Today is Epiphany. It is the 12th Day of Christmas and the day we celebrate the story of the three wisemen or magi and the gifts they brought Jesus.
It is the story of a star, a search, of gifts, of hopes and dreams and of fears. We all know the story of the three magi, or do we?
“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the East came to Jerusalem asking: ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we have observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage.’”
This is in the second chapter of Matthew, which is the only biblical account of the magi.The Gospel of Luke tells of Mary’s and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, of shepherds, angels and Jesus born in a manger but not the magi. Magi is the word for a member of the priestly caste of Persia and the region around it. It can also mean an astrologer, a political figure or a king. The modern word magic comes from magi.
These three magi, now sometimes referred to as the wise men, saw an unusual star rising and went to investigate it. Their travels took them to Jerusalem and King Herod of Judea and then on to Bethlehem, where the star appeared to rest above a house. “On entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary …” Overjoyed they knelt down and presented Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Who were these three men?
A painting in one of Rome’s oldest Christian Catacombs is the earliest known image of the magi. In it, they appear as three men carrying gifts wearing short tunics and hats with soft peaks. By the second century, they were said to be three in number; by the fifth century, they were identified as kings. In the West they were given the names Balthassar, Melchior and Caspar. However, neither their names, their number, their physical descriptions nor the date of the magi’s arrival appears in the Bible.
The Feast of Epiphany on Jan. 6, which celebrates the arrival of the magi after Jesus’ birth, was being celebrated by the fourth century. Though Matthew does not give their number, it is usually considered to have been three as that was the number of gifts. The number of magi is not consistent, though, as images of them in ancient documents or painted in ancient churches and catacombs range from two to 12. The names and nationalities of the magi also vary with different regions and traditions.
One of the earliest accounts of the magi found outside of Matthew is in the Protoevangelium of James, a non-canonical infancy gospel, written A.D. 150-250. In it Jesus is born in a cave and visited by the magi but neither the number nor names of the magi are given. Justin Martyr, who died around A.D. 165, considered the magi to be priests from the east, practitioners of magic and astrologers. While early theologians believed the magi came from Persia, the Venerable Bede who died A.D. 735, believed they represented the three parts of the world: Africa, Asia and Europe.
By the early sixth century each of the magi was developing his own individual appearance, and by the 14th century one of them was often shown as being Black to represent the King of Africa. It was as kings of the world’s nations that they began appearing wearing crowns. The magi’s gifts were among the most expensive of the time, but they also have a deeper meaning. There was gold for a king, frankincense for the Lord, and myrrh — an oil to anoint the dead — for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for us. The story of the arrival of the three magi that we celebrate today as the Epiphany has a fascinating history.
There is also a traditional Epiphany blessing that has survived from medieval Europe. It is the blessing of a house, those who live there and all who enter it. The tradition is known as chalking the door and was said to prevent evil from entering the house until the following year when it would need to be again blessed on Epiphany. Using a piece of chalk that has been blessed by a priest or minister, a phrase is written above the front door of the house. The phrase includes the current year and the beginning letter of each magi’s name separated by crosses. As the phrase is written a blessing is said.
This year the phrase and blessing to be chalked is 20+C+M+B+24. Interestingly the C, M, and B do not just represent the magi Caspar, Melchior, and Balthassar but also the Latin phrase “Christus mansionem benedicat,” which means “May Christ bless this house”.
There is another tradition that by marking your door you are telling the Holy Family and the magi they are welcome to rest in your house as they travel on their journeys. In one version of the tradition a bucket of water is even to be set in front of the house. It is to provide water for the donkey of the Holy Family or for the camels of the magi should either stop to rest at your house during their travels.
And by the way, happy Mardi Gras. The season starts today and runs until Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
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