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The elaborate story that we know today can be found in the Historia Trium Regum, the History of the Three Kings, which is attributed to the fourteenth-century cleric John of Hildesheim. In this compilation of the legend, we are told much more about the star: "When the day of the nativity was passed the Star ascended up into the firmament, and it had right many long streaks and beams, more burning and brighter than a brand of fire; and as an eagle flying and beating the air with his wings, right so the streaks and beams of the Star stirred...

The Scriptural recounting in the Gospel of Saint Matthew of the mysterious wise men who visited the baby Jesus bearing gifts is one of the most enduring and compelling scenes in Sacred Scripture. The rudimentary nature of St. Matthew’s description of the Magi’s arrival has encouraged a flowering of apocryphal literature across the centuries which has added depth and detail to the occasion of the Epiphany. There are numerous references to the Magi in early post-Scriptural literature. Saint Justin Martyr mentions them prominently in his debate with Trypho (Chapter 78) in the mid-second century AD. Magi were of the priestly...

“Finding Jesus: A Joyous Epiphany” (Matthew 2:1-12) Today is January 6, and that means today is Epiphany. The Epiphany of Our Lord is a major festival in the church year, a big one, almost on a par with Christmas. And, like Christmas, Epiphany is a fixed-date festival, meaning it always falls on the same date, regardless of the day of the week. So most years we celebrate Epiphany with a special service on a day other than Sunday, and we have to make a special effort to get here. But this year January 6 happens to fall on a Sunday,...

We Three Kings of Orient are, Bearing gifts we traverse afar. . . . Who were these gift-bearing kings, these Wise Men of the East? What has their mission meant to Christians across the ages? The Wise Men—not yet called kings—make only a single appearance in Holy Scripture. St. Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 2:1-12) tells of their arrival in Jerusalem shortly after the birth of Jesus. In ancient texts of Scripture the Wise Men are Magoi in Greek and Magi in Latin. The singular form, Magos/Magus, is the source of our English word “magician” but had multiple meanings in Biblical times....

Christmas 2018: Who Were the Wise Men? By Philip Cottraux The Nativity scene. Amongst the yearly plethora of Christmas trees, gifts, same radio songs playing over and over, and Santa Claus, we constantly look to the Nativity to remind ourselves of the reason for the season. But this year I want to focus solely on one of the strangest aspects of the Christmas story. The wise men are one of the most iconic images of Christmas. Somehow mixed in all the winter imagery is a forlorn desert-scape under a starry night. Three men dressed as Persian royalty ride camels toward...

Despite attempts by modern biblical scholarship to debunk the gospel account of three magi visiting the newborn Jesus in Bethlehem, the stories were “historically true” according to extensive research by author Dwight Longenecker. In his new book, Mystery of the Magi: The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men, Longenecker, a scholar and Catholic priest, states that an impartial study of the relevant data “shows beyond reasonable doubt” that the Magi of Matthew’s gospel were historical figures. For many years, Longenecker writes, skeptical scholars have rejected the possibility that the infancy stories about Jesus could be historical for a number...

No One Goes Away from Jesus Unchanged Msgr. Charles Pope • December 23, 2016 • The video below is a 2008 Coca-Cola commercial that takes up the theme of the star of Christmas.Let us review the impact that the star of Christmas had on the wise men, the Magi. The star moved them to seek meaning outside themselves; it made them look out and up.The star called them beyond what was familiar in their own country and world and expanded their horizons toward Christ and His Kingdom.The star summoned them to seek Christ, and when they found Him, to...

Walking with the Wise -- A Homily for Epiphany Msgr. Charles Pope • January 2, 2016 • Archdiocese of Washington There are so many wonderful details in the Epiphany story: the call of the Gentiles, their enthusiastic response, the significance of the star they seek, the gifts they bring, the dramatic interaction with Herod, and their ultimate rejection of Herod in favor of Christ.In this meditation I would like to follow these Magi in their journey of faith to become "Wise Men." As magi, they followed the faint stars, distant points of light; as wise men they follow Jesus, who...

Archdiocese of Washington From Magi to Wise Men – A Homily for Epiphany By: Msgr. Charles PopeThere are so many wonderful details in the Epiphany story: the call of the Gentiles, the nations, and their enthusiastic response, the significance of the star they see, and the gifts they bring, the dramatic interaction with Herod and their ultimate rejection of him in favor Christ.In this meditation I would like especially to follow these Magi, in their journey of faith to become wise men. As Magi, they followed the faint stars, distant points of light; as Wise Men they follow Jesus who...

Who were the Magi? 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,...

The video below is a Coca Cola commercial from about five years ago that takes up the Christmas theme of the star of Christmas.Let us review the impact that Star of Christmas had on the wise men, the Magi. The star moved them to seek meaning outside themselves. It made them look out and up.The star called them beyond what was familiar in their own country and world and expanded their horizons toward Christ and His kingdom.The star summoned them to seek Christ, and when they found him, to worship him.The Star drew them to be generous to a poor...

A GE Theater adaption of Henry van Dyke's novella, "The Story of the Other Wise Man." Stars Harry Townes, Abraham Sofaer and Francis X. Bushman. Introduced by Ronald Reagan and family. Aired on Christmas Night, 1960.

The Visit of the Wise Men 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[b] and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told...

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh December 21st, 2010 by Stu WalkerIn four days we will celebrate the Birth of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Shortly after that, we will celebrate the event when the three wise men came to see Jesus. They brought Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. It is pretty amazing to think, for a moment, how God plans out things in a person’s life, especially when it is His Son. God knows and knew the hearts of men. When Herod asks the three kings to come and tell him where he may find Jesus, so he, too, can worship him and...

It's always the right time to ignore Paul Krugman, the New York Times columnist, Nobel Laureate and four-time Latin Grammy nominee whose drink-yourself-sober advice on handling the debt crisis is so sharply at odds with reality. Of late, Krugman has had his Irish up at Europeans who are resisting the Obama Administration's plan to continue spending hundreds of billions on financial stimulus. (Not that he agrees with the administration, which Krugman has been arguing for the last 18 months should be spending trillions, not mere billions, on stimulus.) And in the case of Bundesbank president Axel Weber -- whom Krugman...

When I was in college, I journeyed to Cologne, Germany and visited the city's glorious cathedral. I was a Protestant at the time, but I remember being amazed that people had been building this cathedral for so many centuries. It is one of the greatest Gothic churches of all time.

AnalysisMany balk at this element of the Nativity story, but historical and astronomical evidence tends to corroborate it. By Michael J. MillerDuring a 2007 BBC radio interview, the archbishop of Canterbury deconstructed elements of the Nativity story. “Stars simply don’t behave like that,” Rowan Williams said. Asked about the existence of three wise men, he replied, “It works quite well as legend.”But years ago Father Walter Brandmüller, president of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, published an essay applying the historical-critical method to the question of the Nativity story. (The essay is reprinted without cumbersome footnotes in Light and Shadows: Church...

"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him." Luke 2:2 Have you ever wondered why God had anyone at all show up for the birth of Jesus? First we had the insignificant shepherds, now the "Wise Men" who were not even from the same region. I think the Wise Men played at least two important roles when they came to find the baby. First, in one short chapter in the New Testament, the Wise Men exposed the selfish and arrogant leader named Herod....

January 6, 2008                                 Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord     Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Is 60:1-6 Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,the glory of the Lord shines upon you.See, darkness covers the earth,and thick clouds cover the peoples;but upon you the LORD shines,and over you appears his glory.Nations shall walk by your light,and kings by your shining radiance.Raise your eyes and look about;they all gather and come to you:your sons come from afar,and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at...

January 7, 2007 The Epiphany of the Lord Psalm: Sunday 1 Reading 1Is 60:1-6 Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,the glory of the Lord shines upon you.See, darkness covers the earth,and thick clouds cover the peoples;but upon you the LORD shines,and over you appears his glory.Nations shall walk by your light,and kings by your shining radiance.Raise your eyes and look about;they all gather and come to you:your sons come from afar,and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you see,your heart shall throb and overflow,for the riches of the...