The Magi in adoration of the little Jesus
The Christmas by now at the gates it reminded me that it would be appropriate, and perhaps expected by my readers, to dedicate some specific articles to the topic, which dealt with curiosities and anecdotes on the most beautiful and awaited party of the year.
First of all, it should be noted that the many centuries that separate us from the event that changed the world, the birth of Jesus , make the historical reconstruction of facts and figures of the time difficult, some of which therefore, despite extensive studies and difficult research, continue to be shrouded in mystery, while others have been definitively clarified and ascertained.
Let's start by analyzing three characters that are never lacking in our cribs, the Magi.
In reality, the only canonical Gospel that expressly mentions the illustrious and indefatigable gentlemen, is that of Giovanni: “Herod, called secretly the Magi, asked them exactly the time when the star appeared and sent them to Bethlehem ... ".
L ' however, the evangelist does not mention their names, nor does he specify how many there were.
According to most historians, Magi was an ancient linguistic variant that stood for "Magi “, And they were probably priests of the Medes , a people living in present-day Iran, then subjected to Persian power.
John would have mentioned them in the story because they had a reputation as fortune-tellers and astrologers, and had been mentioned in the Old Testament about the coming of the Messiah.
The additions that we all know, namely that there were three Magi, who were called Belshazzar, Melchior and Gaspare and who as gifts brought gold, frankincense and myrrh , are due to Armenian apocryphal texts far later, ie medieval.
The details were inserted to make the figure of Jesus more familiar and close to ordinary people.