The Magi: An Investigation

       More Letters From Paradise
       The Magi, An Investigation
      The coming of the Magi plays an important role in the Christmas story.  But who were they?  Where did they come from?  The Bible only tells us that they came from the East,  and brought gifts to the infant Jesus and worshipped him.  That is not much information. Biblical scholars believe that they came from ancient Persia, modern-day Iran.
     Ancient people of the Near East spent a great deal of time in the study of the stars. Without the glare of modern lights the dark sky made the stars very visible. They looked to the stars to give them time to both plant crops and when to sow. They named various groups of stars for animals and mythical figures. The stars were also looked to as guides both on land and at sea. So it seems logical that when a prophecy came concerning the birth of a king,  that they would use a star to guide them to their goal.
       It is interesting about the gifts they chose to bring:  gold,  for its great value, frankincense, which was a gum resin burned as incense, and myrrh, also gum resin used to bind burial cloths.  If you were to bring gold as a gift for a king,vit would surely have been a large quantity. This would require a beast to carry the load. The other two gum resins would be smaller quantities, but would also require transport.
What I am getting at is that the three Magi or kings, as they are often called, did not travel alone. As they were wealthy men carrying gold, an armed escort would be required. And, what about tents, food, clothing etc. It was a very long journey.It was also a very hard journey. This is best described by the poet T.S. Eliot, in his great poem, "The Journey of the Magi."  No one can detail the journey and its hardships any better than he does.
      And in conclusion I argue that the Magi did not make the journey alone. There is also the matter of the gift of myrrh. Perhaps it was foretelling the body of Jesus being prepared following the crucifixion. Who knows? It's something to think about.

           Aloha
           Grant