Category Archives: Magi

The magi – Nabatean courtiers?

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In his book Mystery of the Magi, Dwight Longenecker develops a case for the Magi of Matthew 2 being courtiers from the kingdom of Nabatea.

Longenecker writes:

‘At the time of Jesus’ birth, the city of Petra was the thriving capital of the Nabatean kingdom, a major power in the Middle East. Covering most of the Sinai Peninsula and extending halfway along the eastern coast of the Red Sea, the Nabatean kingdom, at its height, spread across northern Arabia and present-day Jordan to Damascus in Syria.’

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9 things you didn’t know about the Star of Bethlehem

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Well, actually, you know all this stuff already if you’ve read my various notes and articles.

But here’s a convenient summary from Colin Nicholl, whose book The Great Christ Comet explores the topic in much more detail.

I here reproduce Nicholl’s article from The Washington Post in its entirety.

1. The Star was historical

Some have claimed that the Bethlehem Star is nothing more than a myth invented by the early Christians. But the latest scholarship suggests that Matthew’s Gospel is a biography that strives for historical accuracy.

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‘Most of the Christmas story is legend’

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I’ve mentioned before that this blog is nothing if not up-to-date.  So I’d like to turn the clock back a year to a widely-reported interview with The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.  The interview itself was broadcast on the BBC’s Radio Five on 19th December 2007.  By the time the Daily Mail got hold of it the following day, the headline was

Three Wise Men are just a legend, says Archbishop of Canterbury

And that paragon of faithful reporting adds with horror:-

Dr Rowan Williams says there is no evidence for the Magi

Dr Williams is also said to deny that Jesus was born in December, in a snow-covered stable, where he was visited by three wise men bearing gifts. …

Mt 2:11 – The visit of the Magi – sermon notes

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Matthew 2:11 – ‘On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. ‘

To us, it’s as cosy as a Christmas tree and as comfortable as an old pair of slippers. Of course, we just couldn’t leave it alone, this story of the Magi from the East who came to visit the infant Jesus.…