Re: The wise men and their star

Peter,

I will only comment on one point at this time.

A number of years ago I saw a video made by a man who had grown up in the
Middle East and was supposed to be an expert on what that area was like
2000 years ago. He disputed your point that mangers would never be found
in a house. He claimed that it was normal for an animal shed to be under
the same roof and to be easily accessible from the living quarters. (See
Judges 11:31.) He noted that, contrary to the traditional translations of
the nativity account, catalyma is not the normal word for inn. It is used
by Luke for the room in which the Last Supper was held. His suggestion was
that rather than saying that there was no room in the inn, Luke was really
saying that there was no space in the guest room. He pointed out that the
Bible does not say that Jesus was born the very night that Joseph and Mary
arrived in Bethlehem, but rather that His birth occurred while they were
there.

Gordon Brown
Department of Mathematics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0395

On Wed, 5 Jan 2005, Peter Ruest wrote:

> Hi, everyone!
>
> In German speaking parts of Europe, the 6th of January is called the
> "Dreikoenigstag", or "Three-Kings' Day", commemorating the infant Jesus
> being visited by the "wise men from the east" (Mt 2). They present us
> with an interesting geographical mystery - a what? Please read on.
>
> In all manger scenes, besides Joseph, Mary and Jesus, with some
> shepherds and animals, they are presented, as well, bringing their gifts
> of "gold and frankincense and myrrh". Tradition has named these "three
> kings" Balthasar, Melchior, and Kaspar. Of course, in the biblical text,
> neither their names nor even their number are given, nor are they said
> to have been kings.
>
> They are called "magoi", or magi. Of course, this has nothing to do with
> our concept of magicians. According to F.Rienecker's "Lexikon zur Bibel"
> (Brockhaus, Wuppertal, 1991) and "Sprachlicher Schluessel zum
> Griechischen Neuen Testament" (Brunnen-Verlag, Basel, 1952), the term
> "magoi" designates Persian and Babylonian priests, wise men and
> star-observers/astronomers/astrologers who were adept at the
> interpretation of stellar observations and dreams.
>
> We read in Matthew 2 that they came from "the east" (Gk: apo anatolôn,
> plural), which would, in this case, probably indicate Babylon). They
> came to Jerusalem saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the
> Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."
> (or, "in the east" instead of "when it rose": Gk: en anatolê, singular).
>
> When king Herod heard about the commotion this produced in Jerusalem,
> he was - understandably - worried and assembled the chief priests and
> scribes to ask them where the prophesized king of the Jews was to be
> born. After learning that it was to be in Bethlehem (Mi 5:1,3), he
> secretly summoned the wise men to ascertain from them the exact time
> when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem to find the
> baby and report to him afterwards.
>
> After having left Herod, the wise men "went on their way. And behold,
> the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came
> to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they
> rejoiced exceedingly with great joy." The exclamation, "behold!" (Gk:
> 'idou), indicates surprise about seeing the star again. Evidently, they
> had lost sight of it while they travelled from Babylon to Jerusalem.
> This would not have worried them, as they knew they had to go to the
> land of the Jews. So there, they inquired for the specific place, which
> they couldn't find without being led by either the star or the knowledge
> of the locals.
>
> The star "went before them until it came to rest over the place where
> the child was" (Gk: proêgen autous, èôs elthôn estathê epanô ou ên to
> paidion). The star led them on (imperfect), and then suddenly stopped
> (aorist) over the place where the child was. This clear sign filled them
> with an exceedingly great joy.
>
> After their visit, they were "warned in a dream not to return to Herod"
> and "departed to their own country by another way." And "when they had
> departed" (Gk: anachôrêsantôn, aorist participle, gen.abs.), i.e. in the
> same night, "behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a
> dream", telling him to flee to Egypt, in order to escape from Herod's
> murderous intentions. And in the same night, he and Mary with the child
> left for Egypt.
>
> That's what we read in Matthew 2. Now let's look at Luke 2! Joseph and
> Mary went up from Nazareth in Galilee (about 100 km north of Jerusalem)
> to Bethlehem in Judea (about 8 km south of Jerusalem), their home town,
> in order to get registered by the Roman administration.
>
> As they didn't find any place in the inn, they had to stay outside.
> There Mary "gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling
> cloths and laid him in a manger." Of course, mangers for feeding animals
> are not usually placed inside a house. In Judea of 2000 years ago, it
> would have been in the field, possibly under the cover of a primitive
> make-shift roof or a rock shelter. It is there that the shepherds found
> Jesus with Mary and Joseph.
>
> When a Jewish baby boy was 8 days old, he had to be circumcised. This
> could have been done anywhere and by anyone - no problem. But when he
> was 40 days old, the parents had to bring him with an offering to the
> temple. So Joseph and Mary "brought him up to Jerusalem to present him
> to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, 'Every male who
> first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord') and to offer a
> sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, 'a pair of
> turtledoves, or two young pigeons'."
>
> In the temple, they met Simeon and Anna, who came to bless them and
> proclaim God's design with the child. And when Joseph and Mary "had
> performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned
> into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth."
>
> Now, when did they go to Egypt? Right after the visit of the magi. When
> did they go to Jerusalem? 40 days after Jesus was born. Were they back
> from Egypt already? Hardly! To go to Egypt and back, it would have been
> a round-trip of at least 600 km, certainly taking more than 40 days
> traveling time.
>
> In Matthew 2, we read that they waited in Egypt until the angel of the
> Lord told them to go back to Israel, Herod being dead. But when Joseph
> "heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father
> Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he
> withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city
> called Nazareth." So they didn't go to Jerusalem at that time.
>
> What's the solution of the geographical problem? The wise men never
> went to Bethlehem, but to Nazareth, some months after Jesus was born!
>
> Their words when coming to Jerusalem, as well as Herod's inquisitions,
> show that the newborn king was at least several months old when they
> came - if not more than a year old, as Herod killed all boys "two years
> old or under" in Bethlehem. Both Ezra and Nehemia took three months to
> travel from Babylon to Jerusalem (around 1200 km).
>
> In a way quite unexpected by the magi, the star led them north to
> Nazareth and stopped abruptly above a house, and "going into the house"
> (Gr: eis tên oikian) "they saw the child with Mary". As I said before,
> mangers are not in houses.
>
> When Joseph and Mary brought their ransom offering for Jesus, it was
> two birds, rather than a lamb. This indicates that they were very poor.
> How could they have made the trip to Egypt? Even if they didn't have to
> pay for a ticket, such a trip would probably have cost them more than
> they could afford - until the magi brought them gold!
>
> Would Joseph stay in the open field outside the town of Bethlehem with
> Mary and the baby Jesus for 40 days, until they could bring their
> offering? Hardly! Would they go back to Nazareth in the meantime? Most
> certainly! This is also indicated by their going "up" to Jerusalem to
> bring the offering (Gr: anêgagon auton eis 'Ierosoluma).
>
> The death of Herod in the year 4 BC and a conjunction of Jupiter and
> Saturn in 7 BC in the constellation of the fishes (symbolizing the
> Jewish people) led to the assumption that the "star of Bethlehem" was
> represented by this conjunction, Jesus being born about 7 BC, rather
> than in the year 1 (there being no year 0). But of course, a conjunction
> of two planets would not disappear and reappear to the wise men, nor
> would it "go before them", first towards northwest then south, then
> north, nor would it stop over a house, clearly designating the
> particular building in the compact town of Nazareth. My interpretation
> thus seems to imply a special, miraculous star.
>
> But what is your take on all that?
>
> Peter
>
> --
> Dr. Peter Ruest, CH-3148 Lanzenhaeusern, Switzerland
> <pruest@dplanet.ch> - Biochemistry - Creation and evolution
> "..the work which God created to evolve it" (Genesis 2:3)
>
>
>
Received on Wed Jan 5 16:09:16 2005