Citizendia
Your Ad Here

"Three Kings", or "Three Wise Men", redirects here. For other uses, see Three Kings (disambiguation) and Wise men. Wise men can refer to Wisemen (rap group Biblical Magi, the three "wise men" who follow the Star of Bethlehem in the New Testament
Adoration of the Magi by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.
Adoration of the Magi by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. This article is about the painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo There is also an article on the Canadian village Murillo Ontario, which was named after the artist due to

In Christian tradition the Magi (Greek: μαγοι magoi), Three Wise Men, Three Kings or Kings from the east are three men said to have visited Jesus on the night of his birth, bearing gifts. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The Magi (singular Magus, from Latin via Greek μάγος; Old English: Mage; from Persian maguš and Kurdish Koine Greek (Κοινὴ Ἑλληνική, "common Greek" or, ciˈni ðiˈale̞kto̞s "the common dialect" is the popular form of Greek which emerged in Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) The Gospel of Matthew (Mt 2) is the only one of the four Gospels to mention them, stating that they came "from the east to Jerusalem" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews". The Gospel of Matthew (Gk Κατά Ματθαίον Ευαγγέλιον is one of the four Canonical gospels in the New Testament and is a Synoptic gospel This article is about the canonical books of the New Testament Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE)

According to Matthew, they then navigated by following a new star which came to be known as the Star of Bethlehem. Matthew the Evangelist (מתי/מתתיהו "Gift of Yahweh " Standard Hebrew and Tiberian Hebrew: Mattay or Mattithyahu See also Star of Bethlehem (plant. The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, is a star in Christian tradition As they approached Jerusalem, Herod tried to trick them into revealing where Jesus was, so that he might be put to death. Herod (הוֹרְדוֹס Horodos, Greek: Herōdes) also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC – 4 BC in Jericho Upon finding Jesus, the Magi gave him three symbolic gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) "Three Kings" or "Three Wise Men" redirects here Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Frankincense or olibanum ( Arabic language: لبٌان, lubbān) is an aromatic Resin obtained from trees of the genus Myrrh is a reddish-brown Resinous material the dried sap of the tree Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen, Somalia Because three gifts were recorded, there are traditionally said to have been three Magi, though Matthew does not specify the number. [1]

The Magi were then warned in dreams that revealed Herod's deadly intentions for the child and decided to return home by a different route, in order to thwart them. This prompted Herod to resort to killing all the young children in Bethlehem, an act called the Massacre of the Innocents, in an attempt to eliminate a rival heir to his throne. For the painting by Peter Paul Rubens see " Massacre of the Innocents (Rubens " Jesus and his family had, however, escaped to Egypt beforehand. The flight into Egypt describes an event in the Gospel of Matthew ( in which Joseph fled to Egypt with his wife Mary and Jesus After these events, the Magi return home and passed into obscurity. [2] The story of the nativity in Matthew glorifies Jesus, likens him to Moses, and shows his life as fulfilling prophecy. For depictions in painting and sculpture see Nativity of Jesus in art. Some critics consider this nativity story to be an invention of the author of Matthew. [3]

Unlike Luke, the author of Matthew makes no mention of the actual birth of Jesus, focusing instead on what occurred before and after. The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the Matthew introduces the Magi, who have come to worship Jesus, while accidentally informing Herod of Jesus' existence. The Magi (singular Magus, from Latin via Greek μάγος; Old English: Mage; from Persian maguš and Kurdish The word Magi is a Latinization of the plural of the Greek word magos (μαγος pl. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly μαγοι). The term is a specific occupational title referring to the priestly caste of Zoroastrianism. Castes are Hereditary systems of occupation, Endogamy, social culture, Social class, and Political power. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings As part of their religion, these priests paid particular attention to the stars, and gained an international reputation for astrology, which was at that time a highly regarded science, only later giving rise to aspects of mathematics and astronomy. Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study Their religious practices and use of astrological sciences caused derivatives of the term Magi to be applied to the occult in general and led to the English term magic. The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine hidden secret referring to "knowledge of the hidden" Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and

The KJV translation as wise men may be somewhat politically motivated: the same word is translated as sorcerer to condemn "Elymas the sorcerer" in Acts 13, and is translated sorcery to describe Simon Magus in Acts 8. A magician is a person skilled in the mysterious and hidden art of magic, the ability to attain objectives acquire knowledge or perform works of wonder using Supernatural Elymas ("Wise" in Arabic is another name for Bar-Jesus ("son of Jesus" a Jewish magician who appears in the New Testament The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. A magician is a person skilled in the mysterious and hidden art of magic, the ability to attain objectives acquire knowledge or perform works of wonder using Supernatural Simon Magus ( Greek Σίμων ό μάγος also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta, is the name used by early Christian writers Treating Simon Magus as being as wise as the Magi that visited Jesus could be viewed as heresy — Simon Magus was considered by many Christians as the founder of Gnosticism, a Christian group condemned as arch-heresy. Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems It is unlikely that the New Testament would deliberately refer to Simon Magus in glowing terms; the name of the canonical crime of simony derives from the name of Simon Magus. Simony is the Ecclesiastical crime of paying for Holy offices or positions in the hierarchy of a church named after Simon Magus, who appears in the

The phrase from the east is the only information Matthew provides on where the Magi came from, apart from identifying that they come from their own country rather than Judea. Traditionally the view developed that the Magi were Persian or Parthian, a view held for example by John Chrysostom, and Byzantine art generally depicted them in Persian dress. layout and formatting it should ensure no clashes with the top of the infobox Parthia ( Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was an Iranian civilization situated in the northeastern part of modern Iran This article refers to the Christian saint For other uses of the name see Chrysostomos. The main support for this is that the first Magi were from Persia and that land still had the largest number of them. Some believe they were from Babylon, which was the centre of Zurvanism, and hence astrology, at the time. Babylon was a City-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which can be found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq Raymond Brown comments that the author of Matthew probably didn't have a specific location in mind and the phrase from the east is for literary effect and added exoticism. Raymond Edward Brown ( May 22, 1928 - August 8, 1998) was an American Roman Catholic Priest and Biblical

Contents

Names

In the Eastern church a variety of different names are given for the three, but in the West the names have been settled since the 8th century as Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. The 8th century is the period from 701 to 800 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The name Casper along with Kasper and Jasper is a modification of Gaspar which in turn is derived from an ancient Chaldean word"Gizbar" which according The names of the Magi derive from an early 6th century Greek manuscript in Alexandria, translated into the Latin Excerpta Latina Barbari. The 6th century is the period from 501 to 600 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Alexandria ( Egyptian Arabic: اسكندريه Eskendereyya; Standard Arabic: ar الإسكندرية Al-Iskandariyya; Ἀλεξάνδρεια [4] The Latin text Collectanea et Flores continues the tradition of three kings and their names and gives additional details of their clothes, coming from Syria. This text is said to be from the 8th century, of Irish origin. In the Eastern churches, Ethiopian Christianity, for instance, has Hor, Karsudan, and Basanater, while the Armenians have Kagpha, Badadakharida and Badadilma. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (in transliterated Amharic: Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan) is an Oriental [5][6] CAS (KAS Kestrel Bird of praying farsi) Par (feather)In Farsi so CasPer (feather of Kestrel) None of these names is obviously Persian or is generally agreed to carry any ascertainable meaning, although Caspar is also sometimes given as Gaspar, a variant of the Persian Jasper — "Master of the Treasure" — from which the name of the mineral jasper is derived. JasPer is a project to create a reference implementation of the codec specified in the JPEG-2000 Part-1 standard (ie One candidate for the origin of the name Caspar appears in the Acts of Thomas as Gondophares (AD 21 – c. The early 3rd century text called Acts of Thomas is arguably the most Gnostic of the New Testament apocrypha, portraying Christ as the "Heavenly Gondophares was the first king of the Indo-Parthian Kingdom. He seems to have ruled from 21 CE for at least 26 years Year 21 was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. AD 47), i. For the Hitman game series see Agent 47. Year 47 was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar e. , Gudapharasa (from which 'Caspar' derives via the contrived corruption 'Gaspar'). This Gondophares declared independence from the Arsacids to become the first Indo-Parthian king and who was allegedly visited by Thomas the Apostle. The Indo-Parthian Kingdom was established during the 1st century by Gondophares, and at its greatest extent extended into areas that are in present-day Afghanistan Thomas the Apostle, also called Judas Thomas, Doubting Thomas, or Didymus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. Christian legend may have chosen Gondofarr simply because he was an eastern king living in the right time period.

In contrast, the Syrian Christians name the Magi Larvandad, Gushnasaph, and Hormisdas. Syrians today are an overall indigenous Levantine people closely related to their immediate neighbours like the Lebanese and (to a lesser extent Jordanians The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. Ahura Mazda ( ae Ahura Mazdā) is the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by Zoroaster as the one uncreated Creator These names have a far greater likelihood of being originally Persian, though that does not, of course, guarantee their authenticity. The first name Larvandad is a combination of Lar, which is in southern part of Iran, and vand or vandad which is a common suffix in Middle Persian meaning "related to" or "located in". Lar is a city in Fars Province in the south of Iran. It is the capital of Larestan County. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Middle Persian is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times (224-654 CE became a Prestige dialect Vand is also present in the names of such Iranian locations as Damavand, Nahavand, Alvand, and such names and titles as Varjavand and Vandidad. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. Alternatively, it might be a combination of Larvand meaning "the region of Lar" and Dad meaning "given by". The latter suffix can also be seen in such Iranian names as "Tirdad", "Mehrdad", "Bamdad" or such previously Iranian locations as "Bagdad" ("God Given") presently called Baghdad in Iraq. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Thus the name simply means "born in", or "given by", Lar. The second name, Hormisdas, is a variation of the Persian name Hormoz which was Hormazd and Hormazda in Middle Persian. The name referred to the angel of the first day of each month whose name had been given by the supreme God (of Zoroastrianism) who, in Old Persian, was called "Ahuramazda" or "Ormazd". An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings The Old Persian language is one of the two attested Old Iranian languages (besides Avestan) Ahura Mazda ( ae Ahura Mazdā) is the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by Zoroaster as the one uncreated Creator The third name, Gushnasaph, was a common name used in Old and Middle Persian. In Modern Persian, it is Gushnasp or Gushtasp. The name is a combination of Gushn meaning "full of manly qualities" or "full of desire or energy" for something and Asp, Modern Persian Asb, which means horse. The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. Horses were of great importance for the Iranians and many Iranian names, including the presently used Lohrasp, Jamasp, Garshasp, and Gushtasp, contain the suffix. As a result, the second name might mean something like "as energetic and virile as a horse" or "full of desire for having horses". Alternatively, Gushn is also recorded to have meant "many". Thus the name might simply mean "the Owner of Many Horses".

Three leaders of the Chinese Christian Church[7] cite an alternative proposal for the origin of one of the Magi. Christianity in China is a growing minority religion that comprises Protestants (called 基督教 Jī dū jiào or Christ Religion) Catholics They state that many Chinese Christians believe at least one of the Magi came from China. They cite anecdotal evidence about Liu Shang, the chief astrologer during the Han dynasty in China at the time that Jesus was born. The Han Dynasty ( 206 BC–220 AD followed the Qin Dynasty and preceded the Three Kingdoms in China. Liu Shang discovered a new star the Chinese called the "king star" - which was associated with the birth of a new king. The disappearance of Liu Shang from China's imperial court for two years shortly after this star was discovered, they interpret as perhaps traveling the Silk Road to Bethlehem. The Silk Road, or Silk Routes, are an extensive interconnected network of Trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East South and Western Asia with the

Tombs

Marco Polo claimed that he was shown the three tombs of the Magi at Saveh south of Tehran in the 1270s:

In Persia is the city of Saba, from which the Three Magi set out and in this city they are buried, in three very large and beautiful monuments, side by side. Marco Polo ( September 15 1254 – January 9 1324 at earliest but no later than June 1325 was a Venetian trader and explorer Saveh (also known as Savah is a city in the Markazi Province of Iran. Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of And above them there is a square building, beautifully kept. The bodies are still entire, with hair and beard remaining. [8]

A Shrine of the Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral, according to tradition, contains the bones of the Three Wise Men. Reputedly they were first discovered by Saint Helena on her famous pilgrimage to Palestine and the Holy Lands. Saint Helena (Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople (c Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. She took the remains to the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople; they were later moved to Milan (some sources say by the city's bishop, Eustorgius I[9]), before being sent to their current resting place by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I in AD 1164. Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya Αγία Σοφία " Holy Wisdom " Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia) is a former patriarchal Basilica, later Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. Saint Eustorgius I (d ca 350 AD was a Bishop of Milan from 344 until his death The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in Frederick I Barbarossa (1122 &ndash 10 June 1190) was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned The Milanese celebrate their part in the tradition by holding a medieval costume parade every 6 January. Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King

A version of the detailed elaboration familiar to us is laid out by the 14th century cleric John of Hildesheim's Historia Trium Regum ("History of the Three Kings"). John of Hildesheim or Johannes de Hildesheim (died 1375 was a writer and Carmelite monk from the German town of Hildesheim. In accounting for the presence in Cologne of their mummified relics, he begins with the journey of Helena, mother of Constantine I to Jerusalem, where she recovered the True Cross and other relics:

Queen Helen… began to think greatly of the bodies of these three kings, and she arrayed herself, and accompanied by many attendants, went into the Land of Ind… after she had found the bodies of Melchior, Balthazar, and Gaspar, Queen Helen put them into one chest and ornamented it with great riches, and she brought them into Constantinople… and laid them in a church that is called Saint Sophia. Saint Helena (Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople (c Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which by a Christian tradition are believed to be from the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified

Gifts of the Magi

Byzantine art usually shows the Magi in Persian dress (breeches, capes, and Phrygian caps). Mosaic, ca. 600. Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy - restored.
Byzantine art usually shows the Magi in Persian dress (breeches, capes, and Phrygian caps). The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia The Phrygian cap is a soft red conical cap with the top pulled forward worn in antiquity by the inhabitants of Phrygia, a region of central Anatolia Mosaic, ca. Art History Mosaics of the 4th century BC are found in the Macedonian palace-city of Aegae, and they enriched the floors of Hellenistic 600.
Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy - restored. The Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo is a church in Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna ( Italy) Ravenna is a City and Comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

Upon meeting Jesus, the Magi are described as handing over gifts and "falling down" in joyous praise. The use of the term "falling down" more properly means lying prostrate on the ground, which, together with the use of kneeling in Luke's birth narrative, had an important effect on Christian religious practice. Kneeling is a Human position in which the weight is distributed on the Knees and feet on a surface close to horizontal Previously both Jewish and Roman tradition had viewed kneeling and prostration as undignified, reserved in Jewish tradition for epiphanies; although for Persians it was a sign of great respect, often showed to the king. Theophany, from the Greek, theophaneia (meaning "appearance/showing of God" refers to the appearance of a Deity to a human or to a divine disclosure But inspired by these verses, kneeling and prostration were adopted in the early Church; while prostration is generally no longer featured, kneeling has remained an important element of Christian worship to this day.

Three of the gifts are explicitly identified in Matthew — gold, frankincense and myrrh — and have become one of the best known items from Matthew; it is often assumed that these three are the only gifts the Magi are described as giving. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 Frankincense or olibanum ( Arabic language: لبٌان, lubbān) is an aromatic Resin obtained from trees of the genus Myrrh is a reddish-brown Resinous material the dried sap of the tree Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen, Somalia Gold is thought to have been given by Melchior, frankincense by Balthasar, and myrrh by Caspar[10] (It has been suggested by scholars that the "gifts" were in fact medicinal rather than precious material for tribute. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the A tribute (from Latin tribulum, contribution is wealth one party gives to another as a sign of respect or as was often case in historical contexts of submission [11][12][13]) They are often linked to chapter 60 of the Book of Isaiah and to Psalm 72. The Book of Isaiah ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'sha'yah ספר ישעיה is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included Both of these report gifts being given by kings, and this has played a central role in the perception of the Magi as kings, rather than as astronomer-priests. In a hymn of the late 4th-century hispanic poet Prudentius, the three gifts have already gained their medieval interpretation as prophetic emblems of Jesus' identity, familiar in the carol "We Three Kings" by John Henry Hopkins, Jr. Hispanic (hispano hispánico hispânico Hispānus adjective from ''Hispānia'', the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula) is a term that historically Aurelius Prudentius Clemens was a Roman Christian Poet, born in the Roman Province of Tarraconensis (now Northern An emblem is a pictorial Image, abstract or representational that epitomizes a Concept — e "We Three Kings of Orient Are" also known as "The Quest of the Magi" is a Christmas carol (technically an Epiphany carol written by , 1857.

Many different theories of the meaning and symbolism of the gifts have been advanced, since while gold is fairly obviously explained, frankincense, and particularly myrrh, are much more obscure. They generally break down into two groups:

One of the earliest known depictions from a third century sarcophagus.Vatican Museums, Rome, Italy.
One of the earliest known depictions from a third century sarcophagus.
Vatican Museums, Rome, Italy. The Vatican Museums (Musei Vaticani in Viale Vaticano in Rome, inside the Vatican City, are one of the greatest museums in the world since they display works Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

John Chrysostom suggested that the gifts were fit to be given not just to a king but to God, and contrasted them with the Jews' traditional offerings of sheep and calves, and accordingly Chrysostom asserts that the Magi worshiped Jesus as God. This article refers to the Christian saint For other uses of the name see Chrysostomos. This is believed to be unlikely by some, if the theory that they were members of a Zoroastrian priesthood is correct. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings However this possibility remains, since zoroastianism prophecies of a messiah type figure Saoshyant who would be born of a virgin. Saoshyant is a figure of Zoroastrian eschatology who brings about the final renovation of the world C. S. Mann has advanced the theory that the items were not actually brought as gifts, but were rather the tools of the Magi, who typically would be astrologer-priests. Mann thus sees the giving of these items to Jesus as showing that the Magi were abandoning their practices by relinquishing the necessary tools of their trade, though Brown disagrees with this theory since the portrayal of the Magi had been wholly positive up to this point, with no hint of condemnation.

The gifts themselves have also been criticized as mostly useless to a poor carpenter and his family, and this is often the target of comic satire in television and other comedy. Clarke states that the deist Thomas Woolston once quipped that if they had brought sugar, soap, and candles they would have acted like wise men. Thomas Woolston (baptised November 1668 - January 27, 1733) English Deist, born at Northampton in 1668 the son of a reputable [14] What subsequently happened to these gifts is never mentioned in the scripture, but several traditions have developed. [15] One story has the gold being stolen by the two thieves who were later crucified alongside Jesus. Another tale has it being entrusted to and then misappropriated by Judas. Judas Iscariot, יהודה איש־קריות Yəhûḏāh ʾΚ-qəriyyôṯ was according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original apostles Another story is that the family quickly pawned or sold them and later used the money to finance their flight to Egypt; it seems probable that it would be the only way to pay for such a voyage.

In the Monastery of St. Paul of Mount Athos there is a 15th century golden case containing purportedly the Gift of the Magi. Mount Athos (Όρος Άθως is a mountain on the Peninsula of the same name in Macedonia, of northern Greece, called in Greek Άγιον It was donated to the monastery in the 15th century by Mara Branković, daughter of the King of Serbia Đurađ Branković, wife to the Ottoman Sultan Murat II and godmother to Mehmet II the Conqueror (of Constantinople). Mara Branković (c 1416 - 14 September, 1487) (also known as Mara Hatun, Despina Hatun, or Amerissa) was the daughter of This is a list of Serbian monarchs. Notes Entries bounded within parentheses are for reference only for instance the Roman numerals keep counts of Stefans Đurađ Branković ( Serbian Cyrillic: Ђурађ Бранковић Hungarian: Brankovics György; 1377 &ndash 24 December, 1456 The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish Sultan (سلطان is an Islamic title with several historical meanings Murad II ( June 1404 Amasya February 3, 1451, Edirne) ( Ottoman Turkish: مراد ثانى Murād-ı sānī Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS Apparently they were part of the relics of the Holy Palace of Constantinople and it is claimed they were displayed there since the 4th century AD. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century After the Athens earthquake of September 9, 1999 they were temporarily displayed in Athens in order to strengthen faith and raise money for earthquake victims. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's

At this point the Magi leave the narrative by returning another way so as to avoid Herod, and do not reappear. Gregory the Great waxed lyrical on this theme, commenting that having come to know Jesus we are forbidden to return by the way we came. There are many traditional stories about what happened to the Magi after this, with one having them baptised by St. Thomas on his way to India. Thomas the Apostle, also called Judas Thomas, Doubting Thomas, or Didymus, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Another has their remains found by Saint Helena and brought to Constantinople, and eventually making their way to Germany and the Shrine of the Three Kings at Cologne Cathedral. Saint Helena (Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople (c

Herod

A smiling Herod, played by Amerigo Bevilacqua, dispatches the Magi in a scene from Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew.
A smiling Herod, played by Amerigo Bevilacqua, dispatches the Magi in a scene from Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew. Pier Paolo Pasolini ( March 5, 1922 – November 2, 1975) was an Italian Poet, Intellectual, Film director The Gospel According to St Matthew is a 1964 Italian Film directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini.

When the Magi first enquire about Jesus, Matthew says that they are overheard by "Herod the King", which is accepted as referring to Herod the Great who died in 4 BC. Herod (הוֹרְדוֹס Horodos, Greek: Herōdes) also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC – 4 BC in Jericho Year 4 BC was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. This is seemingly in contradiction with Luke's mention of a census and of Quirinius being governor of Syria, which both apply to some time after AD 6. Publius Sulpicius Quirinius ( Greek Κυρήνιος - Kyrenios or Cyrenius, c Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Year 6 ( VI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. The Magi claim to wish to pay homage (proskunesai in the Greek) to a King of the Jews. While proskunesai can mean honouring either a king or a God, King of the Jews is a clear and direct challenge to Herod's authority. Herod was renowned for his paranoia, killing several of his own sons who threatened him. As an Edomite, Herod would be especially threatened by a Davidic heir, who would automatically be more in favour with Jewish fundamentalists of the time, who had a particularly xenophobic attitude.

Why all Jerusalem should be troubled by an opponent to Herod is a more important question. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Throughout this chapter Matthew shows the leaders of Jerusalem allied with Herod against Jesus, and so these passages have often been quoted in support of Christian anti-Semitism. Although Christian antisemitism is considered to have started around the 12th century its roots are attributed by some scholars to anti-Jewish attitudes and polemic beginning That all Jerusalem is agitated also seems to conflict with later passages in the same Gospel, where the people are quite oblivious to Jesus' existence. Gundry sees this passage as influenced by the politics of the time it was written, as a foreshadowing of the rejection of Jesus and his church by the leaders of Jerusalem. Robert Horton Gundry is a Biblical scholar He received his Ph Brown notes that another option, supported even in ancient times by John Chrysostom, is that Matthew is trying to portray Jesus as a new Moses; in Exodus all Egypt is troubled by Moses, not just the Pharaoh. This article refers to the Christian saint For other uses of the name see Chrysostomos. Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ Levin believes in a third option which sees Matthew as presenting a class war throughout his Gospel, with Jesus on the side of the poor and nomadic, against powerful city dwellers.

Most scholars take the reference to all the chief priests and scribes as referring to the Sanhedrin, however, there is a difficulty in taking this literally as there was only one chief priest at the time, so all the chief priests can only literally refer to a single individual. The Sanhedrin (סנהדרין συνέδριον ''synedrion'', "sitting together" hence " assembly " or "council" was an assembly Taking it less literally, Brown notes that this phrase occurs in other contemporary documents, and refers to the leading priests and former chief priests, not only the current head of the priesthood. Raymond Edward Brown ( May 22, 1928 - August 8, 1998) was an American Roman Catholic Priest and Biblical A more important difficulty with this passage is its historical implausibility, since records from the period show that Herod and the Sanhedrin were sharply divided, and their relations acrimonious. At the time the priests were largely Sadducees while the scribes were mostly Pharisees, thus both groups being present might be a deliberate attempt to tar both leading Jewish factions as being involved with Herod. The Sadducees were members of a Jewish sect founded in the second century BC, possibly as a political party The word Pharisees ( lat. pharisæ|us, - i) comes from the Hebrew פרושים perushim from פרוש parush, meaning "separated" Schweizer states that Herod consulting with the Sanhedrin is historically almost inconceivable, and he views their presence in the passage merely as a literary device to have someone able to subsequently quote an Old Testament prophecy. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon.

After having consulted with these religious individuals, Herod is described as secretly meeting with the Magi, and subsequently sending the Magi to Bethlehem to discover where Jesus was so that he could worship him. Many scholars, such as Brown and Schweizer, find it improbable for this passage to be factual; Bethlehem is only five miles from Jerusalem and it is thus odd that Herod would need to use foreign priests that he had only just met for such an important task, trusting them implicitly despite his usual paranoia, even though he could easily give the task to his soldiers or others he trusted more. R. T. France defends the historicity of this story, theorising that soldiers might alarm the villagers, making it difficult to find the infant, though searching a village only five miles away, even with deeply distrusting villagers, is not so difficult a task when you have an entire army at your disposal. Richard Thomas France is a New Testament scholar and Anglican Rector. France has also proposed that Herod chose the Magi to carry the task out since they were more likely to be gullible, as foreigners, or at least have less qualms than Jewish soldiers would about killing someone supposedly fitting a Jewish prophecy.

Birthplace

This narrative of the visit of the Magi is the first point in Matthew that Bethlehem, the place of Jesus' birth, is mentioned. Bethlehem ( بيت لحم,, lit "House of Meat" Βηθλεέμ Bethleém בית לחם Beit Lehem, lit "House of Bread" is a That it is specified as being in Judea is ascribed by Albright and Mann to emphasise that it isn't the northern town also named Bethlehem (probably the modern town of Beit Lahna), though other scholars feel the main purpose of this mention is to assert that Jesus was born in the heart of Judaism and not in the unrespected backwater that was Galilee. Judea or Judæa ( Hebrew: יהודה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh, "praised "Galil" redirects here For the weapon see IMI Galil. Galilee (הגליל ha-Galil, lit the province, According to the chronology in Luke, the family left Bethlehem soon after arriving, when Jesus was forty days old, but according to Matthew, the Magi visited Jesus in Bethlehem when he was at a house. House generally refers to a Shelter or Building that is a Dwelling or place for Habitation by Human beings. This raises the question of how the family has its own home in the town when the Magi visit, having only been able to have a stable when Jesus was born. However, Matthew does not say the house belonged to Joseph and Mary.

It is also entirely possible that when the Magi visited, Joseph and Mary were no longer in Bethlehem. Matthew never actually says that they are in Bethlehem at the time of the visit of the Magi. Since Joseph and Mary traveled to Jerusalem for the circumcision of Jesus and her offering after her purification 40 days later it is plausible that they were either in Zacharius and Elizabeth's house or had procured a house of their own within the two years from the time of Jesus' birth and the visit of the Magi.

Most modern scholars believe that the author of Matthew is fairly clear in this chapter that the family had lived for some time in the town, and was likely originally from Bethlehem, thus it is logical for them to have a house.

Another theory is that the Magi visited about two years after the birth of Jesus, explaining why Herod, thwarted in his plans, later ordered the death of children aged two years and younger. For many, especially believers in inerrancy, this settles the seeming contradiction.

Star of Bethlehem

The Journey of the Magi by James Tissot.
The Journey of the Magi by James Tissot. James Jacques Joseph Tissot ( October 15, 1836 &ndash August 8, 1902) was a French painter.
Main article: Star of Bethlehem

The Magi are described as having followed a star to Bethlehem, which thus traditionally became known as the Star of Bethlehem. See also Star of Bethlehem (plant. The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, is a star in Christian tradition See also Star of Bethlehem (plant. The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, is a star in Christian tradition Since at least Kepler's time there have been many attempts to link it to an astronomical event, with the most commonly cited being a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC, fitting in with Matthew's chronology pointing to Jesus being born before 4 BC, and unlike Luke's which points to AD 6. Johannes Kepler (ˈkɛplɚ ( December 27 1571 &ndash November 15 1630) was a German Mathematician, Astronomer Year 7 BC was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Year 4 BC was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Year 6 ( VI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Although traditionally the Magi, coming from the east (apo anatolón, απο ανατολων), are described as having seen a star in the east (en te anatole, εν τη ανατολη), the Greek word in question is anatole, which many scholars feel more accurately translates as a star rising in the morning, meaning a heliacal rising. The heliacal rising of a Star (or other body such as the Moon, a Planet or a Constellation) occurs when it first becomes visible above the eastern [16] The star was just above the horizon but hidden by the brightness of the sun. According to Austrian Professor Konradin Ferrari d'Occhieppo — in many books between 1965[17] and 2003 —, it was not only a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC. A triple conjunction is an astronomical event where two Planets or a planet and a Star meet each other three times in a short period either in opposition Year 7 BC was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. The star Jupiter (royal star in Babylon) had met Saturn in the sign of Pisces (land in the west) since 854 years. Pisces (ˈpaɪsiːz Fish (plural symbol, Unicode ♓ is a Zodiac Constellation which lies between Aquarius to the west and Aries [18] In the astronomer’s opinion this rare event was certainly important for everyone - and most important in Babylon. Also the astronomer had interpreted the words "stood over" as a term that refer the retrogradation and stationing of the royal star Jupiter and Saturn in 12 November 7 BC. Direct motion is the motion of a Planetary body in a direction similar to that of other bodies within its system and is sometimes called prograde motion. Events 764 - Tibetan troops occupy Chang'an, the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, for fifteen days Year 7 BC was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. The term "stood over" is taken as detail faithful eyewitness report by the Magi, refers to the star already standing and not moving — an astronomical technical term . The term "very large joy" refers without doubt to the end of the journey: the Magi, described as having followed a star to Bethlehem, finding the place of birth and the king wanted for a long time.

John Chrysostom rejected the idea that the Star of Bethlehem was a normal star or similar heavenly body, because such a star could not have specified the exact cave and manger where Jesus was found, being too high in the sky to be that specific. This article refers to the Christian saint For other uses of the name see Chrysostomos. Also, he notes that stars in the sky move from east to west, but that the Magi would have travelled from north to south to arrive in Judea from Persia. Instead, Chrysostom suggested that the star was a more miraculous occurrence, comparable to the pillar of cloud mentioned in Exodus as leading the Israelites out of Egypt. In the Byzantine tradition, influenced by Chrysostom's writing and by palace etiquette, the star was interpreted as a palace official that led the foreign dignitaries to the king, and as such is depicted in Byzantine art. Byzantine art is the term commonly used to describe the artistic products of the Byzantine Empire from about the 4th century until the Fall of Constantinople

In Matthew 2:9 it states that the star came and stood over where Jesus was, seemingly stating that the star pointed out the specific house or village that Jesus was in. Quite how it did this is unspecified in the text, and artists have portrayed a wide array of means. Hill comments that the star standing over a fixed location is an undeniably miraculous action which defies all attempts to rationalize the star as a natural nova or conjunction. A nova (pl novae or novas) is a Cataclysmic nuclear explosion caused by the accretion of hydrogen onto the surface of a White However, it is perfectly possible for a previously moving star or conjunction to appear to halt its location in the sky — the sun freezes in its annual north-south motion for three days twice a year, at the winter and summer solstice (coincidentally due to precession of the equinoxes, 25 December was the winter solstice at the time). The winter solstice occurs at the instant when the Sun 's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the Solstices occur twice a year when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most oriented toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to reach its northernmost and southernmost extremes In Astronomy, Precession refers to the movement of the rotational axis of a body such as a planet with respect to Inertial space. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Solstices occur twice a year when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most oriented toward or away from the Sun, causing the Sun to reach its northernmost and southernmost extremes

Astronomer Michael R. Molnar and others have taken the view that Matthew's statements that the star "went before" and "stood over" are terms that refer respectively to the retrogradation and stationing of the royal "wandering star" Jupiter. Direct motion is the motion of a Planetary body in a direction similar to that of other bodies within its system and is sometimes called prograde motion. In Astronomy, the naked-eye planets are the five Planets of our Solar system that can be discerned with the Naked eye without much difficulty If Molnar's research is correct, this would require the birth to have taken place on 17 April 6 BC, and the standing over on 19 December, and the Magi would have had to arrive at some point thereafter. Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 6 BC was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor.

Notre Dame astrophysicist Grant Mathews agrees with Molnar. The University of Notre Dame du Lac (or simply Notre Dame) (ˌnoʊtɚˈdeɪm is a private Roman Catholic Research university located in Astrophysics is the branch of Astronomy that deals with the Physics of the Universe, including the physical properties ( Luminosity, After two years of research, including access to NASA's astronomical databases, and consideration of the Biblical record and Zoroastrian astrology, he determined that the April 17, 6 BC occurrence is the most likely, even more so than the popular 2 BC event where Venus and Jupiter eclipsed in the constellation Leo. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program In common usage a constellation is a group of celestial bodies that are connected together in some arrangement typically stars to form a visible figure or picture

At the time the notion of new stars as beacons of major events were common, being reported for such figures as Alexander the Great, Mithridates, Abraham, and Augustus. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Mithridates or Mithradates (in Greek, Mιθριδάτης or Mιθράδάτης) is the Hellenistic form of an Iranian Theophoric Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: Augustus ( Latin: IMPERATOR·CAESAR·DIVI·FILIVS·AVGVSTVS September 23 63 BC – August 19 AD 14) born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, was Pliny even takes time to rebut a theory that every person has a star that rises when they are born and fades when they die, evidence that this was believed by some. Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author According to Brown, to many at the time it would have been unthinkable that a Messiah could have been born without some stellar portents beforehand. Raymond Edward Brown ( May 22, 1928 - August 8, 1998) was an American Roman Catholic Priest and Biblical

According to John Mosley, the program supervisor for Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, the key question is whether the account refers to "stars" or to "planets", though the distinction is not likely to have been meaningful to astrologers like the Magi at that time. If it was a planet then there are a number of celestial events that would have attracted the interest and fascination of anyone, like the Magi, who followed the stars. Mosley argued:

Mosley's claims have been disputed by several astronomers as contrived, and inaccurate. David Turner, professor of astronomy at St Mary's University, has argued extensively against Mosley's conclusions, and has stated that some of the claims are extremely tenuous. The date of Herod's death is generally accepted to be 5–4 BC, which would be before these astronomical events of 3–2 BC, but may have happened in 1 BC. Herod (הוֹרְדוֹס Horodos, Greek: Herōdes) also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC – 4 BC in Jericho Year 1 BC was a Leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. In other words, Jesus was born, the Magi visited Herod, and went to Jesus, Herod caused Jesus to flee, and only then did the stars begin an astronomical event that had highly symbolic significance; suggesting that if that was indeed an event indicating the Messiah's birth, then the Messiah was an unknown individual born 1–2 years after Jesus.

Some Christians have had difficulty with reference to the star, since elsewhere in the Bible astrology is condemned. Consequently, R. T. France has argued that the passage is not an endorsement of astrology, but rather an illustration of how God takes care in meeting individuals where they are. Other Christians interpret the star as a fulfilment of the "Star Prophecy" in the Book of Numbers, 24:17:

There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. The "Star Prophecy" was a Messianic reading applied by radical Jews and early Christians to a text from the Book of Numbers 2417 There The Book of Numbers, ( Bamidbar, meaning in the wilderness) is the fourth book of the Torah, the Tanakh, and the Old Testament.

The Bethlehem prophecy

The text describes the Magi explaining to Herod about the purpose of their visit by use of a quote from the prophet:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. ― Micah 5:1-3 (according to the Masoretic text)

The quotation given in Matthew differs substantially from both the Septuagint and Masoretic texts of the same passage. The Septuagint (ˈsɛptuədʒɪnt or simply " LXX " is the Koine Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, translated in stages between the The Masoretic Text ( MT) is the Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible ( Tanakh) The Septuagint and Masoretic refer to Bethlehem as Bethlehem Ephratah, which Matthew alters to Bethlehem, land of Judah, apparently to further emphasise that Jesus was born in Judea not Galilee, where he spent much of his ministry, an area that was viewed by most religious Jews as being unclean and lower than the half-cast people in the intermediate region. Ephrath or Ephratah ( Hebrew: אפרת\ה is the name of a Biblical place or tribe "Galil" redirects here For the weapon see IMI Galil. Galilee (הגליל ha-Galil, lit the province, An even more important change is the almost total inversion of the meaning — Micah has you are little among the thousands of Judah whereas Matthew's quote of it has you are not least among the princes of Judah.

Matthew also replaces the word ruler with shepherd, apparently to present the argument that a Messiah would be a religious figure rather than a political one. The portion of Micah where this quote is found is clearly discussing a Messiah and states that like King David, the Messiah would originate from Bethlehem. David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible At the time it was not widely accepted that the Messiah would necessarily be born in Bethlehem, just that his ancestors would have been, and thus it was not considered essential for a Messiah to be someone born in that town, although it was considered a reasonable area for one to happen to originate from: certainly far more reasonable than the peripheral area of Galilee where Jesus grew up.

Religious significance

According to most forms of Christianity, the Magi were the first religious figures to worship Christ, and for this reason the story of the Magi is particularly respected and popular among many Christians. The visit of the Magi is commemorated by Catholics and other Christian churches (but not the Eastern Orthodox) on the observance of Epiphany, January 6. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world Epiphany ( Greek for "to manifest" or "to show" is a Christian Feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King The Eastern Orthodox celebrate it on December 25. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian This visit is frequently treated in Christian art and literature as The Adoration of the Magi.

Upon this kernel of information Christians embroidered many circumstantial details about the Magi. One of the most important changes was their rising from astrologers to kings. An astrologer practices one or more forms of Astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a Horoscope for the time of an event such as a person's birth and interprets The general view is that this is linked to Old Testament prophesies that have the Messiah being worshipped by kings in Isaiah 60:3, Psalm 72:10, and Psalm 68:29. The Book of Isaiah ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'sha'yah ספר ישעיה is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived Psalms ( Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים, or "praises" is a book of the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) included Early readers reinterpreted Matthew in light of these prophecies and elevated the Magi to kings. Mark Allan Powell rejects this view. He argues that the idea of the Magi as kings arose considerably later in the time after Constantine and the change was made to endorse the role of Christian monarchs. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine By AD 500 all commentators adopted the prevalent tradition of the three were kings, and this continued until the Protestant Reformation. Events By Place Europe Possible date for the Battle of Mons Badonicus: Romano-British and Celts defeat an Anglo-Saxon The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time

Though the Qur'an omits Matthew's episode of the Magi, it was well known in Arabia. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran The Muslim encyclopaedist al-Tabari, writing in the 9th century, gives the familiar symbolism of the gifts of the Magi. Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838-923 أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير الطبري was one of the earliest most prominent and famous Persian Historians The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Al-Tabari gave his source for the information to be the later 7th century writer Wahb ibn Munabbih. [20]

This positive interpretation of the Magi is not unopposed. The Jehovah's Witnesses[21] do not see the arrival of the Magi as something to be celebrated, but instead stress the Biblical condemnation of sorcery and astrology in such texts as Deuteronomy 18:10–11, Leviticus 19:26, and Isaiah 47:13–14. Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination Deuteronomy (Greek deuteronomion, Δευτερονόμιον "second law" is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament Leviticus (from Greek Λευιτικός, "relating to the Levites " The Book of Isaiah ( Hebrew: Sefer Y'sha'yah ספר ישעיה is a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to the Prophet Isaiah, who lived They also point to the fact that the star seen by the Magi led them first to a hostile enemy of Jesus, Herod, and only then to the child's location — the argument being that if this was an event from God, it makes no sense for them to be led to a ruler with intentions to kill the child before taking them to Jesus.

Traditions of the Epiphany

Sternsinger in Vienna, Austria.
Sternsinger in Vienna, Austria. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich

Adoration of the Magi in art

Main article: Adoration of the Magi in Art
Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi.
Adoration of the Magi by Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi. The Adoration of the Magi is the name traditionally given to the Christian subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings Fra Angelico (c 1395 &ndash February 18 1455) born Guido di Pietro, was an Early Italian Renaissance painter referred to in Vasari Fra' Filippo Lippi (1406 &ndash October 8 1469

The Magi most frequently appear in European art in the Adoration of the Magi; less often The Journey of the Magi has been a popular topos, and other scenes such as the Magi before Herod and the Dream of the Magi also appear in the Middle Ages. In Mathematics, a topos (plural "topoi" or "toposes" is a type of category that behaves like the category of sheaves of sets In Byzantine art they are depicted as Persians, wearing trousers and phrygian caps. The Phrygian cap is a soft red conical cap with the top pulled forward worn in antiquity by the inhabitants of Phrygia, a region of central Anatolia Crown appear from the 10th century. Medieval artists also allegorised the theme to represent the three ages of man. An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation Beginning in the 12th century, and very often by the 15th, the Kings also represent the three parts of the known (pre-Columban) world in Western art, especially in Northern Europe. Balthasar is thus represented as a young African or Moor and Caspar may be depicted with distinctive Oriental features. The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent The Orient is a term which simply means the " East " It originated in Western Asia to describe that part of the world

An early Anglo-Saxon picture survives on the Franks Casket, probably a non-Christian king’s hoard-box (early 7th century, whalebone carving); or rather the hoard-box survived Christian attacks on non-Christian art and sculpture because of that picture. The Franks Casket (or the Auzon Runic Casket) is a small whalebone chest carved with narrative scenes in flat two-dimensional low-relief and inscribed with Anglo-Saxon The 7th century is the period from 601 to 700 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. [22] In its composition it follows the oriental style, which renders a courtly scene, with the Virgin and Christ facing the spectator, while the Magi devoutly approach from the (left) side. Even amongst non-Christians who had heard of the Christian story of the Magi, the motif was quite popular, since the Magi had endured a long journey and were generous. Instead of an angel, the picture places a swan, interpretable as the hero's fylgja (a protecting spirit, and shapeshifter). A Fylgja (literally she who follows plural Fylgjur) is according to Scandinavian mythology, a supernatural creature which accompanies a person

More generally they appear in popular Nativity scenes and other Christmas decorations that have their origins in the Neapolitan variety of the Italian presepio or Nativity crèche; they are featured in Menotti's opera Amahl and the Night Visitors, and in several Christmas carols, of which the best-known English one is "We Three Kings". A nativity scene may be used to describe any depiction of the Nativity of Jesus in art, but in the sense covered here also called a crib or manger in the Naples ( Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule) is a historic City in southern Italy, the Capital of the Amahl and the Night Visitors is an Opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English Libretto by the Composer. A Christmas carol (also called a Noël) is a carol ( Song or Hymn) whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas, or the winter In the film Donovan's Reef, a Christmas play is held in French Polynesia. Donovan's Reef is a 1963 American Motion picture from director John Ford. French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the However, instead of the traditional correspondence of Magi to continents, the version for Polynesian Catholics features the king of Polynesia, the king of America, and the king of China. Inculturation is a term used in Christianity, especially in the Roman Catholic Church, referring to the adaptation of the way Church teachings are presented to non-Christian Further sentimental narrative detail was added in the novel and movie Ben-Hur, where Balthasar appears as an old man, who goes back to Palestine to see the former child Jesus become an adult. Ben-Hur (or Benhur is a 1959 Movie directed by William Wyler, and is the third film version of Lew Wallace 's novel Ben-Hur According to Howard Clarke, in the United States, Christmas cards featuring the Magi outsell those with shepherds. A Christmas card is a Greeting card sent as part of the traditional celebration of Christmas in order to convey between people a range of sentiments related to The Twentieth-century poet T. S. Eliot wrote a poem The Journey of the Magi (1927). Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM (September 26 1888 – January 4 1965 was a poet Dramatist, and Literary critic. In the 20th century T S Eliot wrote a Poem entitled The Journey of the Magi. In Michael Ende's children books Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver and Jim Button and the Wild 13, one of the Three Kings plays a major role in one of the main character's background. Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende ( November 12, 1929 - August 28, 1995) was a German writer of fantasy and Children's Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (original German title Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer) is a German children fantasy novel written Jim Button and the Wild 13 (original German title Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13) is the sequel to Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver written
In Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein's painting Epiphany I (Adoration of the Magi) (1996), Nazi officers in uniform cluster around an Aryan woman, an icy blonde Madonna. Gottfried Helnwein (born October 8, 1948 in Vienna) is an Austrian Irish Fine artist, painter, photographer Epiphany ( Greek for "to manifest" or "to show" is a Christian Feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of The Adoration of the Magi is the name traditionally given to the Christian subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings Aryan is an English word derived from the Sanskrit " Ārya " meaning "noble" or "honorable" The Christ toddler, who stands on Mary's lap, stares defiantly out of the canvas. Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " Helnwein's baby Jesus resembles Adolf Hitler [23]. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately

Cultural references

See also

References and notes

Citations
  1. ^ The bible never says that there were "three" wise men, it just states that the magi brought gifts: gold, frankincense and myrhh. This list of names for the Biblically nameless compiles names given in Jewish or Christian mythology for characters who are unnamed in the Bible itself Astrology (from Greek grc ἄστρον astron, "constellation star" and grc -λογία -logia) is a group of Systems The history of Astrology encompasses a great span of human history and many cultures Christianity and Astrology are seen as incompatible by modern orthodox Christian doctrine. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings Saint Nicholas (Άγιος Νικόλαος, Agios Nikolaos, "victory of the people" is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a Christian Saint The Magi (singular Magus, from Latin via Greek μάγος; Old English: Mage; from Persian maguš and Kurdish Simon Magus ( Greek Σίμων ό μάγος also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta, is the name used by early Christian writers Many assume that since there were three gifts that there must have been 3 wise men, but the Greek text Matth 2,11 uses the third person plural: they offered gifts . . . : kai pesontes prosekunhsan autw kai anoixantes tous thesaurous autwn proshnegkan autw dwra cruson kai libanon kai smurnan. Greek original Matth 2, 1-12 in: Ferrari d´Occhieppo, Der Stern von Bethlehem, 1994, page 137
  2. ^ Eliza Marian Butler, "The Myth of the Magus By Eliza Marian Butler". Cambridge University, 1993. 281 pages. Page 20. ISBN 0521437776
  3. ^ J. Duncan M. Derrett, "Further light on the narratives of the Nativity". John Duncan Martin Derrett (more usually J Duncan M Derrett) (born 1922 was Professor of Oriental Laws in the University of London, from 1965 to 1982 and is now Novum Testamentum 17. 2 (April 1975), pp. 81-108: "Jean Danielou's conclusion that the Magi were an invention of Matthew"
  4. ^ Kehrer, Hugo, Die Heiligen Drei Könige in Literatur und Kunst, Band I, 1908, 1976², pp. 66–71: At that time in the reign of Augustus, on 1st January the Magi brought him gifts and worshipped him. The names of the Magi were Bithisarea, Melchior and Gathaspa.
  5. ^ Acta Sanctorum, May, I, 1780.
  6. ^ Concerning The Magi And Their Names.
  7. ^ Hattaway, Paul; Brother Yun; Yongze, Peter Xu; and Wang, Enoch. Back to Jerusalem. (Authentic Publishing, 2003). retrieved May 2007
  8. ^ Polo, Marco, The Book of the Million, book i.
  9. ^ Sant' Eustorgio I di Milano
  10. ^ Gold Frankincense & Myrrh - Three Kings Gifts Sets for Christmas
  11. ^ Page, Sophie,"Magic In Medieval Manuscripts". University of Toronto Press, 2004. 64 pages. ISBN 0802037976Page 18.
  12. ^ Gustav-Adolf Schoener and Shane Denson [Translator], "Astrology: Between Religion and the Empirical".
  13. ^ "Frankincense: festive pharmacognosy". Pharmaceutical journal. Vol 271, 2003. pharmj. com.
  14. ^ Clarke, Howard W. The Gospel of Matthew and its Readers: A Historical Introduction to the First Gospel.
  15. ^ Lambert, John Chisholm, "A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels". Page 100.
  16. ^ d’Occhieppo, Konradin Ferrari, Neue Argumente zu Aufgang und Stillstand des Sterns in der Magierperikope Matthäus 2, 1–12, in Sitzungsber. Abt. I I (1997) 206: 317–44. Vienna: 1998.
  17. ^ Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften ÖAW. SmnII/173, Wien 1965, pp. 343–76, in: d’Occhieppo, Der Stern von Bethlehem in astronomischer Sicht, 1994, p. 7.
  18. ^ http://wwwapp.bmbwk.gv.at/kalender/1224/augen1224d.html and a photo (Jupiter and Saturn are left)
  19. ^ The Star of Bethlehem (MSNBC)
  20. ^ We, three kings of Orient were.
  21. ^ http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2000/12/15/article_01.htm
  22. ^ Franks Casket.
  23. ^ Denver Art Museum, Radar, Selections from the Collection of Vicki and Kent Logan, Gwen F. The Denver Art Museum is an Art museum in Denver Colorado located in Denver's Civic Center. Chanzit, 2006 [1]
General references

External links

Adoration of the Wise Men
Life of Jesus: The Nativity
Preceded by
Star of Bethlehem
   New Testament   
Events
Followed by
Flight into Egypt
A gospel harmony is an attempt to merge or harmonize the Canonical gospels into a single gospel account a famous ancient example being the Diatesseron. For depictions in painting and sculpture see Nativity of Jesus in art. See also Star of Bethlehem (plant. The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, is a star in Christian tradition The flight into Egypt describes an event in the Gospel of Matthew ( in which Joseph fled to Egypt with his wife Mary and Jesus
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic