As the Octave of the feast of Epiphany is still unfolding, it is not at all too late to take a look at what Jacobus de Voragine‘s Golden Legend reports on the Magi, the three “wise men from the east“ (Mt 2: 1), who searched for the “child born king of the Jews“ (Mt 2: 2) and adored Him by offering the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The four miracles connected with the feast of Epiphany
“On the feast day of the Lord‘s epiphany four miracles are commemorated, and therefore the day has four different names. On this day the Magi adored Christ, John baptized him, he changed water into wine, and he fed five thousand men with five loaves.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 78
The Golden Legend then gives the four different names of this feast day which correspond to these four miracles as “Epiphany“, “Theophany“, “Bethany“, and “Phagiphany“ (ibid., p. 78-79).
“Four appearances, then, happened on this day, the first through the star, in the manger; the second through the Father‘s voice, in the Jordan; the third in the changing of water into wine at the wedding feast; the fourth in the multiplication of the loaves in the desert. But the first appearance is the principal one celebrated on this date, and so we will go on with that story.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 79
The names of the Magi and their origin
“When the Lord was born, three Magi came to Jerusalem. In Greek their names were Apellius, Amerius, and Damascus; in Hebrew, Galgalat, Malgalat, and Sarachin; in Latin, Caspar, Balthasar, and Melchior.“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 199, p. 79
Jacobus de Voragine explains that the word “magus“ (pl. “magi“) can mean “deceiver, sorcerer, or wise man“ (ibid., p. 79). According to St John Crysostom they “had been sorcerers but were later converted“ (ibid.). Yet it could also mean that “they were men of great wisdom“ (ibid.).
At the same time, they were kings. We even find them described as “kings“ who “were Balaam‘s descendants“ (ibid., p. 80).
Balaam is not exactly the most positive figure in the Old Testament where his story is recorded beginning in the 22nd chapter of the book of Numbers. Balak, king of the Moabites, asks this non-Israelite prophet to curse the people of Israel on his behalf. Three times, Balak tries to achieve the cursing of Israel through the agency of Balaam – three times Balaam utters poetic blessings of Israel instead, compelled to do so by the Spirit of God. Lastly, as Balak is very angry with Balaam, the latter declaims yet another prophetic word:
“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is clear, the oracle of one who hears the words of God, of one who knows the knowledge of the Most High. He sees what Shaddai makes him see. He may fall, but his eyes are open. I see him – but not in the present. I perceive him – but not close at hand: a star issues from Jacob, a sceptre arises from Israel, to strike the brow of Moab, the skulls of all the children of Seth.“
Numbers 24: 15-27
Balaam‘s descendants “came having seen the star in accordance with their father‘s prophecy“ (ibid., p. 80).
And still another hint about their origin is given:
“The Magi, as we read in the Scholastic History, came from the borderland of Persia and Chaldea where the Saba river flows (so the region is called Sabaea).“
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 83
Where the relics of the Magi are found
According to the tradition recorded in the Golden Legend, Saint Helena brought the relics of the Magi to Constantinople. At a later point they were transferred first to Milan, then to Cologne – where “they are honored by the people with great veneration and devotion“ (ibid., p. 84).
The meaning of the gifts they brought
“The Magi entered the little house and found the Child with his mother. They fell to their knees and offered their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (…) Why did the Magi offer these three gifts? There are several reasons. The first, it was traditional among the ancients, as Remy says, that no one presented himself empty-handed before a god or a king, and the Persians and Chaldeans were used to offering gifts such as these. (…) Another reason is given by Bernard: they offered gold to the holy Virgin to relieve her poverty, frankincense to dispel the bad odor of the stable, and myrrh to strengthen the child‘s limbs and drive out harmful worms. A third reason is that the gold was offered for tribute, the incense for sacrifice, and the myrrh for burial of the dead. So these three gifts corresponded to Christ‘s royal power, divine majesty, and human mortality. A fourth is that gold symbolizes love, incense prayer, and myrrh the mortification of the flesh; and these three we ought to offer to Christ. Lastly, the gifts signify three attributes of Christ, namely, his most precious divinity, his most devout soul, and his intact and uncorrupted flesh.
Jacobus de Voragine: The Golden Legend. Readings on the Saints, Princeton University Press 1993, p. 82-84
These three attributes were also symbolized by the three articles that were in the Ark of the Covenant. Aaron‘s rod, which blossomed, betokened the flesh of Christ, which rose from the dead; Ps. 27: 7: ‘And my flesh hath flourished again.‘ The tables of stone on which the commandments were written stood for his soul, in which were all the treasures of the knowledge and wisdom of the hidden God. The manna signified his divinity, which has all savor and all sweetness.“
