The New Testament was written not as history but as testimony and some parts were not elaborated on because it was assumed people knew what a Magi was and where they came from. Magi came from Rome's deadly enemy - Parthian Persia. They were the Holy Men of the Zoroastrian faith.
Jesus is said to have had royal blood which means his cousin St. John the Baptist was also of royal blood - something that makes men rally around a person. And being of royal blood does not really mean you had to be rich, etc.
Taken in that context, King Herod is informed at Zoroastrian envoys from Rome's eastern enemy the Parthian Persian empire have arrived after hearing about the birth of a son from a group that claims royal ancestry.
If Jesus belonged to a group like that then they would have had allies in the Jewish community in Babylon and Persia and they sent word of his birth.
The Persian Shah arranges for a diplomatic mission to cause his Roman enemies problems. Herod attacks this group as traitors. St. John the Baptist's family flee to the wilderness. Herod assumes the family of Jesus wil try to escape to Persia so sends word to the guards at the Persian/Roman border.
Instead, Jesus' family flees to Egypt where there are no border checks and where there is a large Jewish community to hide in.
Fascinating narrative.
Thx.
Speaking in terms of the assumed, symbolic meaning of such a thing, at that time, it meant the Lion of Judah, King of the Jews, born of a Virgin. That was freighted with prophetic meaning in both worlds, and so they would set off to find Him. And, a Grand Trine with the addition of a star involved, certainly would be very bright.
For what that's worth, that is. I do realize astrology is forbidden in the Bible. A complex matter, it is, though. I've come to believe that individual astrology, being attempted divination, is what is being condemned. The Bible is replete with astrological language, occurences and symbolism, otherwise.
You are ight in equating “royal blood” with that “something that makes men rally around a person”. The power you are referring to is called charisma, and it is the only real “superpower”. It is the power to command the hearts of men, and it can be used for good or evil. All the great heroes and villains of the Bible had it: Abraham, David, Joseph of Egypt, Moses, Joshua; The Serpent, Rameses II, King Saul, Nimrod, Goliath. The greatest men of historic times possessed this power: Leonidas, Socrates, Alexander of Macedon, the Buddha, Confucius, Julius Caesar, Saladin, Richard, Hermann, Mohammed, Chaka Zulu, Charlemagne, Roland, Pelayo, the Cid, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Charles III, Karl V, George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Sam Houston, Francisco Franco and George S. Patton. And, sadly, so did history’s greatest villains, including Napoleon, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, and Mao.
Today, we have a president who has the power of charisma. Most Americans who support President Obama don’t do so out of any great love for (or even knowledge of) his policies; they are loyal to the man himself. Will our president use his power for good or evil? That remains to be seen.
One more fact about charisma: it tends to run in families. These families are the natural aristocracy of the world. Since the false dawn of the so-called enlightenment, most of them have been deposed from power by “democrats” and “republicans” in the name of Liberty — but rest assured, God still has His anointed among men. And someday, when the worship of Liberty has reduced mankind to slavery, and the masses turn to a Great Leader to save them, the true Kings and Princes of this world will arise to save civilization once more.
Excellent commentary! Thank you. :-)