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| The Magi, as presented in "The Nativity Story" |
Today, Father Sean English provided that inspiration with his sermon in which he spoke of the "Three Kings" in relation to today's celebration of the Epiphany.
The Epiphany goes by a few other names as well, depending on your cultural background or the specific church to which you may belong. The most frequent are for "Little Christmas" or "Three Kings Day" celebrations.
In today's world, when someone is said to have an "epiphany" it means that some sudden realization has come upon them. A moment of clarity in which something fundamental is revealed to them.
The "three kings" or "three wise men" or even the "Magi" as they have alternately been known through history are credited with both having and passing on such an epiphany following the birth of Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago.
The word "Magi" is an ancient one. It referred to those who practiced what was known as magic, usually including incorporation and study of alchemy and astrology. These were extremely learned men, bordering on what today would be called scientists more than true magicians.
As Father Sean explained today, the Magi of Jesus' time were not necessarily aligned with any particular religion. However, they were acquainted with all faith systems, including Judaism.
The Magi may have been followers or even priests of Zoroastrianism, one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions. No matter, they certainly would know of the ancient Jewish prophecy regarding the coming of a Savior.
The western Christian churches, including the Catholic Church founded by Jesus himself, believe and teach that there were three of these wise Magi men. That theory was drawn from writings showing that three gifts were brought: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
One thing is almost certain, they were not "kings" in the classic sense of the word. The reference to "three kings" is almost certainly drawn from prophecies such as Psalm 72 which said "all kings shall fall down before him" in the Jewish Torah, or Old Testament.
The three were said to have come "from the east", drawn by a star in the sky which their calculations led them to believe would lead to the Savior foretold in the Jewish prophetic writings.
In the western tradition, they went by the names Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, and hailed originally from Persia, India, and Babylonia respectively. Some claim that they actually are meant to represent Europe, Asia, and Africa.
As the Magi neared the end of their long journey, possibly from a home base in the Parthian Empire, the three received word that King Herod, the ruler of Judea, wished an audience with them.
At this meeting, Herod asked that when the Magi found this newborn future "King of the Jews", that they return and let him know the location of the child. Herod alleged that this was so that he too could go and worship the child. However, his later actions revealed that Herod was actually plotting to kill the child, thus defeating the prophecy and a snuff out a future threat to his rule.
