Who Were the Wisemen?
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| A Late Medieval Depiction of Christ and the Holy Theotokos Receiving the Visitation of the Magi |
Evidence for God’s Preparation of Mankind for the Birth of His Son
By Bp. Joseph Boyd (Ancient Church of the West)
Matthew 8:11 “… I say unto you, many shall come from the East and from the West, and sit down together with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…”
In the West, on the 6th of January, we celebrate the coming of the Wisemen to worship the Christ Child. In the Christian East, we celebrate Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan, where we see the Trinity manifested for the first time. This is commemorated in the “Blessing of the Waters”, a blessing of the waters and world through the consecration of Holy Water in the Name of the Holy Trinity. Both events celebrate the revelation of Christ to the world, and both are profoundly mysterious and beautiful. Last year, I wrote about the meaning of the Baptism of Our Lord in the Jordan. This year, I am going to speak about the profound meaning of the coming of the Wisemen, who show how God prepared people for the coming of His Son. As the Apostle Paul says in Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”
The Visit of the Magi
The Scriptures state in Matthew 2: 1-12: “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Wisemen from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” Then Herod, when he had secretly called the Wisemen, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.” When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.”
Great Expectations
The desire for a Savior predates the Hebrew nation, as is seen in how Eve named her first son “Cain” (meaning “Man from God”), and expected that he might bring redemption from the curse and the fall. The real quest for Messiah started with David, who received God’s promise that his throne would be established forever by God’s seed. Because God established where Messiah would be born, whose line He would be born into, and what He would do for His people, the Israelites began to readily anticipate the Christ’s coming. Unfortunately, popular Judaism interpreted these categories as political and military qualifications to the position of Messiah, rather than focusing on the spiritual work of redemption that He would accomplish for the whole world. (Genesis 22:18, Galatians 3:8) When Christ came, they could not recognize Him because of their mistaken ideas of what He would be and do. Because they never saw Jesus for Who He truly was, the Jews continue to look for a Messiah today.
Candidates for Wiseman
What were the different groups that were looking for the Messiah at the time of Christ’s birth? Many anthropologists and linguists, students of culture, mythology and psychology have noticed the universality of the Messianic expectation. Famous philosophers and psychologists have turned these universal references into a cottage industry of analysis and myth-making, from George Lucas and Joseph Campbell, to Karl Jung, René-Jean-Marie-Joseph Guénon, Aldus Huxley and Ananda Coomaraswamy. Many traditional religions expect a Messianic figure, and many of these religions claim a fulfillment or record supernatural events around the time of Christ. Any one of these religions could have sent a representative to find the newborn king, and, in fact, some early European pagan religions and Middle Eastern religious cults claim to have done so!
The Babylonian Magi – This group is the contemporary favorite for identifying the Wisemen. They waited for the Messiah to come and save the world, supposedly to be born in Israel, as prophesied by their ancient leader, Belthashazzar (Daniel). Daniel 2:48 says that the Prophet was made the head of the Magi, and the prophecies of the Messiah were the culmination of his prophetic ministry. (Daniel 9:24-27)
The Celtic Brehon (often called “Druids”) – The Brehonic Bards and Druids were known for waiting on a “Prince of Light” to be born, who would free them from the fear of their demonic lord, Samhain, a pagan god who demanded human sacrifice. These stories were reported to early Christians and written down in the Chronicles of Cormac, which identified Christ’s Crucifixion with the “Day of Darkness” in which their pagan gods lost their power. (Seamus MacManus, The History of the Irish Race, pgs 33-50)
The Buddhist Lohan – Buddha was very clear in the Tripitaka that he was not God, that he did not bring ultimate truth, and that another would come who would clarify the perfect path of truth. His disciples and those who followed after waited on the perfect manifestation of Buddha’s teachings, and around the time of Christ, a genre of apocryphal literature arose in India identifying this prophesied teacher as a virgin-born, ascended, future judge of the world, named Maitreya, who came into the world to save those who would believe on His Name, and take them to be with him in a heaven that he created for them, called the “Pure Land.” Many scholars believe that this story arose from very early contact with Christianity. (David Marshall, The True Son of Heaven, pgs 40-43)
The Confucian Sages – The ancient Chinese sages were known for waiting on a “Sheng Ren”, the holy man that would show a perfect example. “Why, who is there, then,' cried the Minister, much astonished, 'that is really a sage?' The expression of Confucius' countenance changed, and he replied after a pause: 'Among the people of the West a true sage will dwell. He will not govern, yet there will be no disorder. He will not speak, yet he will be naturally trusted. He will make no reforms, yet his right conduct will be spontaneous and universal. He will be so great and incomprehensible that the people will find no name to call him by.’” (Book 4 of Liezi 列子) (David Marshall, The True Son of Heaven; James Legge, The Chinese Classics: Analects of Confucius, verse 3:15)
The Indian Brahman – Ancient Vedic faith was based upon waiting on the “Perusha”, who would be a man sacrificed for the sins of the world, and was also thought to be the Son of God (Brahman). The creation of all things is described as the original result of Brahma sacrificing the “Sacrificed One” (Perusha) upon a pole, for the creation of all life, with the sacrificial blood connecting all life to the One. This initial act of creation was to be re-played within the mortal sphere, when God was incarnate as a man. In the Rig Veda, the Purusasukta and the Veda Pusthakam, along with the Sayanacharya commentaries, we can see that the earliest stratum of how Indians believed that the Prajapati (God) and the Perusha (First Born) would save mankind. In the 16th verse of the Purusasukta it says, “God sacrificed Purusa as the sacrifice. This is the earliest established principle. Through this the sages obtain heaven. Thus, the one who knows this becomes able to reach the state of deathlessness. No other way is known for this to occur.” (Translation and Thesis by Dr. Joseph Padinjarekara, Christ in the Ancient Vedas)
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| The Ancient Dendera Astronomical Calendar from Luxor, Now in the Louvre, Paris |
The Original Mageans
The prophet Daniel was the head of the magicians, astrologers, and soothsayers in the court of Babylon during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Belteshazzar, and the Persian king, Darius. Collectively, these men were known as the Magi, or, “The Wise Ones.” We get our English word “Magic” from their name. They were not just men of smoke and mirror magic shows, but rather, they were men of great skill in natural sciences, mathematics, medicine, and music, which were all considered holy, esoteric arts. They served as priests and intercessors to many different kinds of gods for their king, and served each god whole-heartedly. In exchange for their devotion, these men received supernatural powers from their demonic masters, such as gifts of healing, insights into the unknown, and the ability to manipulate the minds of men. Daniel served the true and living God, and so no one of the pagan priests could match him for power or wisdom. This is how Daniel came to be their leader and teacher. This is seen in the Deuterocanonical book, “Bel and the Dragon”, which is a historical Babylonian account of Daniel’s life and is included is the Western Apocrypha. It describes Daniel as the chief of the Magi after his success translating the dream of king Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel is said to have prophesied of a star coming out of the east, hailing the birth of the Hebrew Messiah in some accounts.
The Chinese Connection
Both the Confucians and the Buddhist awaited the coming of a perfect man to clarify their religions. The Buddhist eventually made a mystical religion out of their pursuit, and became known as the Lohan. The Taoists believed that a mystical man would be born, who would restore all things to their original splendor, and truly be the “Master of the World”. They later on confused the Lohan with the perfect man, and began the worship of the “Eight Immortals”. Evidence found by early missionaries seems to indicate that the Chinese had records of the great star that marked Christ’s birth until the mid 19th century. (Lao Zi, Dao De Jing, portions 10-16) In the recently rediscovered Syriac text, entitled “The Revelation of the Magi”, the Magi come from the Land of “Shir”, which was an ancient Semitic word for China. (Brent Landau (Trans.), The Revelation of the Magi, pg 24)
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| A Japanese Print Depicting Fr. Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-1688), Court Astronomer to the Kangxi Emperor, Who Catalogued the Chinese Historical Accounts of the Star of Bethlehem |
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| The Court Observatory, Built by the Jesuits for the Qing Emperors, Using a Combination of Chinese and European Astronomical Technology, and Used to Create the Official Chinese Calendar Until 1911 |
Following the Star
The Bible describes the visit of the Wisemen in ambiguous terms – we don’t really know how many there were. There are many extra-biblical accounts of this story that are unreliable, but a few of the legends give us insight into what might have happened
1. Our Orthodox heritage preserves a legend of three kingly Wisemen, which also tells of the fact that they represented all of mankind; one is African, one is European, and one is Asian. This may have arisen from a tendency of medieval iconographers to re-use biblical figures in different contexts, and it seems that the Wisemen closely resemble the Sons of Noah, Shem, Ham and Japheth.
2. “The Legend of a Fourth Wiseman” was the work of an 19th century writer, but became so popular as a story that most people believe it as fact today.
3. The idea of a “Beacon Star” arises from the biblical phrase that referred to it “standing” over the place of Christ’s dwelling, which implies that the star accurately marked the spot of the child’s location. However, the phrase may also refer to the way that the ancients mapped out places on the earth as they corresponded to the night sky.
4. Mateo Ricci and Ferdinand Verbiest, 16th and 17th century Jesuit missionaries to China, reported that the Imperial library contained astronomical records that accurately described the Star of Bethlehem. Unfortunately, the library he referred to was burnt in 1860, when the Old Summer Palace was razed in retaliation for the 2nd Opium War. These rumors are often used to substantiate claims that Confucian scholars were the Wisemen, but the lack of evidence leaves it to conjecture. (Rev. Ken Joseph, The Lotus and the Cross: China’s Christian History; W. Gothard, How the Stars Foretold Christ’s Birth; and, Dr. Don Richardson, Eternity in their Hearts)
The “Troubling” Caravan
Babylon (present day Iraq) was only a six-month caravan journey from Israel. Herod’s decision to kill all the male children under the age of two, gives us a vital clue as to when the star first appeared. Since the child was no longer an infant, but around three when the Wisemen first saw him, the star appeared on the night of his birth. This was around the time frame that it took for Chinese merchants and traders to make their journey along the Silk Road. The coming of a small band Mesopotamian men would not get the attention of the whole city of Jerusalem, and would certainly not “trouble the king and the whole city with him”. However, if the delegation was more exotic, coming from a land with a more important reputation, such as China, the response would have equaled the Biblical record. It is also possible that the Wisemen and their caravan resembled an army more than a scholarly delegation. This also increases the distance that they probably traveled, and also erases the notion that there were only three (or four!) Wisemen.
Jesus as Magi
A theory that is becoming popular today is to think that the Magi trained Jesus during his “lost years”, between the ages of 12 and 30. Contemporary spirituality writers often offer this as an explanation for the miraculous powers of healing Christ had, and the amazing doctrines that He preached. While this is an interesting theory, it does not explain where the Magi got their powers in the first place, how they knew of the Great Star’s purpose, and why they came to worship Him. Even if one was correct in assuming that Christ had continued contact with the Magi, it would have been for the purpose of Christ learning from them, but that the Magi could learn from the Son of God.
The Magi were gradually assimilated into Persian culture, almost disappearing from the pages of history for eight hundred years, living in an area that spanned the distance between the Holy Land and India. Evidence suggests that the Magi prospered as a mysterious intellectual and religious sect until the conquests of Islam in the 7th century, when they were wiped out or forced underground as the mystical Sufi movement in Muslim Persia. Sufs attempt to emulate Jesus Christ, wearing the brown, woolen robes that the Quran associates with Jesus, and fasting and praying for a mystical union with Allah. The Magi disappeared from the pages of history altogether, with only faint echoes of their teaching and science echoing in the cultures of India and China. Perhaps, when they found Christ, they reached the end of their search, and, as the Syriac story of the Wisemen concludes, went away rejoicing in God’s spirit becoming the first Christian Bishops in Mesopotamia. When modern scholars wonder why Christ’s story is so similar to stories of Krishna in India, maybe it is for this reason, because the East was evangelized far earlier than anyone now suspects!
Thoughtful Gifts
Gold – Associated with eternity and heavenly glory
Frankincense – Associated with priestly rituals of propitiation
Myrrh – Associated with the embalming practices of Egypt, which was thought to prepare the body for resurrection
These gifts were prophetic, as well as preparatory. They probably financed the Holy Family for many years, while they were in hiding in Egypt, and later on, when the Theotokos brought the myrrh to the tomb to embalm the body of her crucified son on the morning of Christ’s resurrection. Whatever their use, the perfectly describe what the Book of Hebrews says was Christ’s mission on earth; to establish a heavenly kingdom, to function as our spiritual high priest, and to rise again on the third day to establish his victory over death. These gifts are pictures of Christ’s work on the Cross. His work in our lives can also be seen in the way that the three gifts were procured. (Romans 8:11, Hebrews 4:14-5:10)
Gold was mined in painful and hazardous environments, often deep in the bowls of a mountain; then it was purified by fire seven times, so that it reached absolute purity and beauty. It was then skillfully crafted into a crown of exquisite detail and intricacy, so that it would bring glory to the head of a king.
Frankincense was the crystalline blood of the Boswellia tree, which grows only in the harshest desserts, far away from the dwelling of men. Each tree only exuded a few drops of the fragrant rosin every year, so many drops had to be collected before an once of liquid could be made. It took many years to distill one bottle of its sweet perfume. It was so rare and expensive that it was only used for the most precious and sacred of ceremonies. This is still the primary source of incense used in Orthodox worship, and every time it is offered to God, we remember the role of the Wisemen in marking Christ as "The Way, the Truth and the Life."
Myrrh was a bush that grew in the mountains of Sinai, and it may have been this kind of bush that God’s Spirit filled with unburning fire when He called Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt. It was cut with a special knife, and bled red sap into a cup placed below the wound. This sap was dried and ground into a powder, and then it was placed into bodies being mummified for burial. It was thought that this preserving agent would insure that the bodies could be revived in the final resurrection, and function as blood for eternity. (Mark 16:1, Luke 24)
Quest for the Wisemen
Who were the Wisemen and where did they come from? We will probably never know for sure, although much Early Christian apocryphal literature exists in the Orthodox Tradition that gives us tantalizing clues as to their many origins. The evidence leads us to some interesting conclusions and some astounding possibilities. The one thing that we know for sure is that Christ was sent, not just as a Messiah for the Hebrews, but as the Savior of the world. He came at a time of great religious development, political turmoil, and intellectual achievement, and His impact on the cultures of the whole world is undeniable. This shows us that God never abandoned His plan of restoring mankind to Him through Christ, and that He never forgot any of the peoples, tribes, and cultures of the world. Christ came that all may have life, and that they may have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
Summary - Chalking the Doorways
While Scripture does not solve the mystery of the Wisemen’s identity, and many of the clues that we have uncovered just broaden the search from one culture to many different cultures, the Christian Tradition does name the Three Magi - Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior. Whether or not the Wisemen were Mesopotamian, Indian, Irish, Chinese, or some other unknown culture and religion is not, ultimately, important. They do represent something universal to us, the catholicity of the Church, the universality of the Gospel, and the concern that God has for the redemption of all Mankind. Like the Byzantine and Medieval European iconographers, we may project any and all of our human identities upon them, as still be correct. They represent the coming together of the human race in Jesus Christ, the Second Adam, Who gives His Life to all mankind and enables us all to find God. As the famous Scripture in John 3 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
We remember this legacy of universality and the message of the Gospel for salvation by chalking over our doors when we bless our homes for the New Year. We write 20+C+M+B+21, the century year, the initials of the Wisemen, and the new date, so as to bring the faith of the Wisemen into our homes for the coming year, and to remember that “Wise Men Still Seek Him.”
The Prayer for the Day
ALMIGHTY GOD, who by the leading of a star didst manifest thy only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, and didst manifest Thy Holy Trinity in the waters of the Jordan in the Baptism of Thine Only Son; Mercifully grant that we, who know Thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition of Thy glorious Godhead; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who livest and reignest with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
