Magi

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MAGI

Magi is the plural form of a little–used singular, magus (from Old Persian magu ), that designates a member of an ancient Near Eastern priestly caste.

According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus (Histories I), the Magi were originally a Median tribe. Herodotus described their peculiar customs, that they neither buried nor burnt their dead, but exposed them to the birds, that they practiced consanguineous marriage and were specialists in oneiromancy, i.e. divination through dreams, astrology, and magic—this last art taking its name from them. They forbade the killing of certain animals, but made the killing of certain others obligatory. Their view of the world was dualistic.

When the Persians displaced the Medes, darius the Great (521–486 b.c.), put to death several Magi who challenged his power, an event commemorated by an annual feast called "The Killing of the Magi." Nonetheless, their political influence grew steadily until they obtained a religious monopoly, for Herodotus reports it was not permitted to offer a sacrifice without the assistance of a Magus.

The Magi and Zoroastrianism. That the Magi were specialists in magic and astrology, according to the Greeks, is hardly characteristic of Zoroastrianism. The relationship between the Magi and the reform which found expression in zoroaster's Gāthās is problematic. Probably by the time of Artaxerxes I (465–425 b.c.), but certainly under Seleucus I (306–280 b.c.), the fusion was complete between the religion of the Achaemenids and that of Zoroaster. The Magi, as they enjoyed a religious monopoly, called themselves the disciples of Zoroaster. Thus, many Greek sources call Zoroaster a Magus, as did Xanthus (5th century b.c.) and Dinon (4th century b.c.) who were cited by Hermippus (3rd–2nd centuries b.c.).

The Magusaioi. The word is a Semitic and Greek adaptation of the Iranian term magus, and it designates the "Hellenized Magi" to whom a vast lore of pseudoscience, written in Greek, was attributed. In the dialogue Alcibiades, ascribed to Plato, two kinds of magic are distinguished: popular magic, which was tantamount to sorcery, and the authentic, or Persian magic, which was a form of religion. Although the philosophers maintained the distinction, it was lost to the general public, and the Magi in Hellenistic and Roman times were commonly considered as astrologers and sorcerers.

The Old Testament book of Daniel ascribes to magoi, in the Bablyonian kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, occult powers, such as divination and dream interpretation (Dan 1.20, 2.2, 4.4, 5.7). In the New Testament the term μάγος, outside of the Gospel of Matthew, has a perjorative connotation, with reference to simon magus in Acts 8.9–24 and Bar–Jesus in Acts 13.6–12. The Magi (μάγοι) in Mt 2.1–12, however, represent wise pagans who do homage to Jesus as Messiah.

Popular Traditions. Traditions about the Magi concern their social rank, their number, their names, and their place of origin.

Rank of the Magi. Popular tradition, by c. 500 a.d., knew the Magi as kings, although no historical evidence justifies this belief. Nor did any Father of the Church hold the opinion that the Magi were kings. In the liturgy of the Feast of epiphany the Magi are associated with Psalms 71 (72).10: "The kings of Tharsis and the Isles shall offer gifts," a Psalm to which Matthew alludes in 2.7–12. From such an association it was an easy, if uncertain, step to confer kingship upon the wise men.

Number and Names of Magi. In the West, at least, the "three kings" has become so common a synonym for the Magi that few people are aware that in Matthew's Infancy Narrative no mention is made of their number. The idea that the Magi were three in number seems to have grown from the number of gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh) offered to the infant Christ. In the East, however, the number of the Magi is set at 12. In art they are depicted as two, three, four, or even eight.

Regarding the names of the wise men, again, popular tradition embellishes where the evangelist is silent. In Western tradition the names Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar appear only in the 8th century. In Syrian tradition such names as Larvandad, Harmisdas, and Gushnasaph occur, while the Armenians refer to Kagba, Badalima, etc.

Place of Origin. Matthew's narrative states only that the Magi were from the East, which could mean Mesopotamia or Persia, though the gifts seem to indicate South Arabia (Is 60.6; Ps 72.15). Along these lines Maximus speculates Babylon; Clement and Cyril of Alexandria, Persia; Justin and Tertullian, Arabia. Bede thought that the three represented the continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The Magi are sometimes considered descendants of the three sons of Noah. As offspring of the families of Sem, Ham, and Japheth, they would represent the major families of humanity. Although it can only be a later elaboration, this interpretation suggests the call of all people to Christ.

Relics of the Magi. The cathedral of Cologne possesses and venerates the relics of "the holy three kings." The relics were brought to Cologne from Milan in the 12th century, but little is known about them before that date.

Magi in the Gospel. In the Christian tradition, the theological significance of the Magi's visit is more important than its historical significance. The visit of the Magi is the first of two episodes in Matthew 2. The evangelist fashioned the chapter by drawing from two Old Testament stories. The visit of the Magi is modeled after Numbers 22–24 while the second episode (Mt 2.13–23) draws upon the Exodus story, as told in the Old Testament (Ex 1–4) and supplemented by midrashic expansions of the kind recounted by the Jewish historians Josephus and Philo. The Exodus motifs, in the latter, draw a parallel between Moses and Jesus.

The use of Numbers 22–24 in the episode concerning the Magi, prepares the stage for the Exodus to follow. In Numbers 22–24, the wicked king Balak of Moab seeks to destroy the Israelites under Moses just as the wicked king Herod sets into motion, in vv.1–12, a plot to destroy Jesus, which will be carried out explicitly in due time (vv.13, 18). In Numbers, a seer, Balaam, called a magus by midrashic lore, and coming "from the east," delivers favorable oracles, predicting prosperity for Israel and a strong, royal leader, thus thwarting the malicious designs of the wicked king. Similarly, the Magi in the Gospel come from the East (Mt 2.1) and, in virtue of visionary gifts, recognize and pay homage to Jesus as Messiah (vv.2, 11), thus auguring well for the defeat, in the next episode, of King Herod's plot. Numbers 24.17, concerning a star that will come forth from Jacob, was a well–known messianic text in Judaism; it furnishes the star in the Magi episode (Mt 2.2, 9, 10).

Matthew weaves scripture citations into the episode. Verse 6 blends Micah 5.1 and 2 Samuel 5.2 to articulate a Davidic messianic theme, for the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. Although the Magi are not so well schooled in Jewish scriptures as the Jewish king and rulers would be, they, by contrast to the rulers, are able to recognize the fulfilment of Jewish scripture: that Jesus is King of the Jews, Messiah. Their homage to him (v.11) alludes to Psalms 72.10–11 and Isaiah 60.6, which features foreigners bearing gold and frankincense in homage to Israel's anointed ruler. This allusion demonstrates that the Magi are representative of the world outside of Israel, the Gentiles to whom the kingdom is given once Israel refuses the Messiah (Mt 21.42–43).

Bibliography: m. m. bourke, "The Literary Genus of Matthew 1–2," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly (Washington 1939–) 22 (1960) 160–175. j. e. bruns, "The Magi Episode in Matthew 2," ibid., 23 (1961) 51–54. e. j. houdous, "The Gospel of the Epiphany," ibid., 6 (1944) 69–84. d. daube, "The Earliest Structure of the Gospels," New Testament Studies (Cambridge, Eng.–Washington 1954–) 5 (1958–59) 174–187. r. leaney, "The Birth Narratives in St. Luke and St. Matthew," ibid., 8 (1961–62) 158–166. a. m. denis, "L'Adoration des Mages vue par S. Matthieu," Nouvelle revue théologique (Tournai–Louvain–Paris 1869–) 82 (1960) 32–39. s. m. iglesias, "El género literario del Evangelio de la Infancia en San Mateo," Estudios biblicos (Madrid 1941–) 17 (1958) 243–273. p. a. king, "Matthew and Epiphany," Worship, 36 (1961–62) 89–95. g. messina, "Ecce Magi ab Oriente venerunt," Verbum Domini (Rome 1921–) 14 (1934) 7–19. h. j. richards, "The Three Kings," Scripture 8 (1956) 23–28. d. squillaci, "I Magi," Palestra del clero, 39 (1960) 16–20. r. e. brown, The Birth of the Messiah, rev. ed. (New York 1999). The Pontifical Biblical Commission, The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (Vatican City 1993).