And when they entered the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His Mother, and they bowed down to Him; And opening their treasures, they brought Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
(Gospel of Matthew 2:11).
Few people, even among church people, know that the Holy Gifts, brought by the three eastern magi to the Divine Infant Christ, have survived to this day and are kept with great reverence in the monastery of St. Paul on Athos.
I remember how shocked I myself was when I learned that these gifts still exist today.
Tradition has preserved the names of the Magi: one was called Belshazzar, the other Gaspar, the third Melchior.
Sometime later I will write about these sorcerer kings.
As a gift to the newborn Christ, they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense is an expensive aromatic resin of a special tree, which in ancient times was offered as a sign of special reverence. Myrrh, an expensive fragrant oil, was anointed with the dead.
So, gold is for the King, frankincense is for God, myrrh is for Man.
GOLD- twenty-eight small plates of various shapes - a trapezoid, a quadrangle, a polygon, all of them are small in size (5x7 cm). On each - the finest filigree ornament, never repeated. INCENSE AND SMYRNA mixed together and are small, the size of an olive, balls, there are about seventy of them.
These treasures are kept in the monastery of St. Paul on Mount Athos with special care. Their value, not only spiritual, but also historical, archaeological, is immeasurable, and therefore they are placed in small reliquary reliquaries.
The history of the gifts is as follows:
The honest gifts of the Magi were carefully preserved by the Mother of God all her life. And shortly before Her Dormition, knowing that Her earthly life was ending, She transferred the gifts along with Her Belt and Robe to the Jerusalem Church, where they were kept until the year 400.
The Byzantine emperor Arcadius transferred the gifts to Constantinople to consecrate the new capital of the empire. Then they get to the city of Nicaea and stay there for about sixty years.
When the crusaders were expelled from Constantinople, the gifts are returned to the capital.
After the fall of Byzantium in 1453, the gifts of the Magi are sent to Athos to the monastery of St. Paul - they were brought there by the widow of Sultan Amurat, the Serbian princess Maria, whose father, the last Serbian despot, George Brankovan, built in the monastery of St. Paul Cathedral Church of the Great Martyr George.
Where Mary stood on her knees, passing the Gifts to the monks, now a cross has been erected, which is called Tsaritsyn. Later, a chapel was placed next to it, inside which the meeting of the great shrine by the monks is depicted. The archive of the monastery also contains a sultan's charter, which confirms the transfer of the Honest Gifts to the Athonite monks.
The story of the Nativity of Christ and the three wise men who brought gifts to the baby Jesus received new documentary evidence just recently.
An old manuscript was discovered and translated in the archives of the Vatican.
This is an 8th-century copy of a story first recorded in the 3rd century, less than 100 years after the creation of the Gospel of Matthew, the original source of the story of the Magi. In the "Revelations of the Magi" in the first person, the story is told about the journey to the light of the Star of Bethlehem.
The manuscript was written in a dialect of Aramaic, the Syriac language spoken by the early Christians in what is now Syria, Iraq and Iran.
Golden vessels later turned into golden pendants
The story to which the feast of the Nativity of Christ is dedicated is known to us from church literature. The plot itself was “built” on the basis of biblical sources a long time ago, however, in the descriptions of those distant events for many of our fellow citizens, some episodes and related terms still remain incomprehensible. One of these mysteries is the Magi and the Gifts they brought to the infant Christ. At the request of "MK", the rector of the temple in the village of Troitskoye, Vladimir Region, Father Vasily, gave an explanation.
In the Holy Gospel, wise men-scientists who were engaged in observing the heavenly bodies are called "magicians," says Father Vasily. - They knew an ancient prophecy about the forthcoming birth of the God-man, which should be marked by the appearance of a new bright star in the sky. When such a heavenly body suddenly appeared, the wise men set off on their journey to see the born Son of God and worship him. Where they should go, the magi determined simply: they went "to the light of the star."
Although not a single canonical Gospel mentions the number of Magi, this information can be found in other early Christian sources. There were three Magi who came to worship the newborn Jesus. Moreover, they were of different ages and different races: the dark-skinned "beardless youth" African Baltazar, the European of mature age Melchior and the very elderly representative of the Asian race Caspar. This "layout" is very symbolic. In the person of these three, the peoples of all major continents showed their reverence for the Son of God who had just come to Earth.
In church literature, one can find references to the subsequent fate of the Magi. According to legend, later all three were baptized by the Apostle Thomas and suffered torment for preaching Christianity in eastern countries. Subsequently, the Magi were canonized as Saints, their relics were found by the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena and brought to Constantinople. They were kept there until the 5th century. Then they were transferred first to Milan, and later to the German principalities, and since then they have been kept in the Cologne Cathedral.
Now about the gifts. There are also three of them - according to the number of the Magi. Gifts to the Christ Child also have a deep meaning. The Magi brought him gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Gold is a classic "royal gift", a tribute paid by subjects to their ruler. He pointed out that the Child was born to be a King.
Frankincense - a valuable wood aromatic resin, traditionally used in Christian rituals for burning, was a gift to Christ God.
And myrrh, another very expensive aromatic substance used to embalm bodies during burial, was brought to Christ as the future Savior of the human race, to whom “many suffering and burial” are predicted.
According to legend, the Mother of God kept the Gifts received from the Magi for a long time, and shortly before her Assumption, she handed them over to the Christian community of Jerusalem. Subsequently, they were transferred to the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. When this city was conquered by the Turks in the 15th century, one of the wives of Sultan Murad - the daughter of the Serbian prince Maria Brankovich (she, even after marrying the Turkish ruler, did not renounce the Christian faith) - transported the Gifts of the Magi to Athos, where they have been for more than 500 years stored in the monastery of St. Paul.
Initially, the Golden Gifts brought by the Magi were small vessels made of precious metal. Frankincense and myrrh were brought by the Magi separately.
In the 16th century, when the Gifts were already in the monastery on Mount Athos, the local monks decided to give the relics a more symbolic look, corresponding to the ideas of that time. The gifts began to look like pendants. These are 28 small plates in the form of trapezoids, quadrangles and polygons, decorated with various ornaments. Dark beads made from a mixture of two resins, frankincense and myrrh, are attached to the golden pendants. This union is very symbolic. Frankincense and myrrh, offered to God and Man, are united as inseparably as two natures, Divine and human, were united in Christ.
Now these holy relics are kept in ten shrines. According to an established tradition, after a solemn night service, the Gifts are taken out of the sacristy in a small silver ark to be worshiped by pilgrims. The gifts exude a strong fragrance, and when they are opened, the whole church is filled with this fragrance.
It tells us about the Magi who went to the light of a wonderful star in the city of Bethlehem to bow to the newborn Savior. They presented him with Gifts, the particles of which, like the sacred relic of life on earth of Jesus Christ, are stored in Greece in special arks. The gifts presented by the wise men of the East to the Infant Jesus were not accidental, but had a certain symbolic meaning.
Gold, firstly, symbolically represents the tribute of the subordinates to their master, namely, as the King of kings, the begotten Son of God was expected. Secondly, the most luxurious and expensive things were made of gold, holy relics were often decorated with gold (for example, faces of saints, domes of temples). Gold can be considered a symbol of wisdom (it’s not for nothing that words are called “golden”, and silence is called “gold”).
Where are the gifts of the Magi today?
According to the Gospel, the Virgin Mary left the received gifts to the Christian community in Jerusalem. From there they were transferred to the Hagia Sophia, located in Constantinople. But after it was captured by the Turks in the 15th century, the gifts were miraculously saved by Maria Brankovich and transported to the Athos Monastery of St. Paul. They have been stored there for over 500 years. Many attribute miracles to the gifts, such as healing the sick, and some even say they heard a whisper coming from the relic, telling about the birth of Jesus Christ.Related videos
“And God said: let there be lights in the firmament of heaven [to illuminate the earth and] to separate the day from the night, and for signs, and times, and days, and years.” (Genesis 1:14)
The mention of the Magi forces us to turn to the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. However, little is said about these wanderers in the Bible. Christmas was described by two evangelists Luke and Matthew. But Luke, in general, does not mention a single word about the Magi. And Matthew devotes only 12 stanzas to them, in which information about travelers is very scarce.
According to the apostle Matthew, the Magi lived somewhere in the east. They saw a star in the sky and realized that it was a sign.
These were the three sorcerer kings, Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar, who, according to the Gospel of Matthew, presented their gifts to the newborn boy Jesus on Christmas night: frankincense, gold and myrrh.
There are Greek variants of their names (Appellicon, Amerin and Damascon) and Jewish ones (Magalat, Galgalat and Serakin). There are legends about the fourth sorcerer, whose name is Artaban (as the brother of the Persian king Darius). In early manuscripts, Balthazar is called Bethysareus.
Their names and royal rank are not mentioned in the Gospel; the tradition originated in the Middle Ages. The Orthodox Church does not consider them kings, did not count their number, did not give them names, and did not write them into the doctrine.
However, as it turns out, this is not the only reference in the Bible to the Magi. Even in the "Old Testament" you can find a prophecy about their appearance. So in the Prophecy of Isaiah (60:6) it says "All of them will come from Sheba, bring gold and frankincense, and proclaim the glory of the Lord." And the psalm (71:10-11) “The kings of Tarsia and the islands will bring tribute to Him; the kings of Arabia and Sava will bring gifts; and all kings shall worship him, all nations shall serve him.” So the images of the Magi received royal titles.
What do we know from the legends about the Magi-kings?
The story of the Magi is fraught with many mysteries. Who were they, where did they come from, why was the greatest mystery of Christianity revealed to them? Magi in the ancient world were called sages, soothsayers and astrologers.
Among the Slavs, over time, this word acquired a negative connotation, as they called sorcerers, warlocks, servants of evil. It is generally accepted that the Magi are pagan priests. But among the Slavs, sorcerers and priests belong to different (and even opposite) directions of Slavic paganism. Magi (volsvy) are fans of Volkh and Veles. Volkh is a werewolf god, he is also a wolf. The cult of the wolf is known not only in the north of the Slavic world. The cult of the wolf-fiery serpent was also among the southern Slavs (vuk): http://www.varvar.ru/arhiv/slovo/volhv.html
Hence comes the confusion in the Orthodoxy of the Magi with sorcerers.
But during the time of the Assyro-Babylonian kingdom, these were highly respected people. They were healers, soothsayers, performers of sacred rites. The Magi occupied the honorable places of advisers to the kings, because they knew how to interpret dreams, in which, as it was believed, the gods gave people advice, made horoscopes, predicted fate. The Greek historian Herodotus believed that they were a special caste of priests, like the Levites among the Jews.
Astrology was the science of its time, it was by the stars that astrologers studied nature. They received the secret of the birth of the Son of God not directly from the stars, but from God, who, with the help of astrology familiar to them, revealed to them a great secret.
How did the Persians learn the main secret of Christianity?
The entire Ancient East two millennia ago lived in expectation of great changes, and the appearance of the Messiah, promised by the Jewish prophets. Surprising as it may seem, the Persians, followers of the teachings of Zarathustra, were also in this expectation. The founder of their faith, Zarathustra, predicted that the appearance of a new star would anticipate the birth of the great Savior of mankind. Zoroastrianism has points of contact with both Judaism and Christianity. First of all, it is a monotheistic religion, with faith in one God, it is the expectation of the Savior, the desire to improve the world, the idea of resurrection, and life after death, it is faith in the first person named Yima...
In the first centuries of our era, Mithraism, which has Zoroastrian roots, was a serious competitor to Christianity, since Mithra (born December 25) was perceived as a savior, showing people the way to eternal life. Now practically no one will deny the influence of Zoroastrianism on Christianity through the mystery cult of Mithra.
Among the Mithraic ideas, akin to Christianity, one can note the legend of the born god and the shepherds who came to bow to the newborn, sprinkling with holy water, celebrating the resurrection as a day dedicated to God, communion with bread and wine, and also belief in the ascension of the God-man to Heaven. The priests of the cult of Mithras, as well as Christian theologians, promised the Mithraists the resurrection and immortality of the soul.
Even the symbolism of Christianity and Mithraism is extremely close - both there and there we meet the image of the cross, with the difference that the Mithraists depicted the cross in a circle. The cross in a circle is the oldest solar symbol that can be found in many traditions (in astrology, the Zodiac circle also has three crosses, dividing it into: cardinal, fixed and mutable crosses).
Mitra is a solar deity and the appearance of the cross in its symbolism is fully justified, since the four corners of the cross correspond to the four cardinal points on the annual path of the sun - two equinoxes and two solstices.
In Christianity, the cross has become a symbol of martyrdom and suffering, although something solar in its symbolism still remains - the bright feast of the Nativity of Christ is celebrated during the winter solstice - December 25th. http://ruavesta.narod.ru/articles/mithraism.htm
We see that initially the religion of Christ had much in common with Mithraism and Zoroastrianism, but from the time when it acquired the status of the state religion of the Roman Empire, the process of rejection of Eastern ideas began, which at the first stage constituted a significant part of the Christian theological doctrine. It was from this time that the destruction of all references to the Persian magi who came to bless the baby - the Savior, whose birth was predicted by the prophet Zarathushtra, began. The gospels, in which the name of Zoroaster was mentioned, were not canonized and fell into the category of apocryphal. From the 4th century Christianity entered a period of internal contradictions and a fierce struggle between parties for the right to a monopoly in the interpretation of the Gospel truths.
If we imagine that the Magi were ministers of the cult of Zoroastrianism, it is clear that they were ready to accept in a form understandable to themselves the news of the imminent birth of the Savior. They saw it in the compiled horoscopes, which determined not only the fate of people, but also countries, and even the whole world.
Speaking about the magic star that revealed the secret of the birth of Christ and showed the way to the Magi, perhaps we should separate the real sign of heaven and the appearance of the guiding star, which moved contrary to all laws and clearly had no astronomical origin.
Archpriest Konstantin Parkhomenko:
“In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that there was an amazing star that shone brightly in the sky and brought distant overseas guests from Persia to Bethlehem. Different points of view have been expressed at different times. There was a version that it was a comet. In 12 BC, Halley's comet actually flew by. In the Roman historian Cassius Dio, in the "Roman History" we read that there were many signs, in the sky over Rome there was a large Halley's comet, and everyone predicted that something very serious was coming. But still, the 12th year and the 5th-6th, in which, as we have already said, Christ was born, are distant from each other. Although we find the features of a comet in the story of Matthew, where it is said that the star went ahead of them and stopped.
Maybe it was a supernova explosion? In 5 BC, a supernova exploded in the constellation Capricornus. Modern scholars have been able to calculate that it was a very bright flash, and it is mentioned in many chronicles of the world, especially in Chinese chronicles.
It is possible that it was not a real star, but some kind of heavenly, angelic sign that God arranged as a miracle. Many holy fathers hold this point of view. If it was a star that was seen in Persia, it must be taken into account that at that time the journey from Persia to Palestine took at least a year, because people traveled on foot, with stops.
In 1599, the famous astronomer Johannes Kepler proposed his solution. He calculated in his tables that in 7 and 6 BC the glow in the sky continued as a result of the following phenomenon: the orbits of the planets Jupiter and Saturn coincided, later Mars joined them. Now this phenomenon is called the parade of planets. For the inhabitants of the Earth, it looks like a kind of glow.
There is a well-known interpretation of what each planet symbolizes. Jupiter is the royal planet, Saturn is the planet of Palestine, that is, the coincidence of these planets could lead to the idea that some kind of king appeared in Palestine. Specialist astrologers, the sorcerers could understand this and come to the capital Jerusalem to ask King Herod where the King of the Jews was born, whose star they saw in the East. Modern scholars believe that this view has serious grounds.
That the story of the star is not an evangelist's fantasy, but that there is historical information underneath. Personally, I am inclined to the point of view of Johannes Kepler about the coincidence of Jupiter and Saturn, and later Mars. Mars is a planet of war, and we remember the words of Christ "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword", war is declared on Satan and sin. Persecution was also raised against Christ by sinful people. That is, the appearance of Christ leads to a war in Palestine, to global upheavals.
Perhaps, having seen all this in the 7th year, the Magi gathered and reached the 6-5th year before Christ, who was born at that time, bowed to Him. It is important for Matthew to show that Christ came not only for the sake of the Jews, who, on the contrary, reject him, but He came to the people of all the earth. Jews reject and Gentiles worship. The Jewish king Herod wants to find and kill the Divine Infant, it is Matthew who cites the bitter words of Christ "he came to his own, and did not receive his own."
Professor David Hughes, an astronomer at the University of Sheffield, first published a review of theories behind the Magi Star back in the 1970s.
The best explanation for this, according to Hughes, is the so-called triple conjunction of the planets - when Jupiter and Saturn line up with the Earth. Moreover, this should have happened three times over a short period of time.
"This happens when the Sun, Earth, Jupiter and Saturn are located on the same straight line," Hughes explains (in astrology, Jupiter is responsible for the symbol of God, mercy; Saturn is for the symbols of God the Father, law, the Supreme Judge).
"After the planets line up in their orbits, the Earth begins to seem to "overtake" them, which makes it seem as if Jupiter and Saturn are changing their direction in the night sky," explains O'Bryan.
Even more significant to this phenomenon was the fact that the merger of the planets probably took place in the constellation of Pisces - that is, in one of the signs of the Zodiac. (the esoteric name of Christ is Pisces. With the birth of Christ, the Era of Pisces began. Pisces were always depicted in early Christian churches, which was confirmed by excavations in Israel of the first Christian churches)
"A planetary conjunction like this only happens once in about 900 years," says O'Brien. "So for the astronomers of Babylon 2,000 years ago, this must have signaled something extremely important."
The second possible explanation for the Star of Bethlehem could be the appearance of a very bright comet.
"When they approach the Sun, the ice begins to melt - the solar wind carries this substance into space, so there is a "tail" of cometary material," says O "Bryan. According to Professor Hughes, the tail, directed away from the Sun, - one of the factors that makes the comet version so popular.
Most of all, a rather bright comet that appeared in the constellation of Capricorn in 5 BC, which was described by Chinese astronomers, fits the time of the gospel events. (remember that Christ was born on December 25, when the Sun is in Capricorn)
Those who lean in favor of the "fifth year" version point out that the comet must have been in the southern part of the sky (that is, in the direction of Bethlehem) for an observer from Jerusalem, with its head very low above the horizon and its tail pointing vertically. up.
Another theory suggests that the birth of a new star could attract the attention of the Magi.
A number of astronomers believe that a new star could indicate the way for the Magi
There are records - again made by astrologers in the Far East - of a new star that lit up in the small constellation Aquila in the northern part of the sky in 4 BC. (In Christianity, the eagle is a spirit, ascension, inspiration, spiritual effort, the Last Judgment, the renewal of youth (Psalms, 103: 5) Looking at the Sun without blinking, it personifies Christ, who fixed his eyes on the Glory of God, bringing his chicks to the Sun, he is the Christ who lifts souls to the Lord, falling like a stone after a fish into the sea, the Christ who saves souls from the ocean of sins.
It was believed that the eagle personifies the resurrection and new life after baptism, the soul, renewed by grace. It also means the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and therefore its image is depicted on the lectern. An eagle holding a snake in its claws represents victory over sin; an eagle tormenting its prey is the devil. http://www.ezospirit.com.ua/index/orel/0-2012)
According to Dr. Robert Cockcroft, planetarium manager at McMaster University in Ontario, the new star is a "good candidate" for the Star of Bethlehem.
"It can emerge as a new star in a constellation and fade away again a few months later," he explains. "It's not very bright, which explains the lack of records of it in the Western world." According to Cockcroft, the flash of this star could serve as one of the indications for the Magi on their journey.
While other "signs" were needed to induce the Magi to travel west towards Jerusalem, he says, it would take at least several months before they could get there. By this time, the constellation Eagle (along with a new star) could be in the sky in the southern part. Bethlehem lies clearly south of Jerusalem, so that the Magi could "follow" this star, heading for Bethlehem."
So, all three Magi were astrologers (astrologers): Balthazar lived in India, Melchior lived in Persia, and Caspar lived in Africa.
Melchior.
In those days, there lived in the kingdom of Media and Persia a great sorcerer, wise for years and clothed with wisdom, skillful in reading heavenly signs and interpreting dreams: a sage with a long white beard and eyes the color of the sky - Melchior, son of Madai, son of Japheth, son of Noah, son of Adam .
But there was no peace in his soul. From the day of the death of his noble wife, a veil of tears covered the world in his eyes, and his heart trembled under the snow of sorrow:
“What is the use of becoming one flesh in the joy of love, if death should tear us apart? What is the lie here? Is it in my heart, which continues to beat and love you, or in your body, which no longer responds to me, returning to non-existence?
And he remained for a long time on a high tower and looked at the clear night skies of the mountains with eyes tired from tears from under the cap of snow-white hair.
And here she is, finally - a star that shone in the east of the Tigris River, which is in the kingdom of Media and Persian. The moment Melchior saw her, his heart turned green again, like a tree bud bursting in spring: the star knew the secret of love and death. He descended from the tower and ordered the servants to saddle their horses. He put myrrh and aloes in the casket, covered the incense with a silk scarf and linen sheets. Then he sat on his faithful white horse and set off on the road with a heart pure as heaven, led by the hand of a star.
Balthazar
And here she is at last - a star that shone east of the river Pishon, which is in the lands of Saba and Havilah.
In those days, a noble and valiant ruler lived in the kingdom of Sava and Havila: his troops were always victorious, although he was never the first to declare war; his trade prospered, although his scales always measured correctly; his judgments were strict, although he never condemned an innocent: a king with a thick black beard and bronze-colored eyes - Balthazar, the son of Sava, the son of Eber, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Adam.
But there was no peace in his soul. Although he was married to the most tender of the princesses of Arabia, and gave birth to beautiful children with her, the pitiless light of the desert eclipsed the world in his eyes, and his heart trembled under the yoke of the heat of the day:
“What is the use of wearing a crown and ruling over people if you have to constantly curb violence and injustice and punish the guilty? What is the lie here? In the praises of those who praise me as a deity for my victories, or in the curses of those who call me a tyrant, seeking to take my place?
And he remained for a long time in the gallery of his palace in Sana'a and surveyed the velvet night skies of the desert with his golden eyes, restlessly shaggy his curly beard.
And here she is at last - a star that shone in the east of the river Pishon, which is in the lands of Saba and Havilah. The moment Balthazar saw her, his heart blossomed again, like the desert after the first downpour: the star knew the secret of domination and brotherhood. He descended from the gallery, handed over the administration of the kingdom to his queen, and summoned twelve warriors from his retinue. From the palace treasury he took gold and silver, precious stones and the finest pearls. Then he climbed on the back of the most enduring of his camels and set off on the road with a heart pure as heaven, led by the hand of a star.
“A star rises from Jacob, and a scepter rises from Israel,” sang Balaam, a man with an open eye.
And here she is at last - a star that shone east of the Gihon River, which flows in the land of Cush, in Ethiopia.
In those days there lived in the kingdom of Kush a young noble prince, the youngest son of the King of Kings, equally skilled in hunting lions and in weaving melodies on the harp; a prince with ebony skin, still a beardless youth with eyes the color of the night: Kaspar, son of Cush, son of Ham, son of Noah, son of Adam.
But there was no peace in his soul. Although the prince was young and strong and handsome, the heavy clouds of the rainy season darkened the world in his eyes, and his heart trembled under the wind of anxiety:
“What is the use of being born full of gifts if you are not destined to rule over anything? My brothers, by right of seniority, will become one king, another a military leader, a third a high priest! What is the use of worrying, finding myself in a golden ring of laughing maids, if I have to marry the one whom the Tsar will choose for me? What is the lie here? In the laws inherited from my ancestors that hold my life captive, or in the desire of my heart to be free, like the lion of the savanna?
And he remained for a long time on the heights of Aksum and surveyed the wild night skies with long obsidian eyes, throwing back a regal braid with woven lapis lazuli beads.
And here she is at last - a star that shone in the east of the river Gihon, which is in the land of Cush. The moment Kaspar saw her, his heart overflowed its banks, like a stream on a flood day: the star knew the secret of freedom and life. He went down to the city and, without saying anything to the Tsar, his father, called the page to him. In the bag, he put fragrant resin - tears of incense tree, an alabaster vessel full of pure nard, and cinnamon sticks. Then he climbed onto the kindest and most docile of the royal elephants and set off on the road with a heart as pure as heaven, led by the hand of a star.
So, seeing the Star of Bethlehem, the Magi set off and, wandering around Asia, met each other. Considering that all three were sophisticated magi-astrologers, they could well calculate the place and time of their meeting!
By God's providence, it was these strangers who received the revelation that the Messiah, whom the world had been waiting for so long, should be born in Judea. A magical star led them from a distant land, and was supposed to indicate the place where to look for an amazing baby. But before entering the capital, the star disappeared from the horizon, and the travelers decided to find out about it from the current king, who, perhaps, was related to the Savior.
At that time, Judea was ruled by the cruel tyrant Herod, who, more than anything else, was afraid of losing power. The mere suspicion that his throne was being encroached upon was enough for the most brutal reprisal. Herod killed his three sons and a brother, flooded the country with informers, and ruled through bribery, intrigue, and murder.
When they reached Jerusalem, they came to Herod. The Gospel tells us this:
“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Bethlehem) of Judea, in the reign of King Herod, then the kings-sorcerers from the countries of the East came to Jerusalem and asked:
- Where is the Newborn who is destined to become the king of the Jews? In the countries of the East we saw His Star and came to bow before Him.
When King Herod learned of these inquiries, he was embarrassed and alarmed, and with him the whole city of Jerusalem. He called together all the high priests and scribes of the people and asked them:
Where is Christ to be born?
And they answered:
In Bethlehem of Judaea, - so it appears in the prophetic books.
Then Herod invited the Magi kings to his place and, in a confidential conversation, found out from them exactly the time of the appearance of the Star. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said:
Go there and find out carefully everything you can about the Baby, and if you find him, then bring me news of this; then may I also go there to bow before Him.
After hearing these words of the king, they went.
And that Star, which they saw in the countries of the East, showed them the way until it stood over the house where the Child was. And when they saw the Star there, they were filled with great joy.
Two thousand years ago, Bethlehem was a small, unremarkable town in which only 10-15 boys were born a year. But King David came from here, and it was here that the child was born, whose coming was predicted by the great prophets.
They entered that house and saw the Child and Mary, His Mother, and reverently bowed before Him, opened their treasures and presented their gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. (They brought gold as a gift to the Tsar, incense as God, because it was used in worship, and myrrh as a person who is about to die, and it was customary to rub the bodies of the dead with fragrant oils).
Some apocryphal sources tell of a certain "test" of the Magi. Arriving in Bethlehem, the Magi found the Mother of God and the Child, having previously asked the Mother of God a number of questions, the answers to which convinced them that before them were Those whom they were looking for.
Believing that the Mother of God was before them, they exclaimed: “O mother to mothers, all the Persian gods have glorified you! Great is your glorification, for you have risen above all the glorious!"
To understand who is in front of them, the Magi allegedly handed the child all the gifts at once. He, without hesitation, took all three at once, since he had all three incarnations that symbolized gifts - he was at the same time God, King and Man.
When the Magi, having fulfilled their mission, set off on the return journey, an Angel appeared to them in a dream, who ordered them to go home by another way. They went back another way, and Herod, not waiting for the news of the babies, in a fit of insane rage and fear, did a terrible thing - he ordered to exterminate all babies under two years old. But the baby Jesus was saved, the Lord protected the Holy Family, and through an angel Saint Joseph received a revelation that he and his family needed to hide in Egypt. (Matthew, chapter 2)
Those. the magi-astrologers were saved, returned to their homeland and lived there to a ripe old age, and their story about the journey was written on a golden board.
There are legends about the later life of the Magi, that they were baptized by the Apostle Thomas.
Christian historians of the Middle Ages tell a legend about the last meeting of the Magi. In the Turkish city of Sheva, more than half a century after their first meeting, the Magi gathered for the last time to bow to Christ, being at that time the deepest elders (more than 150 years old). http://shkolazhizni.ru/archive/0/n-25791/
According to legend, the relics of the Magi were found by Empress Helen and were first laid in Constantinople. In the 5th century, the relics of the Magi were transferred from there to Mediolan (Milan), and in 1164, at the request of Frederick Barbarossa, to Cologne. There they rest to this day, in a unique temple, on top of which, instead of a cross, there is the Star of Bethlehem. (Video plot of the tour of one of the greatest cathedrals in the world - Cologne Cathedral https://youtu.be/PTsduhBUO4E)
In the West, there are separate days of honoring each of the Magi, as well as the general "Feast of the Three Kings." It is celebrated on January 6 and is accompanied by special colorful carnivals and performances, on this day bonfires are lit and special treats are prepared.
In the Orthodox calendar, there are no separate days of veneration of the Magi, because Orthodox theologians consider the Magi to be sorcerers, consciously and deliberately referring astrology to witchcraft, although it has nothing to do with magic and witchcraft, but is a science that studies the patterns of processes in time. So meteorology can be considered magic ... After all, meteorology, studying the patterns of atmospheric phenomena, predicts the weather!))
Illustration by Richard Keane "Adoration of the Magi"
The Synodal translation of Scripture, in particular, introduces some confusion regarding the term "sorcerer". On the one hand, we are talking about people who came to worship the newborn Jesus Christ. They are mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew (second chapter), and they are certainly positive characters. On the other hand, in the "Acts", in the eighth chapter, it is told about a certain Simon, who was engaged in sorcery. Seeing that the indulgence of the Holy Spirit on a person allows him to work great miracles, he brought money to the apostles, asking them to sell this gift. Since then, the sale of church positions has been called simony. Thus, the sorcerer mentioned in Acts is a warlock trying to impersonate someone great. In a word, a charlatan. So what does "magicians" mean, what is the etymology of this word?
and ecclesiastical tradition
Let's clear up the translation difficulties first. If we look at the original of the Gospels, written in Greek, then the magov, “magicians” mentioned in Matthew, are wise men, astrologers, interpreters of dreams, priests. The Hebrew translation is more severe: these are sorcerers, fortune-tellers. Both Greek and Jewish interpretations agree on one thing: the persons who came to bow to the Infant were no strangers to magic and astrology. Therefore, they were led by a star that appeared in the east. The Gospel does not mention either the exact number of the delegation or their names. All this information refers to Church Tradition, and therefore can be questioned. But the sorcery of Simon mageu / w is also translated as “witchcraft”, “divination”, “casting spells”. Do you feel the difference: wise men and fortune tellers? Let's see what exactly the Tradition of the Church brought to the history of the worship of the Magi.
Matthew's story
The evangelist is rather stingy with information. “Wise men from the East” came to Herod and asked: “Where is the king of the Jews, since we saw His star?” Hearing about a possible competitor, Herod got excited. He gathered a council of scribes who knew the Torah and folk sages to point him to the exact birthplace of the Infant. They, having studied books and prophets, pointed to Bethlehem. That's where the magicians went. They followed the star and found the Baby in the manger and his Mother. They bowed to them and brought to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came into this world, frankincense, gold and myrrh. Being admonished in a dream by an angel, they did not return to Herod, but went to their lands by a different path. That's it, end of story. Why are these characters mentioned only in Matthew, and nowhere else? Biblical scholars claim that the message of this gospel is directed to the Jewish population of the Roman Empire. It most often mentions the Prophets, and the entire first chapter is devoted to the genealogy of Jesus, although all Christians know that He is the son of the living God, and has nothing to do with Joseph of the line of David. In Matthew, the “eastern magicians” are experts in the Jewish Scriptures, who calculated by the movement of the stars when the Messiah comes to earth.
Beautiful Christmas tale
Christian tradition has rethought the Jewish myth of the coming of the King of Israel. First, the Church accepted that there were three wise men, according to the number of gifts. Further, she decided that the Magi are the three cardinal points, who left paganism and accepted the torch of the new faith. Despite the fact that Matthew mentions magicians from the East (Persia, Mesopotamia), the European tradition insists that black Africa and Europe bowed to the Infant together with Asia. It is also commonly believed that people of all ages are subject to the new faith. In numerous paintings depicting the adoration of the Magi, an African looks like a young man, a European looks like a middle-aged man, and an Asian (sometimes portrayed as a resident of the Near East) looks like a gray-haired old man. This somewhat contradicts the Holy Tradition of the Church itself, which in the eighth century decreed that the wise men were kings. One owned Arabia, the second - Persia, and the third - India.
The tradition of Slavic nativity scenes is close to biblical history. Some of the characters in this half-Christian-half-pagan theatrical performance are generated by the people's original culture (Devil, Death, Jew), and some reflect the narration of the Gospel of Matthew (Herod, a soldier representing the royal army, an angel). Sometimes the whole action seems to be somewhat politicized (remember, for example, the nativity scene on the Kiev Maidan in 2014), but always cheerful and with a happy ending. Among the characters there are always biblical wise men who symbolize wise people of good will.
Rites of honor
The celebration of Christmas in Western Europe and among us, the Eastern Slavs, differs not only in time (December 25 and January 7), but also in ritual. The tradition of the Roman Catholic Church does not forget about the adoration of magicians, whom she renamed "kings". Thus, three ordinary people began to symbolize the peoples of different continents who adopted Christianity. She came up with the Church and the names of the Magi who came to Jesus. These are Balthazar (African youth), Melchior (European in the prime of life) and Caspar, or Gaspar (old Asian). In the first days of the year in different European countries, people remember these three characters and try to recreate the gospel story about the coming of the Magi.
Special mention should be made of how the day of the Three Kings is celebrated in Spain. Large or small street costume processions take place in all cities and towns of the country. Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, surrounded by a large retinue, on horseback, greet the crowd and shower it with sweets. On this day, it is customary to give gifts to all children, especially the smallest. Christmas Magi are revered on a special scale in Germany. And there is nothing surprising in this - after all, the relics of these three wise men, as the Church assures, rest in shrines in the Cologne Cathedral. But these processions consist only of children. They go from house to house, and everywhere they are generously presented with sweets. And in gratitude, little petitioners draw in chalk over the mysterious letters “B + C + M”, supplementing this inscription with an indication of the year. The owners do not wash it for many years, until there is no place left above the hospitable threshold. After all, the inscriptions mean that Baltazar, Caspar and Melchior visited under the roof of this house and met here with the most cordial welcome. For which this dwelling received the blessing of the saints.
Gifts of the Magi - what is it?
Now let's talk about what the wise men (or, as they are also called, kings or magicians) brought to the Infant Jesus Christ. The Evangelist Matthew indicates what these gifts were: firstly, such a precious metal as gold, and secondly, aromatic resins - frankincense and myrrh. It is clear that all three gifts have a symbolic meaning. Otherwise, it becomes incomprehensible why a newborn baby needs all this. The meaning of the gifts of the Magi is also revealed in Church Tradition. According to him, gold is a symbol of royal glory. Matthew is silent about the form in which the Magi presented this precious metal - in ingots, in the form of coins, or some other. But Christ is the Heavenly King of all earthly rulers, and it was this fact that the sages from the East wanted to point out.
But frankincense and myrrh - other gifts of the Magi? What does this mean? The aromatic resin of incense was burned even in the symbolism of the people of that time, this incense was identified with something divine, not of this world. Presenting incense to Jesus Christ, the Magi made it clear that they perceive Him not only as the King of Glory, but also as the Son of the Living God. In Ethiopia and Arabia, there are trees whose bark and resin, after appropriate processing, is also an aromatic ointment. The plant species itself is called "dewy incense", but the incense obtained from it is myrrh or myrrh. In the Judeo-Hellenistic tradition, the dead were anointed with this substance before burial. It was believed that this helped people heading to another world. The gift of myrrh to the Infant symbolized the future sacrifice that Christ would bring for people.
What happened to the relics then?
Despite the fact that neither Matthew nor any other evangelist mentions what happened to the Magi after they returned to their land (Mesopotamia), church tradition did not think to forget them. The cult of veneration of the remains of saints, martyrs and saints appeared in the fourth century and developed extremely in the Middle Ages. The more relics, the larger the flow of pilgrims, which means the greater the amount of donations. Guided by this simple logic, the Church undertook to develop the cult of the Magi and everything connected with them. It was proclaimed that the wise men from the East were baptized by the Apostle Thomas and were later martyred in their own countries. It is not surprising that the relics of the Magi were soon discovered. They were found by the Empress of Byzantium, Helen of Constantinople, as it usually happened to her, in a dream.
How did it happen that the remains of people who left Bethlehem for the East are suddenly found in the Byzantine (now Turkish) city of Sheva? Matthew does not mention exactly where the native lands of the three magicians were located, but an indication of this is contained in the Old Testament. (60:6) says: "They will all come from Sheba and proclaim the glory of the Messiah, bringing gifts of frankincense and gold." And in the Psalter (71:10) something else is written: “The kings of the islands and Tarsia, Savy and Arabia will bring tribute to Him; and all nations will worship him." As we can see, the native lands of the sages (or the kingdoms of the three kings) lie far from Sheva. But sacred tradition found a way out. There was a legend that at the age of one hundred and fifty years, each of all three wise men met in Sheva to honor the memory of Our Lord. There they rested in peace. And the Christian community preserved the bones of the Magi and transferred them to Constantinople.
Journey of relics
The remains of the saints did not stay long in Constantinople. Already in the 5th century, they were worshiped in Mediolanum, the capital of the Duchy of Lombardy (modern Milan in Italy). In the twelfth century, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa conquered this territory and took the relics to Germany. Written evidence has survived that the relics were donated to the Archbishop of Cologne, Rainald von Dassel, who in 1164 took them out of Italy, first on carts, and then on a ship along the Rhine. It is said that the construction of the highest Gothic cathedral was initiated by the desire to create a majestic "ark" for the incorruptible remains of the three kings. And now the relics of the Magi rest in the reliquary, which was created by the skilled craftsman Nicholas of Verden, in the altar of the Cologne Cathedral.
But what then did Marco Polo see, who visited Savva, a city located south of Tehran, at the end of the thirteenth century? In his notes, the traveler reports that he visited three adjacent and beautifully decorated tombs of the Magi. The bodies exposed there were not at all affected by decomposition. Marco Polo especially emphasized this circumstance: “Like the recently dead, with beards and hair.” Unfortunately, these relics from Savva were lost without a trace. And in Cologne, only bones are stored. They are shown to the crowd only from afar during the celebration of the day of the "Three Kings" (January 6th).
Where are the gifts of the Magi kept?
If everything is so ambiguous and doubtful with the relics of the three magicians, then with their gifts the picture looks simpler. According to legend, the Most Holy Theotokos herself preserved the gold, frankincense and myrrh presented to Her Son. Even before the Assumption, she gave these gifts to a small community of Christians in Jerusalem. When the apostles decided to go preach to the pagans in all lands, the relics were transported to Constantinople. The frame for them was Hagia Sophia - a great temple, an example of Byzantine architecture. But in the fifteenth century, the Turks captured Constantinople. Queen Mara, daughter of Prince George Brankovich of Serbia and stepmother of the great conqueror Mehmed II, took Christian relics from the Ottoman Empire and transported them to Athos. She wanted to hand them over to the monks with her own hand, but on the way the Mother of God appeared to her and asked her not to violate the strict monastic charter, which forbids women to climb the holy mountain. Mara obeyed and handed over the relics through her guard. There they rest to this day, in the local monastery of St. Paul. And on the site of the appearance of the Virgin, a chapel was built.
The gifts of the three wise men are unquestionably sacred for all Orthodox. Not all pilgrims can come to Greece to venerate the relics. On the holy Mount Athos, there is a ban on women visiting monasteries and cloisters. Therefore, the relics themselves make journeys to their believers. So, for example, in December 2013, the Athos monastery complex, where the gifts of the Magi are stored, blessed Father Nikodim to accompany the shrines on their journey through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. A logical question arises as to whether ordinary metal, albeit precious, as well as incense, can work miracles of healing? In response to this, the monk Nicodemus refers to a passage from the Gospel (from Matthew, chapter 9, from Mark - the fifth, and from Luke - the eighth), which speaks of a woman who recovered only by touching the edge of the Savior's garment. If the ordinary fabric of a vestment has such power, then what kind of power do the objects radiate that were once touched by the hands of Jesus and the Blessed Mary?
How the gifts of the Magi look like, all Muscovites and guests of the capital could see with their own eyes. The relics were exhibited during the Christmas holidays for worship in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Things directly related to the earthly life of Our Lord are in ten precious, richly decorated arks. They are twenty-eight triangular and square gold plates. Each of them is decorated with a unique filigree ornament. A silver thread is also a relic, on which sixty-two beads are strung, each the size of an olive, made from a mixture of myrrh and frankincense.
But believers from Ukraine were not fully able to verify with their own eyes what the gifts of the Magi look like. They were delivered to Kyiv just in the second half of February this year, after they visited Belarus. The relics were put on public display in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate). But in those days, the Ukrainian people were just involved in the revolutionary events in Kyiv, so not everyone was interested in the shrines from Mount Athos.
Difficulties in translation
The synodal exposition of the New Testament brought confusion into the minds of ordinary Orthodox. Simon, mentioned in the Acts, is a negative character who wants to purchase the Holy Spirit for money in order to perform greater miracles than he did before with sorcery. Why, then, is it necessary to honor the magicians who came to worship in Bethlehem? The very word "vlhv" in the Old Slavonic dialect means a wizard, a magician, a fortune-teller. We will not now go into the etymology of this term. Whether it came from the word "hair" or "squeeze" (talk vaguely, mutter) - it doesn't matter. Let's take a better look at who the Magi of Ancient Rus' were.
Not only in our lands, but also in other lands, pagan religions revered "knowledgeable people." They were versed in herbs, black and white magic, astrology, and were able to predict the future. It was a special caste of priests who were engaged in religious rites, divination, prophecy, as well as the preparation of potions and the treatment of the sick. We can say that among the Celtic tribes, the Magi were called druids. Representatives of this peculiar spiritual caste occupied a rather high position and enjoyed great prestige among the people. For their advice, as well as divination, the great princes came (remember at least the Prophetic Oleg or Gostomysl). What is there to say! Some princes from the Polovtsian dynasty also possessed the gift of sorcery. Bryachislav Izyaslavovich defended the pagan priests from the persecution of Yaroslav the Wise. And his son - Vseslav Bryacheslavovich Polotsky - was born from sorcery. All his life he wore the “veil” in which he was born as a talisman. According to The Tale of Igor's Campaign, Vseslav was a werewolf, possessed the techniques of obsession and knew how to guess.
With the adoption of Christianity by Prince Vladimir, the Slavic Magi began to be subjected to repression. Prince of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise was especially zealous. Around 1010, he destroyed the temple of Veles. In its place, the prince built the city of Yaroslavl. Gleb Novgorodsky and Jan Vyshatich also took up arms against the Magi. Doctor of Historical Sciences I. Ya. Froyanov believes that this struggle shows the confrontation between the old pagan beliefs of the Slavic people and the new religion. After all, Christianity was “lowered from above”, imposed by secular authorities. Written sources mention sorcerers up to the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries, in particular in Pskov and Novgorod. But gradually the meaning of the word "sorcerer" is being transformed. In the days of unrest, clergy called religious dissidents, heretics, ascribing to them practicing magic, communicating with demons, causing crop failure and loss of livestock. In peacetime, the Magi were called folk healers, healers.
Modern neo-pagans
At the turn of the 20th-21st centuries, after the discrediting of the Orthodox Church, many people appeared in our country who consider themselves neo-pagans. These Magi of Russia are actively engaged in preaching and publishing activities. They are the religious authorities and priests of their communities of believers. At the same time, on the pages of magazines and newspapers, you can read a lot of ads about sorceresses and sorcerers who pour wax, remove the crown of celibacy, and the like. The Russian Orthodox Church considers the occupations of both those and others objectionable to God, since any divination and magic are witchcraft. But let's be lenient. If we analyze historical sources, and also take into account the opinion of art critics, then the holy gifts of the ancient Magi, carefully preserved by the monks on Mount Athos, are nothing more than a fiction. Why?
Written evidence does not mention the gifts of the Magi as relics until the eleventh century. Around 1200, Archbishop Anthony of Novgorod visits Tsargrad and writes that in Hagia Sophia there are golden vessels, which "brought gifts to the Lord from the Magi." The first mention of the current form of gold - as we remember, gold plates - refers only to the fifteenth century. Having studied the ornament and the technique of making filigree on them, art critics came to the conclusion that they once made up one piece of jewelry - a belt decorated with post-Byzantine filigree. The jewelry was made in the 15th century.
