|
by
Doug Ward |
One of the most intriguing parts of the biblical Nativity story is the visit of
magi from the east to Bethlehem to present gifts to the infant Jesus.
The
brief account in Matthew 2:1-12 raises many questions, including: From where in
"the east" did the magi come? How many of them were there? What was
the star that led them directly to Bethlehem and the house where Jesus' family
was staying?
Christians
through the centuries have imagined many answers to these questions. One of the
earliest and most creative comes from The
Revelation of the Magi, a text that may have been written as early as 200
AD.
This
work presents the magi as an ancient religious order of twelve men from the
land of Shir in "the outer part of the entire
East of the world." Each month these men climbed the Mountain of Victories
to pray silently at the Cave of Treasures, which housed books of revelation
written by Adam's son Seth as well as the precious gifts that were to be given
to the Messiah at the time when the star appeared. The magi taught the contents
of the books to their families. When one of them died, his son would replace
him in the order.
When
the star appeared, its light took the form of a small human, a manifestation of
Christ who instructed them in what to do next. To each of the men, the human
appeared differently. One saw him as a boy. Another saw him on the cross. A
third saw him rising from the dead. A fourth saw him ascending to heaven, etc.
This
"star child" guided the magi on the long trek to Jerusalem. During
that trip, their provisions were continually replenished and rough terrain was
smoothed out before them. The magi were led to Bethlehem where they worshiped
Christ and presented their gifts to him.
Christ,
in this work, is present everywhere simultaneously. At the same time that he is
living his life as a human in Galilee and Judea, he is also with the magi, whom
he guides back to Shir. There they spread the good
news of his coming to their countrymen, who also experience special visions and
revelations when they eat the miraculous provisions that the magi bring back
with them. Later the apostle Thomas comes to Shir and
joins them in sharing the Gospel.
This
story sounds fanciful to us now, but it does highlight the possibility that the
star could have been a special miraculous sign sent to guide the magi. Today we
believe it is more likely that the magi were royal advisors who used astrology
in their work, and that the star was some distinctive astronomical phenomenon,
like a comet or a special conjunction of planets. Books like Colin Nicholls' The
Great Christ Comet and Ernest Martin's The
Star that Astonished the World give detailed presentations of some leading
candidates for the star.
Whatever
the identity of the magi and the star, their visit to Bethlehem carries the
message that the arrival of the Messiah is good news for the entire world. As
is often said, wise men still worship him.
File
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On 30 Dec 2022, 14:50.
