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To: Salvation

Gold, frankincense and myrrh.

There’s no reason to assume that one wiseman = one gift.

It was likely a collective gift from a group of ancient Persian astronomers who knew scripture and realized that the sky was pointing toward prophesied events. It would have been a brutal trip from the east, not likely something for a group of only three scholars. There is safety in numbers, and it was likely a much larger entourage.

The richness of the gift most likely later financed a long trip by the poor carpenter, wife, and son when they fled to Egypt.

There are those who theorize that the Magi may have been Jews from the Babylonian school, who were descended from those Israelites who remained in the East when captives returned to rebuild Jerusalem after their 70-year exile.


17 posted on 01/02/2011 4:20:43 PM PST by Jedidah
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To: Jedidah

The Joseph family were direct descendants of royalty. They were not poor. They just did not get reservations in time.


21 posted on 01/02/2011 4:57:00 PM PST by Vermont Lt (Don't taze my junk bro.)
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