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hpj0828
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| Joined: | Sun Apr 1st, 2007 |
| Location: | USA |
| Posts: | 136 |
| First Name: | Henry | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Messianic Jewish believer |
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Posted: Sat Apr 12th, 2008 05:30 pm |
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Thought this might be interesting enough not to be buried too deeply in another post. So, I'm copying and pasting it here as a new topic.
Jeff is correct. The history behind the Magi is really profound--not known by most Christians. I had the opportunity to do a research paper on them using the Princeton Univ and Seminary Library system during my tour of duty at Princeton Seminary.
First, to Jeff's point, the Hebrew behind the verse which he quotes:
Gen 1:14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years
The Hebrew word translated "seasons" here is moedim. This is the same word used for the "Jewish holidays" of Lev. 23. The word means "an appointed time of meeting" between God and man--this is exactly what those holidays are. The incarnation of Jesus was certainly the greatest example of a moed. So, there must be lights in the heavens announcing it. Astronomically, it appears to have been a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Venus and the brightest start in the sky Regulus, the King Star, appearing in the constellation of Leo the lion that spurred their journey to the domain of Judah--the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
Once the wise men had arrived in Jerusalem, the phenomenon of planetary precession explains how the "star went ahead of them and stopped above" Bethlehem, 5 miles due South of Jerusalem, where Jesus was born. The explanation of this is too complicated to go into here.
The Greek historian Herodotus referred to the Persians with the term "magus" meaning wise. The Persians were Zoroastrians, who followed the teachings of the Persian prophet named Zoroaster in Greek or Zarathustra in Persian. Zoroaster was a monotheist, a rarity in the ancient world. His name for God was Ahura Mazda, or "Wise Lord" in Persian. So the followers of the "Wise Lord" were the "Wise Men."
Further, the Zoroastrians believed that the one God was composed of a divine triad which may be a predecessor of the concept of the Trinity.
Zoroaster is dated between 1300 BC and 500 BC, depending on whether a given scholar wants to give the Persians or the Jews credit for the theological innovations of the Exile. During the Exile, Jews and Persians lived together and the two religions influenced one another, as indicated by the book of Esther. According to Esther, the Jews had a profound influence on the Persians, such that many Gentile Persians converted to Judaism:
Es 8:17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them
This was the beginning of Jewish proselytism and the ancestor of the concept of Christian missions.
Zoroaster wrote the Gathas which are hymns of praise to Ahura Mazda, similar to our Psalms.
Later Zoroastrians added to his writings to create the Zend Avesta, the holy Scriptures of Zoroastrianism--a religion that today is all but extinct. Perhaps from contact with the prophecies of Isaiah, perhaps independently of Isaiah, the Zend Avesta has a profound prophecy of the coming of 3 Redeemers (related to the divine triad of Ahura Mazda?) who are to be born of virgins. These Redeemers called the Saoshayants would be responsible for the worldwide overthrow of evil, the ushering of a "Messianic Age" and the bodily resurrection of the dead!
52. All people will be upholders of Religion; they will be loving and benevolent to one another.
53. All people living after that will not die.
54. (As for) those (who are) dead, the Soshans [Redeemers], and the makers of the Renovation who are his helpers *will raise them in (their) dead bodies.
55. Ohrmazd [A form of the name Ahura Mazda the one God of the Persians] will summon bones from the earth, and blood from the waters, and hair from the plants, and spirit from the wind; he will mix one with the other and he will create the form which each has [i.e. in this present life].
56. The Soshans will perform one Yasna, he will raise one fifth of the dead; with the second Yasna a fifth, with the third Yasna a fifth, with the fourth Yasna a fifth, with the fifth Yasna he will raise all the dead.
(From Pahlavi Rivayat, ch 48. based on tr. of A.V. Williams, 1990.)
So, the Persian worshippers of Ahura Mazda, the "Wise Men" who followed the "Wise Lord" were expecting the coming of a World Redeemer who was to be born of a virgin and who was to usher in a Messianic age and be responsible for the bodily resurrection of the dead! This expectation was based upon the prophecies of their own Scriptures!
Further, they looked for signs in the sky. The brilliant star formed of a conjunction of the King Planet (Jupiter), the Morning Star (Venus) and the King Star Regulus, (amazing how the number three keeps popping up) in the constellation of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah indicated that the Redeemer had come to Judah.
The prophet Isaiah foretold the great deliverance of Cyrus the Persian Zoroastrian monarch in which Cyrus would send the Jews back to their land after the Babylonian Exile of 586 BC . Isaiah actually calls Cyrus the Messiah! or anointed one! (Isaiah 45:1)
We have the archaeological remains of the Cylinder of Cyrus in which Cyrus decrees the emancipation of the slaves of the Babylonian empire and their religious freedom He actually abolishes the practice of slavery throughout his empire. A replica of this great document of human rights is displayed in the UN building in NYC.
In summary, the Persians are responsible two times for the survival of Judaism, Christianity and the Messiah himself.
The first time is the return of the Jews to their land after the Babylonian Exile and the financing of the rebuilding of their Temple.
The second time is the gifts of the Magi to Jesus' family.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the gold, frankincense and myrhh? Where did all this portable wealth go?
Immediately after these gifts were given, Joseph and his family flee to Egypt to escape the murdering of Jesus by Herod's men. How does a poor family (who could only afford the 2 pigeon sacrifice at Jesus' dedication in the Temple) afford to leave their carpentry business and travel to another country where no one knows them? Ans: Gold, Frankincense and Myrhh. So, the Magi financed the Flight of Jesus' family to Egypt. Once again, God used the Persian people to save his Chosen Ones! Do you think that God was speaking through Zoroaster as well as Isaiah?
Well, that was a lot...
Maybe it helps?
Shalom! Lailah Tov!
Henry
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HPJ
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JillD
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Visalia, California USA |
| Posts: | 600 |
| First Name: | Jill | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | heathen, EvFree, Messianic, LC-MS, Catholic 2007 |
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Posted: Sat Apr 12th, 2008 07:23 pm |
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Thank you, Henry. That was indeed worth reposting. I have a friend whom I've invited to this forum many times, but she just hasn't yet jumped aboard. I did send her the link to the thread that had your posting on it and she was fascinated by your explanation.
The commonalities are amazing. Some would say that that is proof that the CC is pagan. I prefer to say it's proof that God's presence cannot be kept hidden, and that it manifests itself in some way in many, if not all, of the world's religions. I used to think, for example, that Easter, the word coming from Ishtar or Ashtoreth (right?), was pagan. Now I prefer to understand that Ishtar has been sanctified. 'Had some truth in the beginning, but has been made holy and true by Righteousness and Truth Himself.
Shalom I know, but Lailah Tov??
Jill
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"The alternative to obedience is to turn the conversation into a cacophony of Christians making it up as they go along." - Fr. Richard John Neuhaus
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
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Posted: Sun Apr 13th, 2008 02:45 am |
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Lailah Tov = Good Night or Good Evening.
David
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hpj0828
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| Joined: | Sun Apr 1st, 2007 |
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| First Name: | Henry | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Messianic Jewish believer |
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Posted: Sun Apr 13th, 2008 02:57 am |
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God has deposited a portion of His truth in all religions. The way to lead people from other religions to faith in Christ is to acknowledge the truth they already have and honor it!
From there, one can extend this truth into the fulness of the gospel of the Messiah.
I really enjoy the study of other religions and the honoring of those who follow them.
Only from a position of humble servitude can one lead another to greater truth.
I think that our moderators are wonderful examples of this truth:
Todah Raba!
Henry
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HPJ
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hpj0828
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| Joined: | Sun Apr 1st, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 136 |
| First Name: | Henry | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Messianic Jewish believer |
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Posted: Sun Apr 13th, 2008 02:58 am |
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Lailah Tov = Good Night or Good Evening
YES!
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HPJ
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