Posted on 01/06/2024 12:27:53 AM PST by Cronos
In the story of Christ’s birth there are many familiar characters: Joseph, Mary, Herod, the Jewish leaders, and shepherds. But there are also several (at least three) strange foreigners called “Magi” who unexpectedly come out of nowhere. Even more shocking is that they are more alert, more knowledgeable, and have deeper spiritual understanding of the meaning of the birth of Jesus than most of Jesus’s ethnic relations.
Hossein-Behzah-Birth of Jesus-Magi
But who are these Magi who mysteriously appear around the time of Jesus’s birth and who are prepared to worship him and give him gifts? Where are they from? How do they know so much about his birth and who he is?
People from many nations—places such as Pakistan, India, and even China—claim that these Magi were from their lands. But I say they were from Iran. I say this not because I am from Iran and want to force Iran into the Bible—the Bible already has a lot to say about Persia (Iran)—but I say this because of the evidence.
May I present to you three reasons that support the fact that the Magi were from Iran?
1) The word “Magi” is a Persian word. The Magi were not kings but were dignitaries and advisors in the court of Persian kings. They were high priests of the Zoroastrian religion. The Persian kings respected them, valued them, and sought their advice in their decisions.
2) Images in the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem depict the Magi as Persians. The Church of Nativity was erected in AD 329 by Empress Helena, Constantine’s mother, in the area believed to be where Jesus was born. In AD 614, a mosaic of the Magi on the floor of the church saved it from destruction by a Persian rampage. The mosaic depicts the Magi in Persian clothing. (A ninth-century synod in Jerusalem quoted this example to show the utility of religious images.) This early image does not prove the identity of the Magi, but it shows an early, widespread understanding of who they were.
3) The Magi were familiar with the prophecies of the Old Testament. As we can see in Matthew 2, the Magi were not just following a star out of curiosity; they had great preknowledge about this birth and the identity of Christ. They knew who they were seeking, and what to do when they found him: worship.
When they saw the star, they knew instantly that it was pointing to the Christ child. They told Herod, “We saw his star” (Mt 2:2, emphasis added). They knew that a child would be born around that time and were expecting it. They knew Jesus was a King, asking Herod, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?” They also knew that the child was not only a King but was God. They proclaimed, “[We] have come to worship him.”
Zoroastrians believe there is only one God, and he alone must be worshiped. The name of God in Zoroastrian books is “Ahura Mazda” (meaning “the good Lord”). Incidentally, the short form of this word is “Hormoz”—yes, the Zoroastrian name for the One God is where I get my name.
But how did these men know about the coming King? The answer is easy: Daniel. Daniel was (and is even now) respected in Persia as a prophet from God. His book, written in Iran, was available and revered by Persians. Not many people know that for centuries, many who lived in Iran were true believers in the God of the Bible. This was not just because of Daniel, but also because of Nehemiah, Habakkuk, and Esther. At the end of the book of Esther, we read that many Persians came to know the God of Israel.
The Bible also says that when Persian King Cyrus set the captive Jews free, only a small number went back to their land. They returned at several stages, and the total number of those who returned are estimated to be only around 50,000 people. Therefore, millions of Jews stayed in Persia and lived there for centuries.
It is probable that the high priests of the Persian kings were required to know the Old Testament and especially the prophecies of Daniel. That is the reason these Magi were so knowledgeable about who Jesus was and the timing of his birth.
Conclusion: What Can We Learn? It is not really important to prove where these Magi were from. What is important is that “non-Jews” found the Christ child and worshiped him long before hardly any Jews even knew he existed. This teaches us that God’s great desire is for people from all nations to know him and worship him.
We also learn that giving is an inseparable part of worship. Yes, we should worship God with praises on our lips, but that alone is not enough and might even be considered as an empty worship—just lip service.
Giving is an integral part of worship. We should worship God with our gold (possessions), our myrrh (willingness to suffer for him, to deny ourselves, to carry our cross, and to participate in his work), and our frankincense (becoming the fragrance of Christ to this world, as in 2 Cor. 2:15, by reflecting his character and loving the lost).
Worshiping God in this manner is exactly what you are doing by standing by us, loving the Muslims enough to share the gospel with them. Persia once worshiped the God of the Bible and Jesus, his Son. Many Persians are seeking him once again. Thank you for showing them the light of God’s star, that they might follow him.
Celebrating the traditional Feast of the Epiphany on January 6 is a much better way to spend the day than with recent Jan 6’s.
Re: post 19 - thank you for correcting the often-repeated mistake that it took years for the Magi to get to Bethlehem. It always seemed silly for church leaders to preach that Jesus was two years old and living in some relatives’ house when the Magi came.
Then Herod perceiving that he was deluded by the wise men, was exceeding angry; and sending killed all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. — Matthew 2:16
They preach that Jesus was 2 years old because the ages of the young boys killed by Herod were two years and younger. Herod chose that age based on the timings that the magi said the star had appeared. I believe the star was a longer lived phenomena that had certain characteristics and stellar behaviors that would cause the magi to realize this was no ordinary star. I don’t buy the fact that it would have taken them 2 years to make the trip but it might have taken two years to study the star, note it’s behaviors and times of its appearance, research the lands, legends and the political situations oer which the star appeared, and to organize themselves to make a trip. (The Romans were very keen not to want trouble after all so the visiting magi would need to be careful, as would Herod who would have to very careful as to how he would have treated the Magi.).
Jesus was probably a toddler and yes the star was still shining in a manner that at least the magi could recognize it as being very unusual as it shone oer the house where “the young child” lived.
Matthew 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
This was pointed out fifty years ago in a book WORD KEYS WHICH UNLOCK CHRISTMAS by Duane Edward Spencer. Either Iranians or Jews still living in Persia whom understood the times of the Messiah’s birth.
Thank You! Excellent discussion.
RE: Anyone wonder why that “star” led them to and then stopped over Herods castle before moving on to where Jesus was!🤔
Many have speculated what that “Star” was. Some have said that it was an astronomical alignment of planets, others say it was a Comet… all these to me, are unsatisfactory. The Star MOVED to lead the Magi to the Messiah’s home.
The simplest explanation to me is it was a special guiding light made visible to the Magi to guide them, much like God guided the Israelites in the desert during the time of Moses with a pillar of cloud and fire by day and night. It was the Shekinah glory of God.
For me, once you believe the first verse of Genesis, you’ll believe that God can do anything supernatural ( LUKE 1:37 )
Thanks for a great article!
The timeline inferred from the gospel suggests that the Magi appeared up to two years after Jesus’s birth. The Magi went first to Herod to inquire and the upshot was that Herod had the babies up to two years of age massacred.
Indeed. Persia had many Hebrews living in the country and we know that there were Hebrews in the palace as advisors and brides- Daniel and Esther for instance.
“We three kings of orient are...”
Yes, if they hurried up, they might do it a lot faster.
E. G. Roman’s infantry was able to march about 20 mi/day. And when riding camels one could travel about 40 mi/day (apparently, if running camels in max speed, they are able to make even incredible 120mi/day!). Camels are actually incredibly sturdy and fast animals!
The distance from Ctesiphon to Jerusalem is about 600 mi so they may possibly made it in 2 weeks!
And, who say that they started after Jesus was born? God could obviously predict the time Jesus will be born and put the star there before the birth.
So in reality, the twelve days of Christmas to the Epiphany is reasonable time for the Magi to arrive in Bethlehem.
I doubt it. Herod died 4 BC. If Jesus was toddler and they went to Egypt and stayed there, that would make Jesus birth quite early.
And why would they stayed in Jerusalem for 2 years?! They came from Nazareth, they got counted and, I am sure, they would like to go back home ASAP!
But, if Magi showed in Bethlehem within two to four weeks, and gave them all the stuff they could very well sell in Egypt, (gold, frankincense and ointments were in great demand in Egypt!) the trip to Egypt would be piece of cake. No need to rise money for the trip or waste time in Jerusalem!
And Herod killing 2 years old? Didn’t you ever heard of overdesign?
BTW, Bethlehem was a little town. They estimate that Herod could kill like dozen or two dozens of boys. Not really a massacre to be partially noted by historians.
I read a non-biblical article on the Magi and speculation was that the Magi were a known group with who the Jews had interacted with and most likely traveled with 50 or so men and their appearance would have caused Herod concern. It was also speculated that the gifts of the Magi were used by Mary & Joseph when they fled to Egypt with the Christ.
There is still a Jewish population in Iran. The majority left during the revolution, but some remained.
There are the scriptures that showed at least one Herod killed the 2 year olds and less. The scripture I gave you showed that the Herod in charge at that time chose the age of the babes killed due to that the magi told him.
History records are somewhat vague as to what Herod was in power at the time of the magi’s visit. There were several in the space of 50 years or so and the date of their deaths fluctuate per the history books. If Jesus was born at about 7 to 6 BC Herod might still have been alive during 4 bc and ordered the killings but then died some months later that same year. The bible didn’t say where the Mary and Joseph were staying (in that region) exactly(at the time of the magi) but Bethlehem was Joseph and Mary’s ancestral home where they had to go and get taxed prior to Jesus birth. Joseph may have decided to stay in the region to care for the young family and provide for them as he had needed skills. It wouldn’t surprise me that some details of Mary’s pregnancy might have been troublesome to some relatives so Joseph decided that a little distance mixed with discretion was important. They were living in Nazareth anyway not in Jerusalem when Joseph left for the hometown prior to Jesus’ birth. Nazareth was 90 miles from Bethlehem so it would have been a hard trip with a young family. Later when Herod was dead, his son Archelaeus(who was also a “herod’ took over) took over and God still warned Joseph not to return to the Region but to go back to Nazareth leaving Egypt. I believe Jesus was 18 months to two years when Herod killed the youths of Bethlehem Judea region.(Or Rama where Rachel mourned for her children)
I think it would have to be a meteor shower, or something like it, to point to a specific house.
Resolving a star is very difficult. Ellicott’s Rock is what, 100 meters off the 35th parallel?
The Bible didn’t say it was only Bethlehem but in the regions round about Bethlehem Judea, what ever they could find. It is only speculation that there were only a few dozen boys as these people had large families and no one practised birth control. The Bible gives no body count only a sense that the slaughter was horrible. Archeleus, Herod’s son must have been watching the populations, maybe due to his Father’s experience with the Magi, because even though Herod had died, Joseph was warned in a dream not to return there from Egypt but to go to Nazareth. Jesus was still in danger apparently if the family returned to Bethlehem. (Tax records!!)
I don’t think it was a star and planets don’t stay togther in conjunction over two years. What ever it was about that star, it was so unusual that it motivated the Magi to move. I think it didn’t move with the seasons and stayed in the same place all night, not moving with the earth’s spin. It might not have been all that noticeable to many people , but to learned magi who knew the skies, it’s behavior was quite out of the ordinary to them. I believe the Magi were also motivated by the holy spirit. They sure knew to heed god’s warning in their dreams not to return to Herod but to return to their home via another route.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.