From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 1997 03:44:20 +0000
Subject: The Wise Men
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
From: Lori Eldridge
Subject: Re: Christmas in the Bible
You said:
> THE WISE MEN
>
> Finally, the Bible does NOT say that there were THREE wise
>men. Once again this is Christian Christmas tradition that has no
>Biblical basis and once again we read the account of the birth of
>Yeshua/Jesus through our 20th century, Western Christian mind rather
>than from the culture in the day in which the text was written. A
>famous song is sung at Christmas time from which we get the concept
>of THREE wise men. The song is ...
>
>"We THREE Kings from ORIENT are
>bearing gifts we travel afar ..."
>
> This is a nice song but it is unbiblical. The wise men
>were NOT from the ORIENT. It was NOT the chinese who were looking
>for a Jewish Messiah. It was Jewish RABBI'S.
>
Hi Eddie,
I recently read an article in the "Personal Update" magazine by Chuck
Missler that I would like your opinion on that portrays these Magi as being
from Medo-Persia. (I was going to just post the URL but it is from the Dec.
'97 issue and not available yet so the following is my own paraphrase of
that article).
Chuck explains that the Persian Magi (of which Daniel was a Rab-Mag or
Chief of the Magi) were established as a state religion of Persia by
Darius. These Magi were considered to be experts in the interpretation of
Dreams. They provided civil as well as political counsel. It was their duty
to choose and elect the king of the realm.
The Parthians (a part of the Achaemenian Empire) had captured Jerusalem
several times, the last time being when they swept all Roman opposition
completely out of Palestine (Including Herod himself who fled to Rome).
Jewish sovereignty was restored under the Parthians and Jerusalem
fortified. Herod had been crowned "King of the Jews" by Caesar but he was
not able to occupy his own capital city for 3 more years until the Romans
recaptured Jerusalem from the Parthians.
At the time of Christ's birth Parthia was racked by internal dissension and
there were fears that the current king would be deposed with the Magi
possibly involved in political maneuvering to choose his successor. Chuck
believes it is possible that the Magi might have taken advantage of this
dissention to try to establish a new dynasty using Daniel's prophecies of
the Messiah and thus coming to Palestine to seek the prophesied king. He
therefore believes it could have been a group of Persian-Parthian
"King-makers" who entered Jerusalem towards the end of Herod's reign and
because of the Parthian-Roman rivalry this was the reason for Herod's
anxiety about their coming to Jerusalem.
I would appreciate it if you could give us your own opinion why this
possible scenario is, or is not, true.
Thanks,
Lori Eldridge
>From Eddie:
**************
Lori,
Parts of what Chuck was trying to explain is true. The confusion
comes from the fact that the Greek word for "wise men" (3097) which
is "Magos" or Magi CAN MEAN the following as given in the Thayer's
Greek Lexicon under the word "magos" (the name given by the
Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes, Persians, and others to the wise
men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters
of dreams, augurs, soothsayerss, sorcerers etc). This was the term
given for Babylonian astrologers, interpreter of dreams etc.
However, while Daniel would have been given the title of
"Ravmag" in Babylon because he was a interpreter of dreams, Daniel
was not an astrologer or soothsayer. Astrology and soothsaying is
forbidden in the Torah and Daniel was a Torah observant Jew.
However, the sages of Israel (Rabbi's) were also called "wise
men" or Chakamim. The Hassidic Jews are called CHABAD. This is an
acronym. The CH stands for Chachma or wisdom. Those who study
the Torah and taught it to the people are called, "wise men" or
sages.
In Psalm 19:7 it says:
"The TORAH of the Lord ... making WISE the simple"
In Hosea 4:6, God calls the TORAH KNOWLEDGE as it is written:
"My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge because you have
rejected knowledge ... seeing that you have forgotten the TORAH of
your God ..."
In Deuteronomy 4:5-6 it is written:
"Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments ... keep therefore
and do them; for this is your WISDOM ..."
It is quite possible that in the (anti-torah) translation of
the NT, that the wrong word was used. Many believe that the NT was
originally written in Hebrew and later translated into Greek. At the
present time, we only have a copy of the Greek manuscripts.
The Gospel is to the JEW FIRST (Romans 1:16). Therefore, the first
one's to see the Jewish Messiah were most assurredly Jewish Rabbi's
called "wise men" (teachers of the Torah) not Babylonian astrologers.
It was very common for Rabbi's in the days of Yeshua/Jesus to
learn a trade. Yeshua/Jesus Himself was a carpenter before He began
His public ministry. It would not be unthinkable for Jewish Rabbi's
to also know how to read and understand the stars. Most Christians
don't realize that the redemptive plan of God is told in the stars
(Dr. James Kennedy of Coral Ridge Ministries in Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida has some very good information on this). Most Christians only
understand the negative aspect of astrology in today's society. Most
Christianis don't know that each of the twelve tribes of Israel has an
associated constellation in the galaxy.
Therefore, by not having an understanding of the Hebraic
Roots of your faith, it is very easy to misunderstand the meaning of
the "wise men" and what they came to see and why.
************************************************************************