Gifts of the Magi. Just give our progressive public a reason to mock another part of society. It, of course, how not to mock when, if the journalists do not deceive, the loudspeaker at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior reported: "" and other well-known statements took place. I will not talk about the queue, authenticity and time of manufacture of relics. Unable to resist the general PR-th of gifts, I propose to look at the born Savior, who is worshiped by the Magi, and shepherds, and parents, and animals.
Jacopino di Francesco. Active 1320-1350. The Nativity and the Adoration of the Magi. circa 1325-1330
According to Tacitus, Suetonius, and Josephus, the whole east at that time was dominated by a belief based on ancient prophecies that a powerful king would soon rise in Judea and subdue the whole world. And here's what the sources say.
2.
Mosaic at Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, 6th century BC Above the heads of the Magi one can read their names / Magi. Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy via
Matthew's holy gospel. Chapter 2:
1 And when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, magicians from the east came to Jerusalem and said, 2 Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.
3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And he gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people, and asked them, Where is the Christ to be born?
3.
Bartolo di Fredi. Adoration of the Magi, 1385-88
5 And they said to him: In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet: 6 And you, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, are no less than the governors of Judah, for out of you will come a Leader who will shepherd My people Israel. 7 Then Herod, secretly calling the magi, found out from them the time of the appearance of the star 8 and, sending them to Bethlehem, said: Go, carefully inquire about the Child and, when you find it, inform me so that I too can go and worship Him.
4.
The Adoration of the Magi. c. 1420. Unknown Master, German
9 After hearing the king, they went. [And] behold, the star that they saw in the east went before them, until at last it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10 And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy,
5.
Gentile da Fabriano. Adoration of the Magi, 1423, Uffizi / Gentile da Fabriano, The Adoration of the Magi, 1423, tempera and gold leaf on panel. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. Detail. On click - composition in full form. Fragment large
11 And when they entered the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him; and having opened their treasures, they brought him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed by another way into their own country.
Holy Gospel from Luke. Chapter 2:
7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and swaddled him, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in an inn.
8 In that country there were shepherds in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and feared with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; I proclaim to you great joy, which will be to all people: 11 for today is born to you in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord; 12 And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.
6.
Master of Moulins. Nativity circa 1480 Musée Rolin, Autun
13 And suddenly there appeared with an angel a multitude of the heavenly host, glorifying God and crying out: 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men! 15 When the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go to Bethlehem and see what happened there, which the Lord has announced to us.
7.
Domenico Ghirlandaio. Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds. 1485
16 And hastening, they came and found Mary and Joseph, and the Child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw it, they told about what had been proclaimed to them about this Baby. 18 And all who heard were amazed at what the shepherds told them.
8.
The Nativity, by Bicci di Lorenzo. ca XV
19 But Mary kept all these words, putting them together in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, as it was told to them.
21 At the end of eight days, when it was necessary to circumcise [the Infant], they gave him the name Jesus, called by an angel before he was conceived in the womb.
9.
The Adoration of the Magi. Altarpiece Place of origin Italy (made) Date ca. 1500-1510
So, the adoration of the Magi is a gospel story about wise men who came from the East (Greek μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν) to bow to the baby Jesus and bring him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gifts were symbolic, and the adoration of the Magi itself means the appearance of Christ to the pagans.
10.
The Adoration of the Kings. Jan Gossaert. 1510-1515. National Gallery, London
John Chrysostom. Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew. Conversation 6:3:
Since the purpose of Christ's coming was to abolish the ancient rules of life, to call the whole universe to worship Himself and to accept this worship on earth and on the sea, Christ from the very beginning opens the door to the pagans, desiring to teach his own through strangers. Since the Jews, constantly hearing the prophets announcing the coming of Christ, did not pay special attention to it, the Lord inspired the barbarians to come from a distant country, to ask about the King, who was born among the Jews.
11.
Painted and gilded limewood panel depicting the Adoration of the Magi, by Augustin Henckel, Schaffhausen, Switzerland, 1500-1520
Magi is a Slavic word used in translations into Russian. The gospel original contains the Greek word μάγοι. In ancient literature, there are mainly two meanings of this term: people belonging to the Persian Zoroastrian priests, and Babylonian astrologer priests as a special professional group.
12.
Hans Memling. Adoration des Mages. 1463. via
In the Latin tradition, the Greek μάγοι is translated by the Latin word magi ("magicians", "wizards") - this word originally denoted members of the priestly caste of Persia and Media. The tradition of the Persian origin of the Magi lasted longest in Byzantine iconography; in European art it was lost: the Magi either had no ethnicity, or, in general, correlated with the Arab or Byzantine East.
13.
Antonio Vivarini, Adoration of the Kings. 1418
For the first time he called the Magi kings of St. Caesarea of Arles. Bede the Venerable first appears their names - Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar.
14.
Hugo van der Goes - The Adoration of the Kings. Monforte Altar.1470
In early Christian literature, the names of the Magi vary: in Origen, these are Abimelech, Ohozat, Phicol; in the Syrian tradition, these are Hormizd, Yazgerd, Peroz, etc. There are Greek versions of their names: Appellicon, Amerin and Damascon and Jewish ones: Magalat, Galgalat and Serakin. There are legends about the fourth sorcerer, whose name is Artabanus, as a brother or descendant of the brother of the Persian king Darius I. In the early manuscripts of Balthazar, the name is Bethysareus.
In the medieval West, they receive names that are now common everywhere: Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar.
15.
Eusebio di Jacopo di Cristoforo da San Giorgio, The Adoration of the Magi, c. 1505. via
Evangelists do not write about the number of Magi. Origen first guessed from the number of gifts brought that there were three. This archetypal number of aliens allowed us to play around with different ideas. So, as the iconographic type developed, the Magi began to be depicted as representatives of three different ages of a person: Balthazar - a young man, Melchior - a mature man and Caspar - an old man; three different cardinal points: Balthazar - black, possibly Abyssinian or Nubian - Africa; Melchior - a white man- Europe; Kaspar - with oriental features or in oriental clothes - Asia. That is, their homeland was three countries with ethnically different populations - Persia, Arabia and Ethiopia.
16.
Adoration of the Magi. Filippino Lippy. 1496
There is a tradition in the Syrian Church about 12 wise men who arrived in Jerusalem with a huge retinue.
Church Tradition believes that the revelation about Herod's plans was received by the Magi during an overnight stay in a cave in the vicinity of Bethlehem. This place is revered by believers - in the 5th century, over the cave, the Monk Theodosius the Great founded kinovia, which became the first cenobitic monastery in Palestine.
17.
Bigarelli Guido, Pulpit, XIII A.D. Tuscany, Italy. Fragment 1 . Fragment 2
According to legend, the Magi were baptized by the Apostle Thomas, and were martyred in Eastern countries.
For the first time he called the Magi kings of St. Caesarea of Arles.
18.
Adoration and Crucifixion Diptych. 1340-1360
According to legend, the relics of the Magi were found by Empress Helena, were laid first in Constantinople, in the 4th (?) or 5th century they were transferred from there by Saint Eustorgius to Mediolan (Milan), and in 1164, at the request of Frederick Barbarossa, to Cologne, where for them The coffin of the Three Magi was built to accommodate the coffin, and the Cologne Cathedral, the largest in Western Europe, was built to accommodate the coffin.
19.
Albrecht Durer. L "Adoration des mages. 1504. via
In the Catholic Church, the memory of the three kings is celebrated on the feast of the Epiphany. January 6 is a public holiday in some Catholic countries. They are considered the patrons of travelers. 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.
20.
Adoration of the Shepherds, c.1500. Manuscript Image of Bodleian MS. Arch. Selden B. 26, fol. 8r
Beginning in the 15th century, the plot of the Adoration of the Magi began to be often combined with the scene of the Adoration of the Shepherds (Luke 2:8-20). This allowed the artists to diversify the image by adding more people and animals. In some compositions, such as triptychs, these two scenes of worship could become side doors in the central Nativity scene.
21.
Duccio, The Nativity with the Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel.1308 or 1311
Journey of Athos gifts of the Magi 2014: Moscow January 6-13, St. Petersburg January 14-17, Minsk January 18-24, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra January 25-30.
22.
A Natividade - Domenico Ghirlandaio, c.1492
Surprisingly, just when one hundred thousand Christians were standing in line for the Gifts, my friends were looking for platelets in Moscow for a dying patient. I am sure that if we had come and asked for blood, many, having bowed to the Gifts, would have gone and surrendered. Is it true?
Indeed, in a city where there are such crowds of Christians that they even have to be restrained by cordons, there simply cannot be neglected old people, abandoned children, lack of blood in hospitals. If they are still there, the problem is probably that we did not come to talk to the one who is standing in line.
What do you think?
25.
Adoration of the Magi
(Adoration of the kings)
(Matthew 2:1-12)
(1) When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and said: (2) Where is the born KingJewish? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.(3) When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. (4) And, having gathered all the high priests and scribes of the people, he asked them: where should Christ be born? (5) And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet: (6) and you, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, do notless the governorships of Judah, for out of you will come a Leader who will shepherdmy people, Israel. (7) Then Herod, secretly calling the magicians, found out from themthe time of the appearance of the star (8) and sending them to Bethlehem, he said: Go, careful but find out about the Child, and when you find it, let me know so that I too go worship him. (9) They, having heard the king, went. And lo, the star that they saw in the east, went ahead of them, when at last she came and stopped over the place where the Child was. (10) When they saw the star, they rejoicedvery great joy, (11) and going into the house, they saw the child with Mary,His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him; and having opened their treasures, they brought him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. (12) And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed by another way to their own country.
(Matthew 2:1-12)
The question that needs to be answered from the very beginning, in order to more clearly understand the iconographic features of the plot of the Adoration of the Magi, concerns the chronology of the events of the gospel story. In Matthew, the story of the adoration of the Magi follows immediately after the story of the birth of Christ. By tradition, the act of worship of the Magi is considered the final chord of the Christmas cycle of plots. And often it is depicted in conjunction with other Christmas themes or characteristic signs of Christmas (a cave, an ox and a donkey, a manger, and others; see more about this iconographic type below). But if the veneration of the Magi took place immediately after the birth of Christ, then there is no time left for the events described by Luke, in particular, everything that happened in the temple on the fortieth day after the birth of the Child.
Until now, the account of the events of the infancy of Christ has been according to the Gospel of Luke. In the plot with the Magi, for the first time, we are faced with the need to fill in the missing episodes from Luke with the story of another evangelist, in this case Matthew. With such a need for information different sources put together in order to recreate the connected sequence of events in the life of Christ we will encounter often. Thus, all four Gospels should be considered as narratives that complement each other. This is quite clear and understandable. The difficulty, however, lies in understanding the chronological order of events reconstructed in this way.
So, when did the Magi appear to bow to the Child? In the monuments of Christian art - both Byzantine, and Russian, and Western - the Adoration of the Magi is depicted either together with the Birth of Jesus Christ, or separately. Both in Byzantine and Western art, the cave setting of the Birth of Jesus Christ (cf. THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST) sometimes disappears, sometimes, as we have already mentioned, remains. The baby appears at the age of two or three years. The Virgin Mary can sit on a throne, and the Child can be on her lap with a blessing gesture or with a scroll in her hands. In this case, the extension of the circumstances of birth for such a long period is difficult to explain. Connecting the Birth of Jesus Christ with the Adoration of the Magi, the artists had to consider that these two events followed soon one after the other, when the Holy Family was still in the cave; separating them, they also imagined the events themselves to be separated from each other by a more significant period of time. But they completely ignored the question of time, when the adoration of the Magi, as a separate independent act (with an adult Baby), was placed in a cave. In short, the iconographic material reflects the uncertainty in solving the problem of chronology that existed in ancient legends about the time when this event occurred.
Some early Christian authors claim that the adoration of the Magi took place immediately after the birth of Jesus. Justin Martyr states: “Immediately after His birth, the magi from Arabia came to worship Him, having first gone to Herod, who then reigned in your land” (Justin Martyr. Conversation with Tryphon, 77). John Chrysostom believes that the star even appeared to the Magi long before the birth of Christ: “The Magi neither were at the birth of the Mother, nor did they know the time when she gave birth, and therefore had no reason to conclude about the future along the course of the stars. On the contrary, long before birth (an even greater miracle! - L.M.), seeing a star that appeared in their land, they go to look at the Born One ”(John Chrysostom. Commentary on St. Matthew the Evangelist, 63). The Protoevangelium of James directly links the adoration of the Magi with the stay of the Virgin Mary with the Child in the cave, that is, it speaks of the adoration of the Magi newborn.“And the magicians went. And the star which they saw in the east went before them until they came to a cave, and stopped before the mouth of the cave. And the magicians saw the Child with His Mother Mary ”(Protoevangelium, 21). Other ancient authors, such as Eusebius Pamphilus (Church History, book 1, chapter 8), believe that the adoration of the Magi took place around the second year of Christ's life. The same opinion is expressed in the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew (16).
The justification for the opinion that the adoration of the Magi took place in a cave meets with difficulty, on the one hand, in the text of Matthew, which says that it took place in house, and not in a cave (2:11), on the other hand, in the chronology of gospel events. The fact is that there is no reason to believe that the Holy Family remained in the cave for a long time after the birth of Christ. Therefore, if we assume that the adoration of the Magi followed precisely in the cave, then there is no time left for the events described by Luke, since immediately after the adoration of the Magi, the massacre of the babies in Bethlehem and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt took place.
In the light of these arguments, it is particularly noteworthy Altar of Columbus by Rogier van der Weyden, read (open) from left to right: Annunciation (left wing), Adoration of the Magi, Presentation of the Infant Jesus in the temple (right wing).
Rogier van der Weyden. Adoration of the Magi (Altar of Columbus) (1458-1459).
Munich. Old Pinakothek.
The adoration of the Magi in this case replaces the scene of the Birth of Jesus Christ and is, as it were, a “synonymous” with the main Christmas story. Evidence of this is the presence in the Adoration of the Magi of a Christmas manger, an ox and a donkey. The altarpiece of Columbus, whose scenes, of course, are read in this sequence - from left to right, proves that the artist proceeded from the idea that the Adoration of the Magi preceded the Presentation of the Lord in the temple (or - in the language of that time - the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary).
“The exact order of events that took place before the return of the Holy Family to Nazareth,” states F. Farrar in The Life of Jesus Christ, “can only be the subject of uncertain fortune-telling. Circumcision was performed on the eighth day after birth (Luke 1:59; 2:21); cleansing thirty-three days after circumcision (Lev. 12:4); the worship of the Magi was "when Jesus was born in Bethlehem" (Matt. 2:1), and the flight into Egypt immediately after their departure. The suggestion that the return from Egypt was before the offering to the temple, though not impossible, seems highly improbable. Apart from the fact that such a delay would be a violation (albeit by necessity) of the Mosaic law, it suggests that the purification was delayed for a long time, and this is in apparent contradiction with the twice repeated expression of St. Luke (2:22, 39 ), or that forty days was sufficient for the Magi to arrive from the "East", to flee to Egypt and return from it. This assumption then contains the extreme inconsistency that the Holy Family returned to Jerusalem, located only ten miles from Bethlehem, only a few days after such a terrible event as the massacre of babies. It is most likely to assume that the flight to Egypt and the circumstances that led to it took place only after they were brought to the temple. Therefore, for forty days the Holy Family remained in peace and obscurity in that city, which was associated with so many wonderful events and consecrated by both family and folk traditions so dear to it.
To complete the review of opinions on this issue, let us cite the judgment of D. I. Prozorovsky, who dealt a lot with the problems of chronology: “If the ancient writers dated the arrival of the Magi to the very birth of the Savior, then this is not necessary for us, because the writers did not have in mind the historical development question. I imagine the question of the Magi in following form. Joseph arrived in Bethlehem very late, when all the living quarters were already occupied, and he, of necessity, had to fit in the den; the Savior, who was born shortly afterwards, was laid in a manger, witnesses to which were only the shepherds. Already in ancient times, the Savior's birthday was finally determined on December 25; on the eighth day after that circumcision was to be performed, which was done in Bethlehem quite calmly, which would not have happened if the Magi had visited Bethlehem during this period of time. On the fortieth day after the birth of the Savior, Joseph and Mary should have appeared in the Jerusalem temple to perform the rite established by law, and this duty was again sent quite calmly, because at that time the born king of the Jews was not yet in sight of Herod, so that Joseph had nothing hindered the return to Bethlehem and there to prepare for departure to Nazareth. Soon after that, Herod fell ill, and at that time the Magi appeared in Jerusalem, outraged by their inquiries about the newborn king of the Jews, the already ferocious soul of Herod, who only learned about Bethlehem, as the birthplace of the Seeker, from Jewish scholars who pointed to Bethlehem according to the prophecy of Micah. . Herod was even more irritated when he saw himself deceived by the Magi, who did not tell him about the Seeker and retired to their countries in a different way. Herod's anger knew no measure, and the children of Bethlehem were exterminated. According to Josephus, Herod died after lunar eclipse, which happened on the eve of the Jewish spring fast, and according to the calculation of the famous astronomer Lalande, this eclipse happened on the night of March 12-13 of the fourth year before the beginning of the Christian era, therefore, then there was a fast of Esther, which happens on the 13th day of the month Adar. So, the Magi went to Bethlehem after the 40th day after the birth of Jesus and worshiped him “in the temple”, in the room, in the apartment, and not in the den, and it was precisely before the mentioned lunar eclipse” (quoted from the book: Pokrovsky N. S.. 129 - 130).
We leave here undecided the question of the possible movements of the Holy Family between the events of the fortieth day, when, having performed the rite of purification in the Jerusalem temple, it went to Nazareth, and the flight into Egypt, which came from Bethlehem, as not directly affecting the iconography of the Adoration of the Magi, although important from the point of view of the chronology of events.
So, we can state that the inclusion in the paintings of the Adoration of the Magi of the characteristic features inherent in the plot of the Birth of Jesus Christ, from a historical point of view, is an anachronism. At the same time, however, it must be taken into account that artists, as a rule, are closer to popular ideas (and according to them, the adoration of the Magi took place immediately after the birth of Jesus) than to a special, critically verified historical and theological interpretation of the text, which is a program for them. Remarkable in this sense is the sequence of events, how they were reproduced on the predella of its famous altar "Adoration of the Magi": Birth of Jesus Christ, Flight into Egypt, Presentation of the Infant Christ in the temple (the "Golden Legend" by Yakov Vorraginsky, which served as a source of literary programs for Christian stories, claimed that the Holy Family spent seven days in Egypt) .
Gentile da Fabriano. Adoration of the Magi (1423). Florence. Uffizi Gallery .
Consider the individual elements that make up this plot in painting.
Bartolo di Fredi. Adoration of the Magi (c. 1380). Sienna. National Pinakothek
The magi went to the birthplace of Jesus, seeing a sign - a star in the east, as Matthew says, and it was clear to them whose star they saw - “His star”. Almost in all the pictures with this plot, the star certainly appears. In II-III for centuries, it has usually been associated with the star of Jacob, about which Balaam preached: “(17) I see Him, but now not yet; I see Him, but not close. A star rises from Jacob and a scepter rises from Israel and crushes the princes of Moab and crushes all the sons of Seth” (Numbers 24:17). Roman sarcophagi from the era of early Christianity are known, on which, next to or behind Mary, is not Joseph, but Balaam; sometimes he points to a star. The rising of a star at the time of the birth of a ruler is a sign revered in antiquity. In Roman art, the star above the emperor's head symbolizes his divinity.
As for the star seen by the Magi in their country (or in their countries), Ignatius the God-bearer, Origen and Eusebius believed that it was a special star specially created for this occasion. John Chrysostom considered it to be a rational force, which appeared in the form of a star.
Traditional is the image of a star significantly bigger size than other stars in the sky in this scene, and extraordinarily bright; sometimes it is right above the house; a baby in its rays (many examples). Giotto, emphasizing the unusualness of the star, depicts it in the form of a comet - a rare and unjustified case either by Holy Scripture or by the ideas about the sky that were common in his era (Giotto).
In XIII - XIV For centuries, the plot takes on a playful character: the Mother of God amuses the Baby with an apple, the Baby ruffles the hair of the sorcerer kneeling in front of him, who in turn kisses the foot of Jesus. The baby is about two years old. Later artists, as already shown, populate their paintings with increasing numbers of characters, using this subject to create portrait galleries of their contemporaries.
The constant participants in the scene of the Adoration of the Magi are angels. They often form a heavenly choir that lifts up an angelic hymn to the Lord ( ; the top pair of angels are clearly singing, judging by their open mouths). Often artists sing the words of this hymn: “ Gloria In Excelsis Deo"("Glory to God in the highest" - Luke 2: 14). This is the first phrase of the Angelic Hymn, which became the second part of the Catholic Mass. In some cases, angels sing from notes ().
Ghirlandaio. Adoration of the Magi. Florence. Museum of the Ospedale degli Innocenti.
Ghirlandaio (as well as a number of other Renaissance artists) supplied the Angelic Choir not only with the text of this chant, but also with the notes of the Gregorian chant. Composers of different eras wrote " Gloria In Excelsis Deo» - J. Despres, Palestrina, O. Lasso, A. Vtivaldi, J. S. Bach, J. Haydn, W. A. Mozart, L. Beethoven, F. Schubert, F. Liszt ...
EXAMPLES AND ILLUSTRATIONS:
Bartolo di Fredi. Adoration of the Magi (c. 1380). Sienna. National Pinakothek
Giotto. Adoration of the Magi (1304-1306). Padua. Scrovegni Chapel.
Gentile da Fabriano. Adoration of the Magi (1423). Florence. Uffizi Gallery.
Gertgen to Sint Jans. Adoration of the Magi (1490-1495). Prague. National Gallery.
Unknown Middle Rhine master XV century. Adoration of the Magi (c. 1420). Darmstadt. Museum of Hesse.
Domenico Ghirlandaio. Adoration of the Magi. Florence. Museum of the Ospedale degli Innocenti.
Benozzo Gozzoli. Adoration of the Magi-kings (1459-1460). Florence. Palazzo Medici Riccardi.
Rogier van der Weyden. Vision of the Three Wise Men (Bladelen Altarpiece) (1446-1452). Berlin-Dahlem. Picture gallery of the State Museum.
Hugo van der Goes. Adoration of the Magi (Monfort Altarpiece) (before 1475). Berlin-Dahlem. Picture gallery of the State Museum.
Juan Reixach. Adoration of the Kings (second half XV century). Barcelona. Museum of Art of Catalonia.
Paolo Veronese. Adoration of the Magi (early 1570s). St. Petersburg. Hermitage.
Jacopo Bassano. Adoration of the Magi (1560s). Vein. Art Gallery of the Art and History Museum.
© Alexander MAYKAPAR
HOLIDAYS AND TRADITIONS (PART 67 - WORSHIP OF THE MAGI)The theme "Adoration of the Magi" is very extensive in world painting. I tried to present in this gallery the paintings of the best and most famous painters, from the Renaissance to the Pre-Raphaelites and the 20th century.
Merry Christmas, my dear readers! Goodness, joy, love and hope for all the brightest and best!!!
Adoration of the Magi
The Lord gave the Child to the Virgin,
Holy Divine Mary.
Not in the royal chambers, but in the barn
The world met the appearance of the Messiah.
Born in poverty is not guessed,
But the Magi came to Him from the East,
Gold, myrrh and fragrant incense
Brought with them from afar.
And they laid down their precious gift,
Down before the Child,
And to your country with a humble crowd
Departed according to God's word.
Fedor Glinka
Hans Memling (German born - Flemish, 1435-1494) Dreikoenigsaltar Mitteltafel Anbetung der Koenige. 1470s Museo del Prado, Madrid
The Adoration of the Magi is a gospel story about the wise men who came from the East to bow to the baby Jesus and bring him gifts. 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. Following her movement through the firmament, they crossed several states and arrived in Jerusalem. There they turned to the ruling sovereign of this country, Herod, with the question of where they could see the newly born King of the Jews, apparently assuming that the ruler should be related to him by family ties. Herod was alarmed by this news, but did not show it and politely escorted the Magi out of the palace, asking them, when they find the King, to tell him where he is, "so that I can go and worship Him." The travelers left Jerusalem and followed guiding star that led them to Bethlehem. There they found Mary with the baby, bowed to him and brought gifts. After that, a revelation was given to the Magi in a dream that it was not worth returning to Herod with the news of the success of their journey, and they went home by another road. Not waiting for them, Herod staged the famous beating of babies, trying to find the one whom the Magi called the King.
David Gerard (Dutch, 1460-1523) Adoration of the Kings.
Quentin Massys (Flemish, 1465-1530) The Adoration of the Magi. 1526 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Magi is a Slavic word used in translations into Russian. In the gospel original there is a Greek word, which in ancient literature has two meanings: people belonging to the Persian Zoroastrian priests, and Babylonian priests-astrologers. In the Western European tradition, the Magi are called "wizards" (from the Latin magi) and are often portrayed as kings. For the first time, Saint Caesarius of Arles called the Magi kings. According to the number of gifts brought, the evangelists assumed that there were three of them. The Magi even have names - Caspar (Gaspar), Melchior and Balthasar (Belthazar). There are Greek versions of their names (Appellicon, Amerin and Damascon) and Jewish ones (Magalat, Galgalat and Serakin). The Magi are depicted as representatives of three different ages (Balthazar is a young man, Melchior is a mature man and Caspar is an old man) and three different cardinal points (Balthazar is from Africa - an Abyssinian or Nubian, Melchior is a European, Gaspar is an Asian in oriental clothes).
Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528) The Adoration of the Magi. 1504
Giorgione (Italian, 1476/1477-1510) The Adoration of the Magi.
Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino) (Italian, 1483-1520) The Adoration of the Magi (Oddi altar). 1502-03
The Magi brought three gifts to the baby: gold, lebanon (incense) and myrrh (myrrh is a precious fragrant oil). The gifts brought have their own symbolic meaning: gold is a royal gift, showing that Jesus was a Man born to be King, frankincense is a gift to the priest, since Jesus came to become a new Teacher and a true High Priest, and myrrh is a gift to one who must die , since myrrh in ancient Israel was used to embalm the body of the deceased. The last gift refers to the coming atoning sacrifice of Christ - before burial, his body was anointed with a fragrant composition of myrrh and aloe. It is believed that the tradition of giving gifts at Christmas was founded by the Magi, although there are other points of view.
Simon Bening (Flemish, 1483-1561) The Adoration of the Magi.
Antonio Allegri da Correggio (Italian, 1489-1534) The Adoration of the Magi. 1516-18
Jacopo Bassano (Italian, 1510-1592) The Adoration of the Magi. 1567-69 Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham
Adoration of the Magi
Quietly midnight floats over the sleeping earth.
The night is silent, the desert is quiet.
This night on earth serene peace,
There is no sin on earth tonight...
And the star burns and shines in the sky,
It pours rays, like the sun in the distance ...
The stars never shone like this
Since the creation of the earth itself...
To know is born in the world Lord of kings -
The meek leader of the generations of the earth:
Like a beacon on the expanse of rebellious seas
For the tired, the persecuted, the sick...
Quietly midnight floats over the dumb desert,
And to the star that shone in the distance,
Day and night they rush, forgetting peace,
From the east, magi-kings...
Soon their path will end before the star beam,
And they will come before the dawn -
And in a deaf cave before the Heavenly King
The kings of the earth will bow...
In the sky the stars and angels sing harmoniously:
"Glory in the highest and peace on earth!"
And they go to the Unknown Mystery with gifts
From the east, magi-kings...
G. Arkashov
Frans (Floris) de Vriendt (Dutch, 1520-1570) The Adoration of the Magi.
Hendrik ter Brugghen (Dutch, 1588-1629) De aanbidding der Koningen. 1619 Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Starting from the 15th century, the adoration of the Magi often began to be combined with the scene of the adoration of the shepherds. The adoration of the shepherds is also an episode of the Nativity of Christ, described in the New Testament of all the evangelists only by Luke. Shortly after the birth of the Baby, an angel appears to the shepherds who were working near Bethlehem and announces the birth of the Messiah. Near Bethlehem, flocks destined for the temple sacrifices usually grazed, therefore, the shepherds were associated with the Jerusalem temple. The angel, who announced the birth of the Savior to the shepherds, did this in order to show that the time is coming when they will no longer need to raise cattle for slaughter, since the Son of God will bring a sacrifice for human sins. AT Orthodox tradition Archangel Gabriel appeared to the shepherds with a message. He does not accompany the shepherds to the birthplace of Jesus, but "gives a sign", according to which the shepherds rush to Bethlehem. Arriving at the manger, the shepherds told about the appearance of an angel to them, and Mary compared the words of the angel who appeared to the shepherds with what was said to her at the moment of the Annunciation. The shepherds returned home, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen, and told everyone about this news. Shepherds, according to theologians, are considered the first evangelists. The number of shepherds in Scripture is not indicated, but they are usually depicted in the same way as the Magi, in the amount of three people.
Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640) The Adoration of the Magi. 1633
Juan Bautista Maino (Spanish, 1569-1649) The Adoration of the Magi. 1612
In fine art and church painting, for example, in triptychs, scenes of the adoration of the Magi and shepherds were often depicted on the side doors, and the central place was given to the scene of the Nativity itself. In the Orthodox icon-painting tradition, the scene of the veneration of the Magi is also not singled out as a separate plot, but is one of the compositions of images of the Nativity of Christ. But in general, in Christian iconography, the plot of the adoration of the Magi was very popular, the number of paintings painted on this topic is huge.
Pieter Fransz de Grebber (Dutch, 1600-1653) The Adoration of the Magi. 1638
Jan Salomon de Bray (Dutch, 1627-1697) The Adoration of the Magi. 1674 Historisches Museum, Bamberg
Gaspare Diziani (Italian, 1689-1767) The Adoration of the Magi. 1718 Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, Hungary
Adoration of the Magi
The night comes into its own
Three magi enter the cave
Gaspar and Melchior...
And childhood is wonderfully far away
And so many faded centuries
What have you forgotten since then
What was the name of the third... Gaspar
He brought incense. And the baby was sleeping
Breathing in the fragrance
And so much time has passed
What's hard to remember
And sing and understand
What did the heavenly choir say?
I watched from the night Melchior,
How golden was the light
How sweet smoke rose, -
The cold of our winters curled in it,
The faces of years shone...
Dmitry Shchedrovitsky, 1980s
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669) The Adoration of the Magi. Hermitage
Sebastiano Ricci (Italian, 1659-1734) The Adoration of the Magi. 1726 Royal Collection, Hampton Court Palace
Reliefs on sarcophagi of the 4th century BC are considered one of the first images. In early images, the Magi are shown dressed in Persian robes and Phrygian caps; in Byzantine works, the heads of the Magi are often decorated with small headdresses such as skullcaps. In the 10th century, in Western art, crowns appear on the heads of the Magi, and they turn from priests into kings. Then they begin to portray them as people different ages. The custom of depicting the Magi as representatives of different races, again arises in the West only in the XII century and becomes canonical in the XV century. Since the XIV century, when the Middle Ages "celebrated" its magnificent sunset, the gifts of the Magi began to be depicted not in the form of goblets, but in the form of exquisite gold boxes, and the clothes of the donors became more luxurious.
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (Italian, 1696-1770) The Adoration of the Magi. 1750 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Carle Vanloo (French, 1705-1765) The Adoration of the Magi. 1760 Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Jean-Jacques Lagrenée (French, 1739-1821) The Adoration of the Magi.
I repeat, the plot of the adoration of the Magi was popular among artists, as it helped to show the talent of the master. The scene was a complex, multi-figured composition, in which there are not only baby Jesus, the Virgin Mary and the Magi themselves, but Joseph, shepherds, angels, as well as animals - horses and camels. European painters, who knew camels only from verbal descriptions, tried not to take risks and often replaced them with horses. Often the Magi, who turned into kings, were accompanied by an extensive retinue with dogs and hunting birds. In addition, the artists had to realistically depict various textures - silk, furs, jewelry and gold of the Magi, the wooden structures of the building, the straw in the manger and the rough homespun clothes of Joseph and the shepherds.
Johann Friedrich Overbeck (German, 1789-1869) The Adoration of the Magi. 1813 Hamburger Kunsthalle, Germany
Edward Burne-Jones (British, 1833-1898) Star of Bethlehem. 1885-90
Gaetano Previati (Italian, 1852-1920) The Adoration of the Magi. 1890-1894
John Duncan (American, born 1953) The Adoration of the Magi.
Adoration of the Magi
The clothes of the Magi are magnificent and colorful.
These caravans flowed like beams,
So that the cave in a new bright light
Connect. Bonfires in the distance.
Sed Melchior, black beard Gaspard.
And at the cave they were timid. - What, -
Said Balthazar, - I am very old,
And it is not worthwhile to delay with worship.
There was a donkey and a gray ox in the cave.
The baby of the world - in the arms of Mary.
And the light around him, that halo
What promises gave gold.
Yes, gold, gold of the earth
Fading before him - ash in fact.
Magi with gifts. And the fires are far away.
And the earth is cleared of turbidity.
Alexander Baltin
Joseph Christian Leyendecker (American, 1874-1951) Adoration of the Magi.
Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy
Law of God
New Testament
Adoration of the Magi
Even Joseph and the Blessed Mother of God with the Infant Jesus remained in Bethlehem, as from a distant country from the east (from Persia or Babylonia) they came to Jerusalem Magi.
Magi or wise men were called learned people. They were engaged in observation and study of the stars. At that time, people believed that when a great person was born, a new star appeared in the sky. Many pagans, taught by the scattered Jews, knew about the coming Messiah into the world - the Great King of Israel, who would conquer the whole world. Therefore, they expected that when this King was born, a new star would appear in the sky. These Magi were pious people, and the Lord, by His mercy, gave them such a sign - a new, extraordinary star appeared in the sky. Seeing this star, the Magi immediately realized that the expected King had already been born. They got ready to go and went to the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, Jerusalem, to find out where this King was born, and to worship Him.
In Jerusalem, the Magi began to ask: "Where is the King of the Jews who has been born? For we saw His star in the east and came to worship Him."
King Herod, hearing this, was alarmed: he was a very cruel and very suspicious person. On one suspicion, he put his own children to death. And now he was especially frightened, fearing that his power would be taken away from him and the royal throne would not be transferred to the newborn Tsar. And all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were worried when they heard about this news.
Herod gathered to himself all the priests and scribes, that is, people who studied the books of Holy Scripture, and asked them; "Where is Christ to be born?"
They answered: "in Bethlehem of Judea, because it is written in the prophet Micah."
Then Herod secretly called the Magi to him, found out from them the time of the appearance of the star, sent them to Bethlehem and said: "Go and there you will learn everything about the Baby, and when you find Him, come and tell me so that I can go and worship Him" . In fact, Herod planned to kill the born King.
The Magi, after listening to King Herod, went to Bethlehem. And again the same star that they had seen before in the east appeared in the sky and, moving across the sky, walked before them, showing them the way. In Bethlehem, the star stopped over the place where the baby Jesus was born.
At this time, the holy elder Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child lived in the city, in the house where they moved from the cave, as the people began to disperse after the census.
The Magi entered the house and saw the Infant Jesus with His Mother. They bowed to Him to the ground and offered Him their gifts (gifts): gold, Lebanon(incense) and myrrh(precious, fragrant oil).
With their gifts, the Magi showed that the born Baby Jesus is, and the King, and God, and man. They brought gold to Him, as to the King (in the form of tribute, or tribute), incense, as to God (because incense is used in worship), and myrrh, as to a person who must die (because the dead were anointed and then rubbed with fragrant oils).
After that, the Magi wanted to return to Jerusalem to Herod, but received a command from God in a dream not to return to Herod. Then they took another road, straight to their own land.
Adoration of the Magi
Tradition has preserved the names of the Magi, who later became Christians, these were: Melchior, Gaspard and Belshazzar. The memory of their St. The Church celebrates on the day of the Nativity of Christ.
Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ St. Orthodox Church Celebrated December 25th(7 Jan. N.S.). For this great holiday, we prepare ourselves with a forty-day fast, which is called Christmas post. Christmas Eve is called compatriot or Christmas Eve because on this day, according to the church charter, it is supposed to eat sochivo, that is, boiled cereals with honey, and even then in the evening, with the appearance of the first star.
NOTE: See the Gospel of Matthew, ch. 2 , 1-12.
Troparion of the holiday.
Under serving the stars of course here Magi, that is, the sages who studied the stars and worshiped them; Lead you- to know you; Sun of truth and East from above called Jesus Christ, who enlightened people with His teachings.
Holiday kontakion.
Kontakion- a short song containing a story celebratory event; essential- Existing before all ages, that is, always; nativity scene- cave; With shepherds- with shepherds; glorify- sing, praise God; Otrocha young- baby.
In the history of Christianity, a special role belongs to the three Magi, who were the first of all to recognize Jesus Christ. They came from the east, led by the Star of Bethlehem. Who were these magi, why did they come, what kind of star led them?
The appearance of bright comets in the sky has always heralded the upcoming changes and global events. The birth of some exceptional personalities was marked by the sudden appearance of the brightest "tail stars". History knows many such facts, but the most significant, of course, is the birth of Jesus Christ.
As is known from the Gospel of Matthew, as well as from apocryphal literature and Christian traditions, the first to know about the birth of the Savior were the Persian Magi Magi, who came from the east to bow to the "King of the Jews." The comet that "came before them" brought them to Bethlehem, directly to the place where Christ was born. The prophecy of the Eritrean Sibyl came true:
“Children, the birth of the earth brought great joy,
The Throne rejoiced in heaven, and the world rejoiced.
The magicians paid homage to a star never seen before
And, believing in God, they saw him lying in a manger.
Not only the prophecies of the Sibyl from Eritrea came true - the ancient prediction of Zoroaster himself was fulfilled, and the hopes and aspirations of the Zoroastrian clergy, who had long been expecting the arrival of the Savior, were justified. Jewish and early Christian literature, which borrowed much from Zoroastrian eschatology, retained direct indications of the relationship and even continuity between Zoroastrianism and Christianity. Thus, the apocryphal Arabic Gospel of Jesus' childhood says: "When Jesus, our Lord, was born in Bethlehem, in Judea, in the time of King Herod, magicians came from the east to Jerusalem, as Zarathushtra had predicted."
Even in the Middle Ages, Christian theologians, especially those of the Syrian and Armenian churches, were still aware of the spiritual connection connecting the ancient religion of Zoroaster and the young religion of Christ. In the "Condensed History of Dynasties" by Bar-Ebrey, a Jacobite bishop of the thirteenth century. we find confirmation of the words of the Arabic Gospel of the childhood of Jesus: “At that time there lived Zorodasht, the teacher of the sect of magicians ... He spoke to the Persians about the coming of Christ and ordered them to bring gifts to him. He announced to them: end times the virgin in the womb will receive, and when the baby is born, a star will appear, which will flare up during the day, and in the middle of it the virgin will be visible. But you, my children, before all peoples will know about his birth. And when you see that star, follow it wherever it leads you, and bring your gifts to the baby. For that child is the "Word" which heaven founded." In this testimony, Zarathushtra appears as a messianic prophet, anticipating the coming of the Son of God.
The Syrian-Nestorian Metropolitan Mar Solomon, who also lived in the 13th century, speaks even more definitely about Christianity as a continuation and development of the teachings of Zoroaster. In the book of mysteries "Bee", he gives a fairly detailed description of Zarathushtra's prediction regarding the birth of Christ, and these two exceptional personalities in this testimony merge into a single whole, a kind of original being, conceived through the "Word" of the Creator of all that is:
“Zaradosht’s prediction about our Lord: when he was sitting at the well in Khorin, he said to his disciples: Listen, my beloved children, I will reveal to you the secret of the great king who will come into the world at the end of time. The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son. And the people of that country will fight against him in order to destroy him, but they will not succeed. Then he will be seized and nailed to wooden cross. And heaven and earth will mourn for him, and generations of nations will weep for him. He will descend into the depths of the earth and from the depths he will ascend into heaven. Then he will come with an army of light and approach on white clouds, for he is a child who was conceived through the “Word” of the creator of all that is ... He will be of my kind. I am he and he is me. He is in me and I am in him. And when he comes, great signs will appear in the sky, and his brilliance will surpass the brilliance of the sky ... But you should watch and remember what I told you, and wait for the prediction to be fulfilled. For you will be the first to see the coming of this great king. And when that star rises, send an embassy to bring gifts and bow to him ... And he and I are one.
Such testimonies by Christian theologians might seem dubious and even groundless if they were not confirmed in the written Zoroastrian tradition. According to Avestan eschatology, known to us from Bundahishnu, Bahman-yasht, Rivayat and other Zoroastrian texts, after Zarathushtra three Saviors should come into the world in succession - Khushedar (“Growing truth”), Khushedar-mah (“Growing veneration ”) and Saoshyant (“Incarnated the truth”). With the advent of Saoshyant - the last Savior, Frashegird - the Last Judgment will come, the dead will be resurrected and the world will be cleansed of the filth of sin in the universal flame. Then the world will be restored, and people will acquire a new incorruptible body - these ideas were subsequently reflected in the Christian concept of doomsday. It should be noted here that eschatological and messianic sentiments appeared in the Jewish environment only after close contact between the Jews and the Persians, who professed Mazdeism, which is no less strict monotheism than Judaism. The policy of Cyrus, who delivered the Jews from the oppression of the Babylonian captivity, patronized their religion and even provided them with money for the restoration of the Solomon Temple, forced the people of Moses to respect the religious beliefs of the Persians. As a result, a sect of the Pharisees arose among the Jews, whose representatives began to teach about the coming of the Messiah, the Last Judgment and the resurrection of the dead at the end of time. Thus, in the bosom of Judaism, fertilized by the Zoroastrian idea of the Savior, Christianity was born five and a half centuries later. The teaching of the long-awaited Messiah, who came to the people of Israel, was rejected by fellow tribesmen, but accepted by other peoples. The first to recognize the baby Jesus Christ the Savior were Persian magicians - representatives of the Zoroastrian priesthood, who knew better than anyone else where and when the Savior was to be born.
Due to historical circumstances, Christianity, which has become state religion The Roman Empire, the main political rival of the Persian royal dynasties, could not be accepted by the Zoroastrian clergy of the Sassanid Empire as a child religion in relation to Zoroastrianism. Perhaps this was precisely the irreparable mistake of the high priests of Zoroastrianism - the most ancient monotheistic religion, which, a few centuries after the adoption of Christianity by the entire pagan world, fell under the powerful blows of young Islam. In the 6th century, the fragmented Persian Empire, in which spiritual power was barely supported by an orthodox priesthood, tired of the constant struggle with the Manichaeans, Mazdakites and other heretics, could not oppose anything to the power of the Arab conquerors, inspired by the words of the Prophet Muhammad.
Unfortunately, it must be admitted that by the time of the fall of the Sassanid Empire, Zoroastrianism had already degenerated, but six centuries before this sad event, things were completely different, and representatives of the Zoroastrian clergy could recognize the birth of the Son of God in a people other than Persian. Without a doubt, those magicians who came to worship the Christ child saw in him the long-awaited Khushedar (“Growing Truth”) - the first of the three Saviors who were to come after Zarathushtra and bring a new religious revelation.
(Fresco by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel)
According to Avestan mythology, all the Saviors following Zarathushtra will be his sons, born of God-chosen virgins, who must enter the sacred lake Kansava, in which Zarathushtra left his seed. In this regard, we recall the words of the Christian theologian Mar-Solomon, which he puts into the mouth of Zoroaster, speaking of Christ: "He will be of my kind." These words fit perfectly into the Zoroastrian concept of the birth of the Saviors-Saoshyants and thus acquire special significance. Of course, it should not be taken literally that the seed of Zoroaster is in the lake, and that the virgin who enters this lake must certainly become the mother of a divine child who is destined to save humanity. Carl Gustav Jung, using the method of analytical psychology, convincingly proved that the mythical lakes, streams, seas and other bodies of water that give rise to divine life in their depths are an archetypal symbol of the ocean of the unconscious, in the depths of which the self is born. The immersion in the sacred reservoir of the immaculate virgin (in all religious traditions, the mother of the God-man) and the birth of the eternal baby is, as a macrocosmic symbol of the birth of the world from dark waters chaos, as well as a microcosmic symbol of the awakening of divine light in a soul unburdened by sin, plunged into the ocean of the unconscious. Those Saviors who should come into the world after Zarathushtra will, of course, be his spiritual heirs, but not his sons in the physical sense.
To those Zoroastrian priests who came to bow to the baby Christ, the kinship of Zoroaster and Christ seemed to be very natural, since they considered the existence of the fravahara (soul) of Zoroaster and the Saoshyants (of which they included Christ) to be without beginning, dissolved in God and having its own origin. from the creation of the world. By affirming the pre-eternal existence of the Son of God, Christians only confirm the ancient idea of the pre-eternity and divine nature of the Savior of the human race, expressed in early Zoroastrian religious texts.
Persian magicians, who mastered the art of astrology, really expected the arrival of the Savior, and the appearance in the sky of a bright comet, visible even during the day, was perceived by them as a sign of the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. Having waited for the fulfillment of the ancient prediction, three magicians (namely, this is how the priests of the Mazdayas religion call themselves to this day) brought three gifts to the infant Christ - gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Gospel of Matthew describes it this way:
“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, magicians from the east came to Jerusalem and said: Where is the King of the Jews who has been born? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him. Then Herod, secretly calling the magi, found out from them the time of the appearance of the star and, sending them to Bethlehem, said: go, carefully inquire about the baby and, when you find it, notify me so that I can go and bow to him. They, having listened to the king, went. And behold, the star which they saw in the east went before them, until at last it came and stood over the place where the child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy, and entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshiped him; and having opened their treasures, they brought him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having received a revelation in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed by another way to their own country.
The three wise men who brought the baby Christ gold, frankincense and myrrh thus honored him as a king, high priest and sacrifice. Usually the gifts of magicians are interpreted as follows: they pay tribute to the king with gold, honor the deity with incense, and anoint the dead with myrrh. If we accept the version of the Persian, and not the Assyrian origin of the Magi, then the symbolism of the three gifts will become even more significant. The three gifts of the Magi are symbols of the three castes of the Zoroastrian society and the three types of Khvarna - the divine mark that distinguishes a person from among the others. The spark of God in a person, talent, the ability to lead people - that's what Hvarna is. This concept, sacred to the Zoroastrians, is threefold in nature. The Zoroastrians singled out the royal khvarna, the khvarna of the priests and the khvarna of the warriors. Gold was considered a symbol of royal charisma, frankincense was considered a symbol of priestly charisma, and myrrh or myrrh was considered a symbol of military charisma, since it is warriors who sacrifice themselves for the salvation of others and thereby doom themselves to martyrdom. The bringing of three symbolic gifts to Christ testifies to the greatest reverence for him by the Zoroastrian priests, who saw in him a superman, combining the qualities of a warrior, priest and king.
The names of the Magi who came to Christ vary in early Christian literature. Origen gives the names of Abimelech, Ohozat, and Phicol. Since the Middle Ages, a strong tradition has been established to call the Magi Kaspar, Balthazar and Melchior, but, apparently, Syrian Christians were closer to the truth, naming the names of Hormizd, Yazdegerd and Peroz. These purely Persian names, often found in the lists of the royal dynasties of the Arshakids and Sassanids, give out among the Magi prominent figures of the Zoroastrian clergy.
Early Christian art also testifies to the national identity of the Magi - the details of their attire have always been a Persian round felt hat, trousers from which the Greeks and Romans laughed, a long tunic with sleeves, called the Zoroastrians "sudrekh". The Persian appearance of the Magi depicted in the Bethlehem Church of the Nativity of Christ made an indelible impression on the Persian king Khosrov II, who conquered all of Syria, Egypt and Palestine and restored Iran within the borders of the Achaemenid Empire. Khosrow II, seeing the mosaics depicting magicians, spared this church, despite the fact that he had previously set fire to many Christian churches.
Early Christian artists, as well as medieval ones, each time replaying the famous Christmas story with the worship of the Magi in a new way, almost always depicted a bright comet above the heads of the latter, visible even in daylight. This comet, called the "Star of Bethlehem", was immortalized in a fresco by Giotto, paintings by Van der Beek, Francesco Rabolini and other artists. This comet, which marked the arrival of the Savior in the world, flashed brightly just before the birth of Jesus Christ, went into the dark depths of space in order to return in two thousand years and announce to the inhabitants of the Earth about the second coming of the Son of God.
Comets are the signs through which the higher heavenly forces show us the manifestation of their will and, knowing this, astrologers have long called them "the fingers of God." What does the finger of a bright comet, recently discovered by the Japanese astronomer Hyakutake, indicate to us? Based on the knowledge of its cycle, and scientists calculated that it is equal to 2000 years, we can conclude that it was this comet that Eastern astrologers saw in 5 BC in the constellation Pisces, where the great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter took place. Most modern scientists are convinced that the chronology from the Nativity of Christ, introduced in the 5th century by the efforts of the monk Dionysius, is inaccurate, and Christ was born 5-7 years BC, which is quite consistent with the data of astronomers based on knowledge of the cycles of Jupiter, Saturn and comets - "Star of Bethlehem".
Comet Hyakutake was discovered on December 25, 1995 on the night of Christmas, approached the Earth on March 21-26, 1996, thereby marking the vernal equinox and the birthday of Zoroaster, she disappeared from the field of view of observers on September 8 - the day when the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is celebrated. This comet was visible from the Nativity of Christ until the Nativity of the Virgin! This is the same "Star of Bethlehem", which two thousand years ago showed the way to the cradle of Christ to the Eastern sages-stargazers.
But it is noteworthy and alarming that the comet Hyakutake was visible in the constellation Draco. One involuntarily recalls the apocalyptic prophecy of St. John about the persecution by the dragon cast down from heaven of the immaculate maiden who gave birth to the infant Savior:
“And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought against them, but they did not stand, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole universe, was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him ... When the dragon saw that he was cast down to the earth, he began to persecute the woman who gave birth to a male baby . And two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, so that she might fly into the wilderness to her place from the face of the serpent, and there she would eat for a time, times, and half a time... And the dragon became furious against the woman, and went to make war with the others from the seed her, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Comet Hyakutake passed through the constellation Draco, located near the north pole of the celestial sphere, but if we project the trajectory of this comet onto the ecliptic, we will see that the comet's vector will fall exactly into the zodiac constellation Virgo, with which the image of the Virgin Mary is associated. This can only be interpreted as a threat to the virgin, "who gave birth to a male baby" from the side of the dragon, that is, the devil. The apocalyptic prophecy of John the Theologian says that before the second coming of Christ occurs, the Antichrist will appear in the world, who will subdue all mankind.
The appearance of a bright comet in 1996, taking into account all the astrological circumstances of its appearance, can be regarded as a warning to all the inhabitants of the Earth, a warning about the imminent coming of the Antichrist and the coming of the last times. The expectation of the Last Judgment has always been characteristic of mankind, but on the eve of the third millennium and the onset of a new cosmic era associated with the transition of the Earth's precession axis into the sign of Aquarius, these expectations and gloomy forebodings are becoming more solid and definite.
Mosaic of the Church of San Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna. 6th century Ravenna, Italy
see also
Gifts of the Magi. Documentary A. Mamontova
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On January 6, the Orthodox Christian Church celebrates the Triumph of the Epiphany. This holiday is also called the feast of the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men. According to the Tradition, three kings: Caspar, Melchior and Belthazar came to Bethlehem from the East.
Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, magicians from the east came to Jerusalem and said:
where is the born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.
Hearing this, King Herod was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him.
And, having gathered all the high priests and scribes of the people, he asked them: where should Christ be born?
They said to him: In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet: and you, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, are in no way less than the governorships of Judah, for from you will come a Leader who will shepherd My people Israel.
Then Herod, secretly calling the Magi, found out from them the time of the appearance of the star and, sending them to Bethlehem, said: go, carefully inquire about the Baby and, when you find it, inform me so that I can go and worship Him.
They, having listened to the king, went. [And] behold, the star that they saw in the east went before them, until at last it came and stood over the place where the Child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with a very great joy, and, entering the house, they saw the Infant with Mary, His Mother, and, falling down, worshiped Him; and having opened their treasures, they brought him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having received a revelation in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed by another way to their own country.
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