Message
Of
TheMagi
ByBobArthur
CollectiveWriter
InourChristmasplaysandcrecheswe
usuallyfindrepresentationofthree"wise
men"ormagiaspresentatthemanger.A
lotoftraditionalideashavegrownup
aroundthesepeople.Yetwhowerethey,
andwhatarethefactsweknowabout
them,
both
fromScriptureandhistory?
Theonlyaccountoftheirappearancewe
findinScriptureisMatthew2:1-16.No
numberisspecified.Threehavebeen
assumedbacausethreegiftsarementioned,
butthisdoesnotnecessarilymeanthere
wereexactlythreemagiwhocame.In
addition,theyweremostcertainlynot
presentatthebirthofChrist,sinceweread
thattheytoldHerodwhentheyhadfirst
seentheguidingstar,andHerodthenkilled
allchildren"fromtwoyearsoldand
under."MagiistheGreekword
magoi
(plural
of
magos)
whichhasbeenusedtotranslate
theHebrewword
'ashshaph,
andtheAramaicword
'ashaph.
TheHebrewword
occurstwiceintheOldTestament:Daniel
1:20;2:2.TheAramaicwordoccurssix
timesintheOldTestament:Daniel2:10,
27;4:7;5:7,11,15.TheKingJames
Versionhasconsistentlytranslatedboth
theHebrewandAramaicasastrologer.Yet
thesejanguagesimplymuchmorethan
whatweunderstandbytheEnglishword
astrologer.InBabylonia(thesettingof
Daniel),thesepeoplewerethepowerful
priestlyclasswhowereproficientin
necromancy,astrology,anddivination.It
is,ofcourse,thesekindsofpeoplethatare
condemnedbyGodinpassagessuchas
Exodus22:18;Deuteronomy18:9-14;
Leviticus18:3,24;20:23,27;19:26,31;
20:6.Inaddition,theNewTestamentuses
theGreekword
magos
notonlyinthe
Matthew2passage,butwefindinActs
13:6-8thatthewickedBar-Jesus(Elyrnas)
iscalleda
magos,
AlsoinActs8:9-11we
findSimonofSamariapracticing
(mageuo)
theartofmagic
(mageia).
Bothofthe
menarecondemnedincontextaswicked
becauseoftheirart.Whythendoes
Matthewseemtopaintthemagiasgood
characterswhentheypracticedtheirartto
determinethattheChristisborn?
Itisinterestingtonotethatastron-
omerstellusthataconjunctionofJupiter,
Saturn,andMarsoccurredthreetimesin7
2JOURNEY,DECEMBER1982
BC-anextremelyrareoccurance.In
BabylonianastrologyJupiterrepresents
kingship,SaturnwasthestaroftheHe-
brewpeople,andMarsrepresentsacrushing
blowtotheenemiesoftheking.Numbers
24:17prophesiesthatastarwouldriseout
ofJacob.TheBabylonianswerewell
acquaintedwiththeHebrewScriptures
becauseoftheBabyloniancaptivityofthe
Jews.SowhenBabylonianastrologerssaw
thesethreeplanetsinconjunctiontwice
inthespringtimeof
7
BC,theyheadedfor
JudahtoseethispredictedMessiah.We
readthatafterleavingHerod'spalacethey
sawthe"star"onceagain(Matthew
2:9-10.ThiswouldhavebeentheSep-
temberconjunctionin7Be.
Calendarexpertstellusofadiscrepancy
inourmodemcalendarwhichshouldplace
thebirthofJesussomewherebetween7-4
BC.WealsoknowthatHeroddiedin
4
BCafterkillingthebabiesinBethlehem.
Becauseshepherdsweretendingtheir
flocksbynightwhenthebirthoccurred
(Luke2:8),andtheyonlydothisduring'
thelambingseasonofthespring,wemay
assumethatJesuswasbornatthefirst
conjunctioninMay.Bythetimethe
magi
paidtheirvisitinSeptember,andescaped.
backtotheircountry,andJosephand
MarytookJesustoEgypt(Matthew
2:13-14),andHerodsetouttokillthe
babiesinBethlehem,Jesuswasprobably
almostoneyearold.TheGreeksreckon
ageinrelationshiptoone'snextbirthday.
Oneisinone'ssecondyearafterone'sfirst
birthday.Therefore,Herod'skillingof
thosewhoweretwoyearsoldandunder
wouldmeanthathekilledallthosewho
hadattainedtheirfirstbirthdayandunder.
Thismostlikelytookplaceinthespringof
6
BC.Inanycase,itisahauntingquestionas
towhyMatthewmentionsthevisitofthe
magi,andtheirastrologicalobservanceof
thestar,inviewoftheHebrewandChristian
disdainforastrology.Itisvaguelyrem-
iniscentoftheproblemmanyhavewith
Luke16:8,wherewefindJesustelling
hisdisciplestolearnfromthenon-Christians
aroundthem:"thechildrenofthisageare
intheirgenerationwiserthanthechildren
oflight."[sic]
NotethatJesuswasatleastfour
monthsoldwhenthemagiaskedHerod
wherehewas.JesuswastheHebrew
Messiah,yettheHebrewestablishment
whohadtheprophesieswerenoteven
awarethattheirMessiahhadarrived
(Matthew2:3-6).SoGodusedthepagan
astrologerstoteachthe"childrenoflight"
[sic]theirownreligiouspriorities.
HowoftendoweChristiansneedto
learnourownChristianityfromthe
non-Christianworldaroundus?Oneofthe
mostfrequentreasonsweheartheworldfornotbeingaChristianisthatweareall
hypocrites:sayingonethinganddoing
another.Istherealessonhereweneedto
learn?
Or,"ifChristianshavesuchaconcern
forsavingtheworld,whydotheyspendall
theirtimeandmoneyonbuildingshowy
churches?"
Or,"Iwouldratherworshipalonein
God'snature,thantoputupwithallthe
in-fightingamongchurchmembers."Andagain,"IfChristianityisare-
flectionofGod'slovefortheworld,why
dotheykillinthenameofChristlikein
theCrusades,theinquisition,andthe
doctrinaldisputeswheretheywould
excommunicatetheirheretics?"
OneofthetrapstheChristianchurch
hasfallenintoisanarrowvision.Thatis
wetendtolookforonlyspiritualanswers
toallproblems.Therearemanysecular
sciencesthataredealingwithsomeofthe
issuesweashumanbeingshavetoface.
Sociology,psychology,andsexologyhave
offeredsomepossibleanswersweas
Christiansneedtoconsiderinourlivesas
weinteractwithselfandothers.Weas
Christiansshouldatleastconsidersomeof
thematerialtheyhaveprovidedusinareas
suchaslonelinessandhumaninteraction.
DoweasUFMCChavesomethingto
learnfromthepaganmagiaroundus?
Althoughthetraditionaltranslationofthe
Greekword
magoi
aswisemenislin-guisticallyquestionable,perhapsitgetsto
theheartofthelesson.Letuslearnfrom
thenon-Christianwisepeoplearoundus.
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