Shroro

The Syriac Orthodox Christian Digest - January, 2005

Bible Study - Matthew Chapter 2
Commentary: The Visit of the Magi

Verse 1: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea, in the days of Herod the king, there came Magi from the east unto Jerusalem” John, Mark and Luke are silent on this. This is because John and Mark begin their Gospels with the public life of Jesus while Luke describes other facts of childhood. We know John knew the story of the Magi because Iraneous witnessed it; for we get Johannine tradition through Iraneous.

"Magi from the East"

(Matt., 2:1, 2, 9) came to visit baby Jesus in Bethlehem of Judea. But Who are these Magi? And where is the East? Regarding this, there are many opinions. Some people say they were 3 and others say they were 12. Jacob of Eddessa (AD. 640 ) has given 12 names as 1) Sohed 2) Vandar 3) Arsak 4) Aafuth 5) Arthahasath 6) Agthan 7) Basuk 8) Mahubhook 9)Barhum 10) Ahageeros 11) Sardna 12) Aarooth

[Note by translator : Later traditions put them as a) Caspar or Gaspar, b) Melchior, and c) Balthazar. ]

The Feast of Epiphany, on January 6th, commemorates their visit. Opinions differ on weather they came from Persia (Clement of Alexandria) or Babylon (St. Maximus) or Arabia (Saba) (St. Justin and Tertullian and St. Epiphanius) (Psalm 71:10). They are also referred as wise men in English. They were scholars in astronomy. No Father of the Church holds the Magi to have been kings.

[Note by translator : There is also a Jewish legend that say that Daniel himself, as an official of the Persian government, founded this order of Magi (wise men), and instructed them to watch for the Messiah through the generations ]

Herodotus Description of the Magi
Herodotus, who lived in the fifth-century before Christ, the celebrated ancient Greek father of "history-writing" (historiography), and the chronicler of the Greco-Persian wars, provides us with some very valuable historical information concerning that ancient class of people known as the Magi. According to him Magi was the sacred caste of the Medes (in Persia). But they fought against the Persian Kings and were defeated. Later on they provided priests for Persia and became well known for religious duty. Thus it is clear that by the time of the birth of Christ, Magi were an already well-established and ancient caste of people. He explains that Magi (Old Persian "Magu" or magus/magos), originated from Medes (today's northern Iran), and were an elite class or caste of Medes within the Persian Empire. After an unsuccessful attempt to gain political control of the empire, the Medes turned from politics to piety, becoming the teachers and illuminators of the Persians, specializing in the interpretation of dreams. Herodotus also informs us that Magi also assumed priestly functions with Persian society. This means that Magi would have been Zoroastrian priests (at that time Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion of Persia). Indeed without them no official sacrifice could be offered in Persia

The Romans, the Jews and the Persians believed that a great king would rule them. (The followers of Zarathushtra were dualists believing in gods of good and evil). The astronomy was a major science in Mediterranean countries at that time. So many observatories prove its widespread popularity even from kings to common people

Philo of Alexandria's Description of the Magi (BC 20- AD 40)
“Additionally, the Persian Magi were esteemed as honorable and virtuous sages. Skilled in philosophy, medicine and natural science, they became the scholars of Persian society.” Indeed Philo of Alexandria commends the Magi for their research of nature: "And in the land of the barbarians... there are very numerous companies of virtuous and honorable men celebrated. Among the Persians there exists a group, the Magi, who investigating the works of nature for the purpose of becoming acquainted with the truth initiate others in the divine virtues, by very clear explanations." (Philo, Every Good Man is Free)

The Magi as Astrologers
Nevertheless astrology was their special expertise. Consequently they believed, like most people in antiquity, that Heaven communicated its desires and intentions through signs, comets, stars and astronomical phenomena. Indeed, a person's destiny was considered determined by the stars under which one was born.