Adoration of the Magi.

(Matt. 2:1-12).

        When Christ was born in “Bethlehem of Judea,” the Magi arrived in Jerusalem from the East. It is named here as Judean Bethlehem, because there was another Bethlehem, in Galilee, in the region of Zebulun. The Magi who came to adore Christ, were not those which are usually associated with this name ie. not sorcerers or wizards that create illusory miracles, calling up the spirits and interrogating the dead (Ex. 7:11 and Deut. 18:11), who are condemned by Word of God. These were highly learned individuals, possessing great knowledge, over whom Daniel presided in the land of Babylon (Dan. 2:48). They judged the future by the stars, studied nature’s secret powers. Such wise men were highly revered in Babylon and Persia as they used to be sacrificators and advisers to kings. The Evangelist states that they came “from the East,” not naming from which specific country. One proposition suggests this country was Arabia, another — Persia, while the third — Chaldea. However, the word used in the Gospel, “magos” — is Persian, making it more than likely that they came from Persia, or from a country forming part of the former Babylonian kingdom. Because during the Jews’ 70 year bondage, the forefathers of these Magi may have heard from the them, that they were waiting for a Great King, Redeemer, Who will conquer the whole world; the Prophet Daniel also lived there, having predicted the time of the coming of this Great King; also, Magi Balaam’s prophecies — predicting there shall come forth a star from Jacob (Num. 24:17) — may have been preserved.

        The study of stars in the heavens was one of the major occupations of the Persian wise men. And the Lord summoned them, through the appearance of an extraordinary star, to adore the Newborn Saviour of the world. At the time, in the East, there was a widely spread belief the Lord of the world will appear in Judea, that will have to be worshipped by all the peoples of the world. That is why upon arriving in Jerusalem , the Magi confidently inquire: “Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews?”

        These words alarmed Herod the Great, as he himself had no legal right to the Judean throne, was an Idumean, and being a tyrant, aroused hatred from his subjects. All of Jerusalem became alarmed with him, because it was afraid of new repressive measures from Herod, who was agitated by the extraordinary news.

        Bloodthirsty Herod, in deciding to exterminate the Newborn — regarding Him as his antagonist — summoned all his high priests and scribes and directly poses them the question as to the place of birth of the Messiah, King of Jews: “Where is Christ to be born?” The scribes immediately pointed out to him Micah’s well-known prophecy (5:2), not citing it literally but its meaning, that the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem means — “house of bread” and Euphratus — “fertile field”; a name that characterises the exceptional fertility of the soil. In Micah’s veritable prophecy there is a remarkable indication that the Messiah will only “come” from Bethlehem, but will not live there, and that His true origin “are from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). In order to execute his bloody intentions with certainty, Herod also wanted to know the time of birth of the Judean King. He summons the Magi so as to interrogate them clandestinely as to the time of the appearance of the star, and then sending them to Bethlehem, so that when they returned, they could relate all they found out about the Newborn. When the Magi set out toward Bethlehem, the star that they saw in the East, travelled before them, showing the accurate route until it stopped where the Newborn Infant was located.

        What sort of star was it? — There are varied thoughts on this issue. Saint Goldentongue and Blessed Theophilactus thought that it was a certain Divine and Angelic force, appearing in the form of a star. In relation to the star that was seen in the East, many define it as a real star, inasmuch as some type of sign of a perceivable nature preceded many great events in a moral world. It is interesting to note, that in accordance with the calculations of the famous astronomer Keppler, in the year of Christ’s birth, there was an incredibly rare coincidence of the three brightest stars — Jupiter, Mars and Saturn — becoming aligned in the one spot and creating the visible effect of an unusually bright star. This heavenly event, known in astronomy as the “uniting of planets,” coincided with the great event of the birth of the Son of God — Messiah. This, of course, bore the manifestation of God’s providence in summoning the heathens for their worship of the newborn Messiah. The marvellous meaning of the Wise Men’s arrival from a distant land is explained excellently by Saint Goldentongue: “ Because the Judeans, listening ceaselessly to the Prophets’ proclamations on the coming of Christ, did not pay any particular attention, the Lord instilled into the barbarians the need to come from a distant land, inquire about the King that was born among them, and then the Judeans finding out from the Persians that, which they did not want to learn from the Prophets.”

        Naturally, the star that showed the way to the wise men from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, “till it came and stood over where the young Child was,” was now a real star — not a planet but a completely special and miraculous manifestation. When they saw the star, the wise men “rejoiced with exceedingly great joy,” because undoubtedly, they saw in it a new strengthening of their faith in the authenticity of the birth of this extraordinary Infant. Further narration about the Magi, states that they came to a “house” and there, “fell down and worshipped” the Newborn. Consequently, the Magi did not come to the cave where Christ was born; by that time, the Infant and His mother could have resettled into an ordinary house. “And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Having received a Divine warning in a dream not to return to Herod, who had designs to kill God-Infant, the Magi returned to their homeland along a different route ie. not through Jerusalem but apparently towards south of Jerusalem.