It's incredible and sometimes shocking how traditions and legends arise from a misinterpretation of a Biblical passage.
I think that mistranslations contributed to the birth of the legend of the three Wise Men, also known as the Magi or the Magi Kings in the Catholic tradition.
Let's analyze the incriminated passage, in Greek, Matthew 2:1
Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐν ἡμέραις Ἡρῴδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδοὺ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα 2 λέγοντες· ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων; εἴδομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀστέρα ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ καὶ ἤλθομεν προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ.
The incriminated word is μάγοι and any historian will tell you that:
- they were certainly not kings.
- there were probably tens of them; not only three.
- they surely were Zoroastrians, coming from the East (so ancient Mesopotamia or Persia).
- they were astrologers (astrology and astronomy was one single science back then, invented and developped by the Mesopotamian civilizations).
- they were probably priests too (or some of them were).
So it dealt with Persian scientists who believed in the spiritual significance of the star of Bethlehem, that many identify with the astral conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC. Let's not forget that Zoroastrianism and Christianity share so many elements, like the monotheistic god, the notion of savior-godsend that saves mankind from evil and the universalism.
It's so interesting how the Catholic tradition completely changed the identity of these mysterious Biblical characters.
Just post whatever you like.
and Merry Christmas, of course.
I think that mistranslations contributed to the birth of the legend of the three Wise Men, also known as the Magi or the Magi Kings in the Catholic tradition.
Let's analyze the incriminated passage, in Greek, Matthew 2:1
Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἐν ἡμέραις Ἡρῴδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδοὺ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα 2 λέγοντες· ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων; εἴδομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀστέρα ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ καὶ ἤλθομεν προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ.
The incriminated word is μάγοι and any historian will tell you that:
- they were certainly not kings.
- there were probably tens of them; not only three.
- they surely were Zoroastrians, coming from the East (so ancient Mesopotamia or Persia).
- they were astrologers (astrology and astronomy was one single science back then, invented and developped by the Mesopotamian civilizations).
- they were probably priests too (or some of them were).
So it dealt with Persian scientists who believed in the spiritual significance of the star of Bethlehem, that many identify with the astral conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC. Let's not forget that Zoroastrianism and Christianity share so many elements, like the monotheistic god, the notion of savior-godsend that saves mankind from evil and the universalism.
It's so interesting how the Catholic tradition completely changed the identity of these mysterious Biblical characters.
Just post whatever you like.
and Merry Christmas, of course.