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Lost Syriac Text Gives Magi's View of the Christmas Story
Biblical Archaeology Review ^ | Nov/Dec 2011 | unattributed

Posted on 11/07/2011 7:10:10 PM PST by SunkenCiv

The Bible tells us very little about the magi. Their story appears but once, in the Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12), where they are described as mysterious visitors "from the east" who come to Jerusalem looking for the child whose star they observed "at its rising." After meeting with King Herod, who feigns an intention to worship the child but actually plans to destroy him, the magi follow the same star to Bethlehem. There, upon seeing the baby Jesus and his mother Mary, the magi kneel down and worship him, presenting him with their three famous gifts -- gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then, without reporting to Herod, they depart for their homeland, never to be heard from again.

(Excerpt) Read more at bib-arch.org ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; History; Religion; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: archaeoastronomy; astrology; astronomy; bethlehem; brentlandau; epigraphyandlanguage; fauxiantrolls; godsgravesglyphs; herodthegreat; history; johanneskepler; matthew; michaelmolnar; religion; science; starofbethlehem; staroftheeast
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To: SunkenCiv

Interesting. Thanks for posting!


21 posted on 11/07/2011 11:15:23 PM PST by Altariel
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To: Tanniker Smith

What - you got a problem with C.E.? Christian Era?! LOL


22 posted on 11/07/2011 11:23:46 PM PST by 21twelve ("We can go from boom to bust, from dreams to a bowl of dust....and another lost generation.")
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To: Errant

Thanks - will look at this later. But I always wonder where they get the idea that it was THREE wise men - it doesn’t say that in the Bible.


23 posted on 11/07/2011 11:29:59 PM PST by 21twelve ("We can go from boom to bust, from dreams to a bowl of dust....and another lost generation.")
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To: SunkenCiv

~mark~


24 posted on 11/08/2011 12:31:25 AM PST by ForGod'sSake (You have only two choices: SUBMIT or RESIST with everything you've got!!!)
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To: Pelham

yet the Magi were Zoroastrian priests. Daniel couldn’t have been the chief Magi unless he had dualist beliefs and not Judaic


25 posted on 11/08/2011 1:06:59 AM PST by Cronos
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To: Cronos

Speculation over and over and over tends to cloud the truth you have posted

If Magi is the correct word, they were Persian, Zoroastrian


26 posted on 11/08/2011 4:26:36 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 ..... Crucifixion is coming)
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To: SunkenCiv

Are you certain that’s not just an advertisement the local version of Icecapades? Looks like three synchronized skaters.


27 posted on 11/08/2011 5:34:05 AM PST by tlb
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To: Spunky

Geeeez! I have to buy the magazine to be able to finish the rest of the article

&&&
Just what I was thinking. They got my hit for nothing.


28 posted on 11/08/2011 6:13:20 AM PST by Bigg Red (Maryland girl, born and bred)
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To: SunkenCiv

Thank you for that list, Civ.

Yipes! I’ll never get back to my Christmas cleaning at this rate.


29 posted on 11/08/2011 6:16:38 AM PST by Bigg Red (Maryland girl, born and bred)
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To: 21twelve; Tanniker Smith

Tanniker is right — it should be A.D.


30 posted on 11/08/2011 6:16:52 AM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: Winstons Julia
Oh I don't know....I used to have a subscription to that magazine.
31 posted on 11/08/2011 6:18:33 AM PST by BenLurkin (This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
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To: Bigg Red; Spunky; SunkenCiv
Actually, it's a book you can buy from Amazon, just follow the Google link. The book is a translation of a Syriac text that has been sitting in the Vatican library. It sounds interesting from the description and reviews. But it also sounds challenging. For example, the text does not describe them as Zoroastrian priests or even as Persians.
32 posted on 11/08/2011 11:26:38 AM PST by colorado tanker
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To: colorado tanker

Okay, thanks.


33 posted on 11/08/2011 2:50:51 PM PST by Bigg Red (Maryland girl, born and bred)
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34 posted on 12/20/2017 5:24:58 PM PST by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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https://freerepublic.com/tag/michaelmolnar/index

BBC The Sky at Night - The Real Star of Bethlehem: A Christmas Special [HD]
139,809 views
Dec 18, 2019
Miguel Monteiro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMMkWvGz9jI

Science Documentary hosted by Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock, published by BBC broadcasted as part of BBC The Sky at Night series in 2015 - English narration

The Real Star of Bethlehem: A Christmas Special

Astronomers have been fascinated by the idea of the Star of Bethlehem for centuries. Did it exist? And if so, what was it?

The list of candidates includes some of the most exciting objects in the night sky - supernovae, comets, meteors and unusual alignments of the giant planets.

In this surprising and entertaining Christmas special the Sky at Night team go in search of the potential causes of the Star of Bethlehem.

The team explore the possibilities, investigating the nature of the phenomena and digging through the historical records including Babylonian clay tablets and ancient Chinese manuscripts, to reconstruct events in the night sky 2,000 years ago.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock goes hunting for supernovae using the most powerful laser in Britain, and discovers that these mighty explosions caused by the death of stars can shine brighter than the moon in our sky.

Chris Lintott reconstructs the night sky over Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’s birth, discovering a once-in-a-millennium conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter that was first suggested as a cause of the star by the great astronomer Johannes Kepler in 1604.

Armed with his telescope, Pete Lawrence searches out the features of the night sky we can observe today that may provide clues to the origin of the Star of Bethlehem.

Professor Alan Fitzsimmons explains why the sudden appearance of a comet in the night sky has always been seen as an omen of great events on Earth.

Dallas Campbell goes in search of the historical and archaeological records that can shed light on the identity of the star. Finding Babylonian tablets in the vaults of the British Museum and ancient Chinese texts that record all the unusual events in the night sky 2,000 years ago, including a bright new star that appeared for 70 days in the year 5BC.

Thanks to: MVGroup; JungleBoy


35 posted on 12/24/2020 8:59:26 AM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...
Originally posted nine years ago, just a re-ping.

36 posted on 12/26/2020 4:50:49 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SunkenCiv

The opening chapter of Ben Hur has a great scene with the Magi. Worth reading all by itself.


37 posted on 12/26/2020 7:27:59 PM PST by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: zeugma
Figured I should post a link to a free copy of Ben Hur after making that comment.
38 posted on 12/26/2020 7:39:45 PM PST by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: zeugma

Thx.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2145/2145-h/2145-h.htm


39 posted on 12/27/2020 6:40:12 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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