Martin, Ernest. 1991. The Star that Astonished the World. ASK Publications. Free to read online, for personal study only. Other uses prohibited. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  13. Chester, Craig. "The Star of Bethlehem". Imprimis. December 1993, 22(12). Originally presented at Hillsdale College during fall 1992. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  14. Scripps Howard News Service. "Astronomer Analyzes The Star Of Bethlehem". The Chicago Tribune. December 24, 1993. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  15. Ellis, Rebecca. "Star of Wonder". BBC News. December 23, 2008. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  16. "Matthew chapter 2". BibleGateway.com. Amplified version with footnotes. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  17. Herzog, Travis. "Did the Star of Bethlehem exist?" abc13 Eyewitness News. December 20, 2007. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  18. "Matthew chapter 2 verse 2". Bible Hub plus commentaries. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  19. "Matthew chapter 2 verse 3". Bible Hub plus commentaries. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  20. "Matthew chapter 2 verse 7". Bible Hub plus commentaries. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  21. "Matthew chapter 2 verses 2-10". Bible Hub. Whole chapter plus commentaries. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  22. "Matthew chapter 2 verse 9". Bible Hub plus commentaries. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  23. Ireland, Michael. "Evidence emerges for Star of Bethlehem’s reality". Christian Headlines. October 18, 2007. Current version. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  24. Southern, Nathan. "The Star of Bethlehem (2007): Review summary". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  25. The Passion of the Christ awards and nominations. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  26. Braveheart awards and nominations. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  27. Parker, Paula K. "From the Star of Bethlehem to The Christ Quake. BuddyHollywood. November 20, 2015. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  28. "Matthew 27:51". Bible Hub. King James Version. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  29. "The Christ Quake: releases". AllMovie. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  30. "The Christ Quake: cast & crew". AllMovie. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  31. Youssef, Michael. (2012). "The promise - fulfilled!" Leading the Way Through Daniel. Harvest House Publishers, Oregon. Leading the Way Through the Bible series. Retrieved September 19, 2019. ISBN 978-0-7369-5164-7.
  32. Standring, Suzette Martinez. "Star of Wonder—it was real". The Canton Repository. December 10, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  33. "Julie Davison Larson shared a post". Facebook. Post by Rick Larson of Bethlehem Star. July 26, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
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