The magical Christian three kings

The Three Wise Men are also known under the name of the "Three Wise Men from the Orient" . They occur in the Christian tradition and St. Matthew also mentions them in his Gospel. In the Christmas story, the three wise men from the Orient appear and visit the newborn Christ child. They are described as astrologers, astronomers and astrologers.

The original Greek text of the Christian Bible translation speaks of magicians. In Greek, "Magoi" also means magician. These people were busy with astronomy at the time and astrology also fell into it. The magicians mentioned had to have an excellent knowledge of mathematics if they were wise. Every Christian knows the star of Bethlemem and it is also named. The star led the three wise men directly to the place of Jesus' birth. The New Testament does not speak of kings per se and one does not actually learn anything about the number of wise men. Around the end of the 3rd century, a legend was created about the birth of Jesus and the three saints. This is very extensive, but you also know that there is a real core in every legend!

The names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar came up in the 6th century. These names were widely used by the Western Church. The Catholic Church honors the Three Wise Men as saints in their own right. A solemn festival is dedicated to them, which is celebrated every year on January 6th. January 6th is the Epiphany, the apparition of the Lord. The Protestant churches also commemorate the Three Kings on the day and the birth of Christ. The Orthodox celebrate Epiphany on December 25th.

Exegesis with a biblical background

Matthew 2 of the Gospel is about the birth of Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, the birth took place in Bethlehem. The saints from the Orient venerate the newly-fermented baby Jesus. The magicians from the east presented the newborn with rich gifts. King Herod was ruler of Judea at the time. At that time the birth of Jesus Christ fell. The magicians moved from the east to Bethlehem. First they came to Jerusalem and wanted to know the way to Jesus. "Where is the king who was just born? The king of the Jews?" The saints saw a remarkable star that showed them the way to the Christ Child. They wanted to adore him and pay homage to him. In Greek the word "magos" means magician. At that time, however, there was also the Magi, a caste of Zoroastrian priests. They were descended from Median priests, from the skinny. These were also cited by Strabo, Herodotus or Philon of Alexandria. It can therefore be that they were also astrologers from Persia.

There is also the view that the wise men of the east came from Babylon. And were inspired by the Jewish community there. These magicians represented the world of the Gentiles. They wanted to find the "King of the Jews". The "King of the Jews", the term was only used by Gentiles in the Gospel of Matthew. In Judaism, however, only "King of Israel" appears in this Gospel. The wise men saw this star rise and it heralded a royal birth. It can be assumed from a star that could be observed in the sky. In Virgil's Aeneid there is also a star. It's about the ancient, pagan world. But also in Judaism there is talk of a coming star (for example in Num. 24,17). In Ex. 13,21 there is a wandering pillar of fire. It is uncertain whether there was really an extraordinary star phenomenon in the sky at that time. It may be that a comet, a supernova or a special planetary constellation occurred. The opinions of astronomers differ here. Some theologians also speak of a symbolic character.

In verses 3 to 8 the way of the wise leads first of all to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capital and what could be more natural than that a king of Israel should be born in Jerusalem? The reactions to the birth of Jesus varied in nature. Aristocrats and politicians alike were terrified of his birth. The Messiah was born, as can be read in verse 3. In the eighth verse we read of Herod who gave an order. He wanted to know from the Three Kings where the newborn was and where it was born. Accordingly, the Three Wise Men should return to him and report to him. The child murder in Bethlehem reports it in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew the Evangelist here prepared readers for the rulers' aversion to the birth of Jesus. The focus is on the aversion of the ruling caste to the birth of Jesus. His own people wanted him dead rather than alive. In the ninth verse the wise men set off again. You continue to follow the star in the sky and now the trail of the heavenly phenomenon comes into play. The star leads the Three Magi to the birthplace of the Messiah. The wandering star remains in place and shows the wise men the place of birth. In the Gospel of Luke, a manger is described as the place of birth (Luke 2.7). No further details about the House of Birth are revealed. In the Gospel of Matthew you read of a house, as you can read in verse 11. Verses 10 and 11 deal with the various emotions at the birth of Jesus. On the one hand there is the horror of those in power. And on the other hand, the happiness of the magicians from the East can hardly be put into words. They are very happy about the birth of Jesus. The baby Jesus receives abundant gifts from the magicians of the Orient.

What are the rich gifts of the wise ?

• Gold
• Incense
• Myrrh

Gold was and is always a very generous gift. Frankincense and myrrh were used for smoking even then and were very expensive. You can read about these gifts in the eleventh verse. Many exegetes believe that passages from the Old Testament come into play here.

In Psalm 72,10 to verse 15 you can read: "About the pilgrimage to Zion with the kings of the Tarshish area. It is also about kings and one also learns names: kings of Saba and Seba! They have precious gifts for the newborn in their luggage. All kings of the earth are to prostrate themselves before the infant Jesus. They are to serve him and gold from Saba is to be brought to the child. "

The book of Isaiah in 60: 6 speaks of: "They come from Saba and the gifts of gold and incense are given to the child. The deeds of our Lord to be praised are to be proclaimed."

The Song of Songs in 3,6 speaks of: "Who rises from the steppe with pillars of smoke? Frankincense and myrrh cloud these and all the fragrances of traders?"

Valuable gifts

Matthew sees the rich gifts as confirmation of the Messiahship of Jesus. Gold is an appropriate gift for a king . Myrrh is a medicinal plant and when prepared as a medicine it comes directly from God. From the healing effect one can derive the "savior", also the doctor and the healer of the people. A reference to the temple can be made in Ex. 30,22 to 33. Incense is offered in it to pay homage to the high priest of Israel. In the Gospel of John 19:39 we read of myrrh and Nicodemus. This mixed 100 pounds of myrrh with beneficial aloe vera. Nicodemus brought this mixture to the tomb of Jesus. Myrrh is assigned to a king and you can read about it in Beda Venerabilis. The text was probably based on a painter's handbook in Greece . Here you can read about Balthasar and he announced the death of the Messiah with the medicinal plant myrrh. Friedrich von Spee wrote a poem about it in 1623. For him, the medicinal plant myrrh is not a healing sign. In the poem it is a sign of man and his death. This lies dead in the grave and is embalmed with myrrh.

In the antiphon of Benedictus, which is preached on January 7th, there is a laud and this idea is also used to express it. The great king receives gold, frankincense and myrrh to embalm from the three wise men. Guido Maria Dreves created the text for the song "A star has risen". It roughly says: "Frankincense for the heir of God, gold for the king's child and myrrh for him who dies on the cross". In Matthew 2:12 we also read that the three saints do not become Herod's allies. Of course, they do not reveal the little newborn and then they are no longer mentioned in Matthew. The New Testament has no further interest in them in that regard. They only serve as witnesses to the birth of Jesus.

Some traditions of number, name and age as well as origin

In the Greek literature of late antiquity the priestly classes of Zarahustras were called "Magoi". They lived in Persia and the Bible specifically lists them as kings. This is what it says in Ps. 72:10 and Isa. 60 written. The Christian text declares them as kings of Christianity. Tertullian was a church writer who lived in the 3rd century. He wrote that these three wise men had and appeared to be like kings. In any case, they must have been very wealthy. Caesarius of Arles and Isidore of Seville celebrated the magicians as great kings. In the Legenda aurea, however, they are described as astrologers, magicians and philosophers. In the centuries after the birth of Christ there are various statements about the wise. Origines, who lived from 185 to 254 AD, names their number three. Murals that can be seen in the Domitilla Catacombs depict four sages.

The murals can be seen in Rome and on one painting in a catacomb you can only see two. However, this is probably due to reasons of space. In the picture, the wise men are wearing Phrygian caps. In the 19th and 20th centuries, edification literature speaks of legends. It says here that a fourth king did not arrive in time for the birth. He was late in Bethlehem, but arrived in time for Jesus' death on the cross. He was present on Mount Golgotha ​​in the legend. This is what Henry van Dyke, a car from America, tells it. Van Dyke is also a theologian and in 1895 he wrote his novel.

Edzar Schaper is a German-speaking novelist and he wrote a similar story in 1961. Michel Tournier is a writer from France and he wrote the novel "Kaspar, Melchior and Balthasar". In it he also writes about the fourth king, who was there too late. Mary and Joseph had already traveled back with Jesus on the donkey. The fine arts often depicted the kings as magicians, in late antiquity. These came from Persia and there was a mosaic from the 6th century. This mosaic is now considered lost or lost. It came from Bethlehem and was on display in the Birth Basilica. It showed the kings with Syrian or Persian hats. The basilica was not damaged and destroyed in 614. Other churches were badly damaged, destroyed or razed to the ground. This mosaic was not destroyed at the time and perhaps because Persians could be recognized on it.

The magicians may have been recognized as compatriots. In the village of Ravenna there is a mosaic with the wise men on it. The basilica there is called Sant 'Apollinare Nuovo. You can see the Three Wise Men wearing Phrygian hats. The Zoroastrian Persians wore such hats on their heads at that time. In the end, three became the magic number. According to the legend, there were three holy kings. The number three is also associated with the rich gifts: gold, myrrh and frankincense. There is a report from Marco Polo which shows that he was in Sava. In this city he would have visited and inspected the graves of saints. This was in Persia and so the wise men would indeed have been magicians. This factual matter has nothing in common with Christianity.

Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar

There are also different interpretations of the names Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar . The variations appear from the 6th century. Caspar may have come from the common Persian word for treasurer. The name Melchior probably comes from Hebrew and means "King of Light". Balthasar sounds similar to "Belshazzar" and would be a derivative of it. Belshazzar comes from Babylonian and means something like "Baal, the God protect his life". It could also be Hebrew for "Baal, God save the King". The Christians in Syria call the three holy kings Larvandad, Gushnasaph and Hormisdas. Kagba and Badadilma are the names of the Christian Armenians. Mika, Tanisuram, Sisiba and Awnison, Kasäd and Libtar are the names of the kings in Christian Ethiopia. Art depicts the wise men as a trinity of young man, adult man and old man. Beda Venerabilis wrote in 730 that it was a young man, a man and an old man.

The modification may also come from Beda's successor. Melchior was the first saint and was an old man with a white beard. Caspar was the second saint and is described as an adolescent without a beard. Balthasar is said to have been a man with a full beard and dark hair. The script is in Latin and "fuscus" clearly means dark or blackish. So what is meant here is not the skin color, but the full beard. So there should not have been a Moor, as is wrongly assumed to this day. The following is also to be read in Bede: their clothes looked like those of the Syrians. The threesome can also be seen as the three different ages of mankind. On Epiphany, there were mystery games in the Middle Ages. Other interpretations and embellishments were added and the legend of the Three Kings took its course. So decorations were made about the origin of the saints. In the 14th century Melchior was equated with a king from Arabia. King Balthasar came from Sheba. Saint Caspar is said to have come from Chaldea.

The Mystery Games

In France there were also mystery games in the Middle Ages. For example, games were held in Compiegne and Rouen in the 11th century. At that time, three continents were known in the civilized world: Europe, Asia and Africa. Beda Venerabilis, who dates from the 7th century, was also familiar with this assignment. He set the three wise men distributed over three continents. Asia, Africa and Europe meant a mystical literature on the saints of the Orient. But it can also be about the human race. Noah had three sons, and the human race began again there. Caspar is considered to be the youngest king and this was considered by most to be the king from Africa. For other writers it was Melchior or sometimes Balthasar. So there is no straightforward definition here.

Martin Luther

With Martin Luther the saints were not kings . This cannot be deduced from the Bible alone and therefore he rejected this thesis. Neither the exact number of saints nor their names are known. The Protestants therefore also speak of the "wise men from the Orient". There is a legend in Aramaic in Syria. This even speaks of 12 magicians and they were not kings. They are said to have come from Persia and stopped in Hah. It was a metropolis of Tur Abdin at that time. It was located in the southeast of Turkey. Today it is just a smaller village. The village is located in Mardin, a small province. Only three magicians left this area. The trip was supposed to take them to Jerusalem. When they started their journey home again, each of the three magicians is said to have received a dress from Jesus. The other magicians also wanted a piece of clothing from the child of Jesus. They were considered an absolute blessing and were in great demand. Since there was no agreement, the clothes were burned in the field.

The Mother of God Church in the village of Hah, which is supposed to still be there today, stands there today. After the clothes were burned, each magician took a small piece of the ashes home with them. So everyone could get something from Christ's blessing. The ashes then revealed twelve small gold medallions. Both Mary and Jesus could be seen on it. This is absolutely to be filed in the land of legends. All of this was supposedly considered a miracle by the magicians. As a thank you, the Mother of God Church was built there. As already mentioned, this still exists today.

Various relics

The origin of the historical relics: Until the 12th century there were some legends about the three kings and their relics. Saint Helena was the mother of Emperor Constantine. She made a pilgrimage to Palestine and that was probably in the year 326. There she found the bones of the saints from the Orient. She then took them back home with her. Then a legend emerged in the 12th century. Eustorgius, a Milan-based bishop who died around AD 350, has received a gift. The emperor gave him the bones of the three Holy Kings. The relics of the Three Wise Men were brought to him in Milan. The basilica stood in Milan and was then consecrated to Saint Sant'Eustorgio. Historically, it was only from then on that relics were worshiped.

The Three Wise Men and their relics were greatly venerated from then on. Milan was besieged for the first time in 1158. The basilia was outside the protected city walls and the relics were brought inside the ramparts. The holy bones were moved to another church. They were placed in a bell tower and in a basilica within the city ramparts. The Church of San Giorgio was within the city walls. In 1162 the city of Milan was conquered. Rainald von Dassel was the archbishop of Cologne and also the emperor's chancellor! He received the sacred bones in 1164. Emperor Barbarossa presented the holy relics to the Archbishop of Cologne. So far the legendary development happened and there was also a political issue behind it. Emperor Barbarossa saw himself as one of the first kings of Christianity. He wanted an ecclesiastical justification for his kingdom, regardless of papal approval.

The bones are in Cologne!

In July of 1164 the holy bones were brought to the city of Cologne. These are to this day in the Dreikönigsschrein in Cologne Cathedral. The shrine was created around the year 1200 and since then the veneration of the saints of the relics began in Cologne. There was an incredibly large crowd of pilgrims who wanted to see the bones. The veneration of saints was enormous and many pilgrims wanted to see and venerate the bones. In 1248, the laying of the grounds for the construction of Cologne Cathedral began. At first they wanted to build a smaller cathedral. The Hildebold Cathedral was supposed to be built, but then the decision was made for the larger Cologne Cathedral. In 1903 some relics were returned to the Basilica of Milan. In the one where the holy bones once came, the Sant'Eustorgio basilica. There is also a gable sarcophagus in the Chapel dei Maig. This is very large and dates from Roman times. Legend has it that the holy bones were once transported in this sarcophagus. In 1164 the bones were removed from it.

The patronage: the holiday of the Three Wise Men

The feast of the Three Wise Men is celebrated on January 6th. In many areas of Germany and in German-speaking countries, especially Austria, the name "Dreikönigstag" is used for this. The name "Epiphany Festival" is also in use. The festival is actually called "The Epiphany Festival". On January 6th it is celebrated that divinity became visible. The magicians from the Orient worshiped Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist. Divinity was also shown in Cana when Jesus turned wine into water at the wedding. This was seen as a miracle and the Protestants celebrate the following Sundays as a sign of the Epiphany. The Catholics celebrate the "Baptism of the Lord" and his feast on the following Sunday. On this day the Christmas party will also end.

In the reading year C, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates a celebration with the wedding feast at Cana. The feast takes place after Jesus' baptism and is preached as the gospel on a Sunday. The Eastern Churches later adopted this Roman Catholic custom. These do not celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus on January 6th or 5th, but on another day of Saints. They also celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th. It is the Roman Sol Invictus festival and the three kings are commemorated in the Eastern Church at the same time. This is different in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church. The Eastern Church celebrates the Saints from the Orient on December 25th. This is also expressed in the contact. It says that the angels sing the praises of the Lord. They do this at the same time as the shepherds present. The wise men also followed the star and then worshiped the Infant Jesus. The baptism of the Lord is celebrated in the Eastern Church on January 6th. It is the theophany festival and the baptism in the Jordan is commemorated. January 6th is also a public holiday by law in Germany, just like in Austria.

Customs: gifts and various parades

From January 5th to 6th there will be little gifts for the children in Italy. This brings Befana, a witch who makes the children happy with sweets and the like. The witch acts as a legendary figure, which is derived from the Epiphany festival. This will be celebrated on January 6th and today this was expanded commercially in Italy. There are some fairs, such as in Rome. The Piazza Navona is populated with fairground stalls, where children can find some offers. Sweets, various cakes or small gifts are offered here. There is a mess in the Canary Islands in Spain. This will not take place on Christmas Day, but on January 6th. Thus, Epiphany is celebrated more solemnly in the Canaries. On January 6th there will be Cabalgatas de Reyes Magos. These are pageants where three citizens dress up. These three holy kings throw candy to the excited children. There is a procession of the Three Kings in the village of Dinkelsbühl. Some relics of the Three Kings are carried into the minster. The bones are in the Dreikönigskapelle and these are displayed on the city wall. In other countries there is the Epiphany Cake . For example in:

• Belgium
• France
• Luxembourg
• Spain
• Portugal
• Liechtenstein
• in some areas of Switzerland
• in areas in Austria

In France, the special cake is called Galette des Rois. In Spanish the cake is called Roscon de Reyes.

The Epiphany

The custom, also popularly known as star singing, is traditional. Another name for star singing is Epiphany Singing. The traditional custom dates back to the Middle Ages and can be traced back to mythical customs. In the Middle Ages this was a little extra income. This custom was particularly welcome in winter when food was scarce. In this way, people could earn a so-called Zehrpfennig. In 1955 this old tradition was revived. The carol singing is lived mainly among the Catholics of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. But this custom is also widespread in South Tyrol. The German-speaking South Tyrol still lives many of the customs of its old homeland. The carol singers go from house to house and sing Christian songs. A verse or a prayer is also recited. Children or young people dress up as "Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar" and maybe recite a poem. After singing, the children write the letters C + M + B on the front door. This was consecrated beforehand and the current year is also written on the door. Either the front doors or the door beams are provided with consecrated chalk. When the house is blessed, the house is protected from harm.

Other customs

Especially in the Allgäu there are still many Christian customs around the Epiphany. In other regions, too, Christian customs related to the Epiphany are still respected. The Epiphany Water, which is consecrated, thinks of Jesus and his baptism. This took place in the Jordan River and January 6th commemorates it. On this day there is a liturgy in some parishes to commemorate the baptism of Jesus. For this purpose, water is taken from a vessel from a river. The vessel is only used for this. At mass, the pastor blesses the water. You take this vessel home with you. It is in the house and symbolically protects against bad weather, lightning and storms. The custom was already known in the 4th century. The Orthodox Church also knows the custom and celebrates the "Great Water Consecration". In the Roman rite one also knows the water of the three kings and the consecration that goes with it. Fuming is also known on January 6th.

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