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The Biography Of The Magi Or Wise Men. by Adeling(m): 5:46am On Dec 03, 2017 |
Few biblical stories are as well known, yet so
clouded by myth and tradition, as that of the
magi , or wise men, mentioned by Matthew.
During the Middle Ages legend developed that
they were kings, that they were three in number,
and that their names were Casper, Balthazar, and
Melchior. Because they were thought to represent
the three sons of Noah, one of them is often
pictured as an Ethiopian. A twelfth-century bishop
of Cologne even claimed to have found their
skulls.
The only legitimate facts we know about these
particular magi are the few given by Matthew in
the first twelve verses of chapter 2. We are not
told their number, their names, their means of
transportation to Palestine, or the specific country
or countries from which they came. The fact that
they came from the east would have been
assumed by most people in New Testament
times, because the magi were primarily known as
the priestly-political class of the Parthians-who
lived to the east of Palestine.
The magi became skilled in
astronomy and astrology (which, in that day, were
closely associated) and had a sacrificial system
that somewhat resembled the one God gave to
Israel through Moses. They were involved in
various occult practices, including sorcery, and
were especially noted for their ability to interpret
dreams. It is from their name that our words
magic and magician are derived.
A principle element of magian worship was fire,
and on their primary altar burned a perpetual
flame, which they claimed descended from
heaven. The magi were monotheistic, believing in
the existence of only one god. Because of their
monotheism, it was easy for the magi to adapt to
the teaching of the sixth-century b.c. Persian
religious leader named Zoroaster, who believed in
a single god, Ahura Mazda, and a cosmic struggle
between good and evil. Darius the Great
established Zoroastrianism as the state religion
of Persia.
Because of their combined knowledge of science,
agriculture, mathematics, history, and the occult,
their religious and political influence continued to
grow until they became the most prominent and
powerful group of advisors in the Medo-Persian
and subsequently the Babylonian empire. It is not
strange, therefore, that they often were referred to
as “wise men.” It may be that “the law of the
Medes and Persians” (see Dan. 6:8, 12, 15;
Esther 1:19) was founded on the teachings of
these magi. Historians tell us that no Persian was
ever able to become king without mastering the
scientific and religious disciplines of the magi and
then being approved and crowned by them, and
that this group also largely controlled judicial
appointments (cf. Esther 1:13). Nergal-sar-ezer
the Rab-mag, chief of the Babylonian magi, was
with Nebuchadnezzar when he attacked and
conquered Judah (Jer. 39:3).
We learn from the book of Daniel that the magi
were among the highest-ranking officials in
Babylon. Because the Lord gave Daniel the
interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream-which
none of the other court seers was able to do-
Daniel was appointed as “ruler over the whole
province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the
wise men of Babylon” (Dan. 2:48). Because of his
great wisdom and because he had successfully
pleaded for the lives of the wise men who had
failed to interpret the king’s dream (Dan. 2:24),
Daniel came to be highly regarded among the
magi. The plot against Daniel that caused him to
be thrown into the lions’ den was fomented by
the jealous satraps and the other commissioners,
not the magi (Dan. 6:4–9).
Because of Daniel’s high position and great
respect among them, it seems certain that the
magi learned much from that prophet about the
one true God, the God of Israel, and about His will
and plans for His people through the coming
glorious King. Because many Jews remained in
Babylon after the Exile and intermarried with the
people of the east, it is likely that Jewish
messianic influence remained strong in that
region even until New Testament times.
During both the Greek and Roman empires the
magi’s power and influence continued in the
eastern provinces, particularly in Parthia. As
mentioned above, it was the Parthians that
Herod, in behalf of Rome, drove out of Palestine
between 39 and 37 b.c., when his kingship of
Judea began. Some magi-many of them probably
outcasts or false practitioners-lived in various
parts of the Roman Empire, including Palestine.
Among them was Simon of Samaria (Acts 8:9),
whom tradition and history have come to refer to
as Simon Magus because of his “practicing
magic” (Greek, mageuo , derived from the
Babylonian magus, singular of magi). The Jewish
false prophet Bar-Jesus was also a sorcerer, or
“magician” (Greek, magos ). These magicians
were despised by both Romans and Jews. Philo, a
first-century b.c. Jewish philosopher from
Alexandria, called them vipers and scorpions.
The magi from the east (the word literally
means “from the rising” of the sun, and refers to
the orient) who came to see Jesus were of a
completely different sort. Not only were they true
magi, but they surely had been strongly
influenced by Judaism, quite possibly even by
some of the prophetic writings, especially that of
Daniel. They appear to be among the many God-
fearing Gentiles who lived at the time of Christ, a
number of whom-such as Cornelius and Lydia
(Acts 10:1–2; 16:14)-are mentioned in the New
Testament. |
Re: The Biography Of The Magi Or Wise Men. by livingg(m): 5:48am On Dec 03, 2017 |
I will be back to comment. |
Re: The Biography Of The Magi Or Wise Men. by emmie14: 6:05am On Dec 03, 2017 |
Intimate knowledge of religious practices |
(1) (Reply)
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