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Thanks Salvation. |
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Posted on 01/02/2011 1:56:17 PM PST by Salvation
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1/1/97
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Who were the Magi? — A reader in Springfield
The Gospel of Matthew mentions the Magi who came from the East to worship the newborn Christ child (cf. Matthew 2:1-12). Exactly who the magi were though remains somewhat of a mystery.
Oftentimes, the English translations of the Bible use the word astrologers for magi. In Greek, the original language of the Gospel' the word magos (magoi, plural) has four meanings: (1) a member of the priestly class of ancient Persia, where astrology and astronomy were prominent in Biblical times; (2) one who had occult knowledge and power, and was adept at dream interpretation' astrology, fortune-telling, divination, and spiritual mediation; (3) a magician; or (4) a charlatan, who preyed upon people using the before mentioned practices. From these possible definitions and the description provided in the gospel, the magi were probably Persian priest-astrologers who could interpret the stars, particularly the significance of the star that proclaimed the birth of the Messiah. (Even the ancient historian Herodotus (d. 5 century BC) would attest to the astrological prowess of the priestly class of Persia.)
More importantly, the visit of the magi fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament: Balaam prophesied about the coming Messiah marked by a star: "I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob and a staff shall rise from Israel..." Psalm 72 speaks of how the Gentiles will come to worship the Messiah: "The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts, the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. All kings shall pay Him homage, all nations shall serve Him" (72:10-11). Isaiah also prophesied the gifts: "Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord" (Isaiah 60:6).
St. Matthew recorded that the Magi brought three gifts, each also having a prophetic meaning: gold, the gift for a king; frankincense the gift for a priest; and myrrh -- a burial ointment, a gift for one who would die. St. Irenaeus (d. 202) in his Adversus haereses offered the following interpretation for the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh respectively King, God, and Suffering Redeemer as well as virtue, prayer, and suffering.
Traditionally, we think of the three magi as the three kings. We usually have the three kings in our nativity sets' We even sing, "We three kings of orient are...." Here the three gifts, Psalm 72, and the rising star in the East converge to render the Magi as three kings travelling from the East.
Actually, the earliest tradition is inconsistent as to the number of the Magi. The Eastern tradition favored 12. In the West, several of the early Church fathers eluding Ongen, St. Leo the Great, and St. Maximus of Turin — accepted three. Early Christian painting in Rome found at the cemetery of Sts. Peter and Marcellinus depicts two magi and at the cemetery of St. Domitilla, four.
Since the seventh century in the Western Church, the magi have been identified as Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. A work called the Excerpta et Collectanea attributed to St. Bede (d. 735) wrote, "The magi were the ones who gave gifts to tile Lord. The first is said to have been Melchior, an old man with white hair "d a long beard... who offered gold to the Lord as to a king. The second, Gaspar by name, young and beardless and ruddy complexioned. . . honored Him as God by his gift of incense, an oblation worthy of divinity. The third, black-skinned and heavily bearded, named Balthasar. .. by his gift of myrrh testified to the Son of Man who was to die." An excerpt from a Medieval saints calendar printed in Cologne read, "Having undergone many trials and fatigues for the Gospel, the three wise men met at Sewa (Sebaste in Armenia) in AD 54 to celebrate the feast of Christmas. Thereupon, after the celebration of Mass, they died: St. Melchior on January 1, aged 116; St. Balthasar on January 6th, aged 112; and St. Gaspar on January 11th, aged 109." The Roman Martyrology also lists these dates as the Magi's respective feast days.
Emperor Zeno brought the relics of the magi from Persia to Constantinople in 490. Relics (whether the same or others) appeared in Milan much later and were kept at the Basilica of St. Eustorgius. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa of Germany, who plundered Italy, took the lics to Cologne in 1162, where they remain secure to this day in a beautiful reliquary housed in the Cathedral.
Even though some mystery remains to the identity of the magi, the Church respects their act of worship: The Council of Trent, when underscoring the reverence that must be given to e Holy Eucharist, decreed, "The faithful of Christ venerate this most holy sacrament with the worship of latria which is due to the true God.... For in this sacrament we believe that the same God is present whom the eternal Father brought into the world, saying of Him, 'Let all God's angels worship Him.' It is the same God whom the Magi fell down and worshipped, and finally, the same God whom the apostles adored in Galilee as Scripture says" (Decree on the Most Holy Eucharist, 5).
As we celebrate Christmas and the Feast of the Epiphany, we too must be mindful of our duty to adore our Lord through prayer, worship, and self-sacrificing good work. St. Gregory Nazianzen (d. 389) preached, "Let us remain on in adoration, and to Him, who' in order to save us, humbled Himself to such a degree of poverty as to receive our body, let us offer not only incense, gold and myrrh..., but also spiritual gifts, more sublime than those which can be seen with the eyes" (Oratorio, 19).
Fr. Saunders is pastor of Queen of Apostles Church in Alexandria
The Joseph family were direct descendants of royalty. They were not poor. They just did not get reservations in time.
for later, interesting!
Yes, Joseph’s family was descended from David and the kings of Judah. So was Mary’s.
For that matter, my genealogy leads back to the Kings of England, but it surely isn’t reflected in my bank account.
Luke, chapter 2, records Joseph and Mary’s visit to the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus was almost six weeks old, to consecrate their firstborn son as required by the Law of Moses “and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons.’ ” (verse 24)
After the birth, Mary was required to wait for almost six weeks until her “purification” was over as described in the Law of Moses. Then she was to take to the priest “a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a dove for a sin offering.” The priest was to sacrifice them “before the LORD to make atonement for her, and then she will be ceremonially clean from her flow of blood.” (Lev. 12:6-7)
As good Jews, Joseph and Mary did as the Law required and took their offering to the temple at the appointed time. However, they did not bring a year-old lamb.
Why?
As outlined in Leviticus 12:8, “But if she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”
Joseph and Mary brought birds. They could not afford a lamb. They were demonstrably poor, unless you want to argue that they lied to the priest.
Our Lord, the King of Heaven and Earth, was born into modest circumstances and experienced life as an ordinary human like us. He understands our struggles. Hebrews 8.
Not my opinion, straight from scripture.
(One might argue that, if the magi brought riches, why didn’t Joseph and Mary use that to buy a lamb? The answer is that the nativity scenes we see so often at Christmas have it wrong.
The wise men didn’t show up until well after the birth. Matthew 2:11 records that they family had moved into a house by the time the magi arrived. Jesus may well have been a toddler by then. That timeline also explains Herod’s order to kill all male babies “two years and under.”
By that time, prompted by the divine dream, Joseph had enough loot to escape to Egypt.)
...my next book, but The Dear and Glorious Physician was a re-release and the book was brand new. I have found a new favorite author:)
...my next book, but The Dear and Glorious Physician was a re-release and the book was brand new. I have found a new favorite author:)
The three wise men were not at the stable where Jesus was born...
You are correct. The Scripture says “house” so Mary and Joseph and the baby, Christ Jesus had moved from the stable or cave to a house.
I have no argument whatsoever with you there.
And we need to remember that they were led by a star.
**As good Jews, Joseph and Mary did as the Law required and took their offering to the temple at the appointed time. However, they did not bring a year-old lamb.
Why?**
Because they were poor. And the presentation in the temple was at eight days, wasn’t it? Jesus was eight days old? The normal time for circumcision?
Yes, because they were poor — which was the point of my post.
(I was replying to an earlier poster who claimed that because the family was descended from royalty, they weren’t poor. Perhaps his comment was in jest?)
The circumcision would have been at eight days, but the appearance at the Temple for sacrifice was later. Two different events. Luke 2: 21-24 lays out the timeline:
“On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’, and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons.’ “
I still like to celebrate the Epiphany on January 6. That is the day I start to take down my Christmas tree and decorations. I pack up my dining room Nativity last.
And if you like to read about the old time Catholic priests, the role of the Church in England and Ireland and Wales, all told in yarns full of ghosts, visions, and mysterious strangers, you will like reading Caldwell’s “Grandmother and the Priests.”
I read it to my daughters on a long family car trip when they were teenagers and they love it to this day.
I read Dear and Glorious Physician when I was 20 and loved it... so much that I eventually named one of my daughters Taylor! The best thing about Caldwell is that she writes with faith as she teaches you history in a wonderful tale.
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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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Thanks Salvation. |
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