During the Christmas season the story of the visit of the Magi is frequently retold. But who were these Magi and where were they from? Most often Persia or Babylon is cited as the origin of the Magi. This is because the origin of the word Magi can be traced back to Persia and Zoroastrian. Since the Bible does not specifically say where the Magi were from, many others ideas are offered such as they were from Yemen since in Yemen there were Jewish kings at the time.
Most interestingly, there is some interesting evidence that they could have come from China. First, when Herod found out is had been tricked he ordered the killing of all males under the age of two based on the timing of when the Magi saw the star. This means that they journey to Israel most likely took well over a year. Certainly a journey from Babylon or Yemen would not take that long. But one to two years is consistent with a more distant place such as China. Secondly, there recently has been an English translation of an obscure 8th century manuscript found in Turkey. The translation was done by Brent Landau as part of his doctoral dissertation at Harvard Divinity School. Landau subsequently published a book Revelation of the Magi: The Lost Tale of the Wise Men’s Journey to Bethlehem. This book describes the Magi as from an ancient sect descended from Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. From Seth they inherited a prophecy of "a star of indescribable brightness" someday appearing and "heralding the birth of God in human form." This same star had initially hovered over the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. Also, the Magi are described as coming from a land called Shir, "located in the extreme east of the world, at the shore of the Great Ocean." In other ancient texts, Shir is referred to "as a place where silk comes from," suggesting that the references were to China. Landau also writes that Magi in Syriac (the ancient Aramaic dialect), means "to pray in silence." Landau says it has no relationship to magicians or astrologers, sometimes cited in stories today. The text names 12 Magi, not three, while other parts of the text suggest that "a group the size of a small army" traveled to Bethlehem. The Bible never does say how many Magi there were but the fact that there were three gifts led people to believe that there were three Magi. In China at that time there was a well-known astronomer and historian Liu Xin. Some Chinese Christians do believe the Magi were from China. (ref. Back to Jerusalem, Gabriel Publishing, 2003) While all of this evidence is certainly not conclusive, it is interesting to consider that God may have given a witness to the coming of Christ to China long before the Nestorians came in the early part of the Tang Dynasty.
Most interestingly, there is some interesting evidence that they could have come from China. First, when Herod found out is had been tricked he ordered the killing of all males under the age of two based on the timing of when the Magi saw the star. This means that they journey to Israel most likely took well over a year. Certainly a journey from Babylon or Yemen would not take that long. But one to two years is consistent with a more distant place such as China. Secondly, there recently has been an English translation of an obscure 8th century manuscript found in Turkey. The translation was done by Brent Landau as part of his doctoral dissertation at Harvard Divinity School. Landau subsequently published a book Revelation of the Magi: The Lost Tale of the Wise Men’s Journey to Bethlehem. This book describes the Magi as from an ancient sect descended from Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. From Seth they inherited a prophecy of "a star of indescribable brightness" someday appearing and "heralding the birth of God in human form." This same star had initially hovered over the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. Also, the Magi are described as coming from a land called Shir, "located in the extreme east of the world, at the shore of the Great Ocean." In other ancient texts, Shir is referred to "as a place where silk comes from," suggesting that the references were to China. Landau also writes that Magi in Syriac (the ancient Aramaic dialect), means "to pray in silence." Landau says it has no relationship to magicians or astrologers, sometimes cited in stories today. The text names 12 Magi, not three, while other parts of the text suggest that "a group the size of a small army" traveled to Bethlehem. The Bible never does say how many Magi there were but the fact that there were three gifts led people to believe that there were three Magi. In China at that time there was a well-known astronomer and historian Liu Xin. Some Chinese Christians do believe the Magi were from China. (ref. Back to Jerusalem, Gabriel Publishing, 2003) While all of this evidence is certainly not conclusive, it is interesting to consider that God may have given a witness to the coming of Christ to China long before the Nestorians came in the early part of the Tang Dynasty.
As a convenient reference, here is the story from the Gospel of Mathew.
When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and said, "Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, "Where will the Messiah be born?"
They told him, "He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,
Bethlehem in the land of Judea, you are very important among the towns of Judea. From your town will come a leader, who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.' "
Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. He told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I want to go and worship him too."
The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They were thrilled and excited to see the star.
When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and gave them to him. Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road.
No comments:
Post a Comment