| Epiphany C – January 6, 2013
Isaiah 60:1-6-Arise, shine for your light has come. Nations shall come to your light and kings to your brightness. They shall bring gold and frankincense.
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 – All kings shall bow down before him. (Ps. 72:11)
Ephesians 3:1-12 – Paul the prisoner, least of the saints is graced to bring the gospel to the Gentiles.
Matthew 2:1-12 – The magi offer gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They go home another way, avoiding Herod.
The Visit of the Magicians
ἰδοὺ μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολwν παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα. "Behold, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem." The word μάγοι (magoi) is the plural of μάγος (magos), a word used for a hundred years before Jesus to refer to Zoroastrian priests. Zoroaster (or Zarathustra) lived at least 6,000 years before Jesus. He was probably Persian by birth, but no one knows for sure. Most agree Eastern Iran, probably.
Zoroaster founded a religion now known as Zoroastrianism or Mazdaism or Magianism, through the writing of hymns and liturgical pieces. Zoroastrianism focused on the worship of Ahura Mazda, a transcendent, benevolent diety. Zoroastrianism was at some point in the two millennia before Christ, the largest religion in the world.
Magi were Zoroastrian priests who studied the stars and gathered from them the fate of humanity. The oldest surviving reference to a μάγος is in Heraclitus (6th century B.C.), who does not give them a good review. A century later (5th C. B.C.) Heroditus uses "magi" a couple of times while commenting on Iranian expats living in Asia Minor. He calls them interpreters of omens and dreams. Xenophon (4th C. B.C.) refers to magi as experts in all matters of religion.
The Hellensitic world came to view Zoroaster as the father of magic and astrology. Later these priests came to be seen as tricksters, charlatans and cheats. Magi became associated with magic. Zoroaster was the figurehead for the magi. Some believe we have seven days in the week today because Zoroastrians believed there were seven planets. The Suda (an ancient encyclopedia of the Mediterranean world) claims that the Babylonians learned astronomy from Zoroaster. There is archeological evidence that the Chinese character/word Wu (shaman/witch/wizard/magician), was a loan from the old Persian word magus.
Sadaam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party often pejoratively called Iranians "majus," indicating that they were not true Muslims, but captive to older pre-Muslim religion based on magic and paganism.
In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible – the Old Testament (the Septuagint of Daniel 1:20; 2:2, 2:10, 2:27; 4:4; 5:7, 5:11, 5:15), magus is typically translated magician. This is pejorative as well, since Jewish law forbade sorcery of any kind.
The New Testament (Acts of the Apostles 8:9; 13:6, 8) also translates magus as "magician," except Matthew, where it is translated Magi or often "wise men." Interesting though: Justin, Origen, Augustine and Jerome all translated it "magician," even in Matthew. Consider how that changes the feel of the text:
"In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magicians from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?"
What does it mean that magicians visited Jesus? What does it mean that this is important in Matthew’s narrative. (And only in Matthew’s narrative. Mark, Luke and John never mention them.) It might be interesting to read it this way and see what it does to the way we hear and interpret the text. "The visit of the Magicians." Raise a few eyebrows?
What is the point of this story in Matthew’s telling of the Jesus event? There are, of course, many points, but here’s one. I sense Matthew is saying this Jesus represents a new universal religion that will encompass and draw in all faiths. "And I, when I am lifted up, will draw all people unto myself…" Jews, Romans and even those pagan magician-folk to the East. This Jesus-stuff is big. Really big. It will change the game. Matthew punctuates this at the end with the Great Commission: "Make disciples of all nations." There is big vision in Matthew’s gospel. Although Christianity is spreading quickly, Christians still only make up a small minority of the Roman Empire at the time Matthew is writing.
The history of Christianity in Western civilization did not warmly embrace all faiths as one under the One who ate with outcasts and sinners, who healed lepers and lived among the poor. We can only grieve this. Sadly, conversions were forced, heretics and infidels executed, and Christianity became a power religion. But the core of the original vision still lies within Matthew’s carefully chosen words, and the potential for reformation is always before us.
There is also in this text a power theme. Herod is afraid to lose his tenuous grasp on power, a power he has only at the will of the Empire. He will stop at nothing to keep that power.
We have here a continuation of our story of paradoxes, opposites. Angels vs. shepherds, the mighty vs. the humble, the first vs. the least city of Judah, kings vs. animals, an inn vs. a stable, mortality versus the infinite. Here we have the ruthless power and scheming of a king who will stop at nothing, versus the innocence, vulnerability and faith of a child who welcomes all, even magicians. "The difference between Herod’s rule and the one to be born in Bethlehem could not be more stark," says Stanley Hauerwas in Matthew (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible).
If you go with this approach, consider substituting Revelation 12:1-6 as the epistle reading. Some associate Herod with this text.
"A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron." (Rev. 12:1-4)
A woman, clothed with the sun, moon under her feet, crown of stars, bears a child to rule the nations. Gee, who could that be? Then a red, seven-headed dragon wants to devour the child. Some associate Herod with the seven-headed dragon. I interpret it as Rome (city of seven hills), but Herod is certainly Rome’s functionary. Sadly, this text never gets read in Lutheran churches. Using it allows you to use an unused text, gives you an opportunity to teach people how to read John’s Revelation, and helps you clarify the power dynamics in this text.
[Factoid: In 1529 Johann Cochlaeus used this text to disparage Luther. His treatise has a woodcarving of a Seven-headed Luther on the cover.
Perhaps this is a time to talk about our relationship to civil authority, or to the power structures of the day. It could be a time to talk about outreach to those of different religious traditions. Without constantly having to tear down others’ systems, can we talk about what Jesus means for the world, in broader terms, as the fulfillment of all human religion and aspirations? Can we teach what he taught and live what he lived, not reducing faith to a philosophy or zero-sum mind game? What is the kernel of the gospel that is so compelling that even pagans, new-agers and seekers will want to come and behold, maybe even worship?
The night is still dark
And a procession of Herods still terrorize the earth
Killing the children to stay in power
The world still knows its Herods
And the world still knows those persons
Wise enough
To follow a star
Those who do not consider themselves
Too intelligent
Too powerful
Too wealthy
To kneel to a child…
~ Ann Weems |
