Part Eight

MAGI PAY HOMAGE TO JESUS - HEROD AND ALL JERUSALEM TROUBLED
The Magi were probably powerful priestly members of the body of royals that elected Parthian monarchs. The King was always elected from the royal family of Arsacids, but they did not succeed one another. They were elected by a council of the royal family, priests (Magi), and other influential Parthians (wise men). The wise men and Magi were jointly known as Megistanes in Parthian society.

Matthew 2:1 states that “wise men from the east” came to worship Jesus. The Greek word for wise men is “magian,” which literally means “Persian astronomer or priest,” from which we get the word “Magi.” Parthia governed Persia at this time so the “wise men” were Parthian Megistanes. The Bible account does not limit the number of visiting wise men to three. Indeed, the events and realities of the time argue that this was a large contingent of Parthian Magi.

Since we know that many Parthians were descended from the ten tribes of Israel and their priests were likely descended from the tribe of Levi, this was probably a delegation of the leading members of the ten tribes. There were also large numbers of Jews living in Parthia (see Universal Jewish Encyclopedia) at his time.

The arrival of the Magi’s caravan in Jerusalem would have been a very public affair. Why was Herod and all Jerusalem troubled by their arrival? The Magi came to Jerusalem in a caravan loaded with costly treasures and escorted by a large contingent of Parthian soldiers. Since the Magi were high Parthian government officials they would routinely travel with a substantial escort of soldiers to guarantee their safety on such a long journey. Their escort may have been unusually large due to the costly treasures they brought with them.

This caravan would have included large number’s of servants, animal handlers, cooks, and others for such a long trip. These people alone would have numbered in the hundreds. It is not an overstatement to say that many thousands of soldiers were escorting the caravan.

The Jewish historian Josephus records that treasure caravans bringing expensive temple offerings to Jerusalem from Jews living in Parthian territory did so with “many ten thousand men as escorts.” (Josephus Antiquities 18.9.1) In ancient times traveling with expensive items was very dangerous. Would such an important delegation of Parthian officials travel with fewer armed escorts than a Temple offering caravan? A large caravan that included many ten thousands of soldiers would create quite a stir in Jerusalem.

These wise men were coming to worship “He who is born King of the Jews” and would have had many precious things worthy of a royal born child. They would have had a whole train of pack animals loaded with gold, frankincense and myrrh!

The sheer size of this caravan, its treasures and its escorts would have awed King Herod and the whole city to the point that they were “troubled.” The Jewish hierarchy would have know this group was looking for the Messiah as they quickly looked up the Messianic prophecies to locate the city of His birth. Herod’s reaction was very meek toward this group asking them to let him know when they found him so he too could go and worship. He was not going to cause any trouble with a large army like this. Only after they left did Herod go into a rage and order all infants in Bethlehem be slain.

Matthew 2:11 states that Mary and Joseph were now staying at a house. The reason they originally were in a stable was that the town was booked solid for the Feast of Tabernacles which was taking place at the time of Jesus’ birth. After the feast, the family would have been able to find better living quarters. (Bethlehem is not far from Jerusalem. Many feast goers would have stayed there.)

THE STAR The Bible tells us the star appeared to the Magi almost two years prior to Jesus birth. It is difficult to determine how old Jesus was when the Magi came to him. The Magi would have had to make extensive preparations for such a long trip so it is possible Jesus was several weeks/months old when they arrived.

Some say this star was a comet or a celestial phenomenon although the biblical accounts indicate this was not the case. The Bible says the star moved, leading the Magi over a long east to west route from Parthia to Judea. Matthew 2:9 states that it finally “stood over where the young child was.” Simple logic confirms that no comet or celestial phenomenon in the sky could possibly pinpoint a single city, much less “stand over” an individual child on the earth’s surface. This is what the Bible says the star did.

The Bible periodically uses the word star to represent angels (Job 38:7, Rev 1:20) so there is good reason to believe that the star, which led the Parthian Magi to Jesus to a specific house in Judea, was an angel of God. Only an angel, a spirit being, could “stand over” the baby Jesus to designate Him to the Magi.

Also, nothing in the biblical account indicates that this star was visible to anyone other than the Magi. Matthew 2:2

Verse 7 relates that Herod asked the Magi when the star appeared to them, indicating no one in Jerusalem was aware of any such star. This also would have been troubling to Herod and the religious leaders. If a striking celestial object had appeared in the sky, Herod and his astrologers would have already know the exact date and hour which it had appeared!

After leading the Magi to Judea the star seems to have disappeared, forcing the Magi to ask Herod for directions. After the Magi left Herod the star appeared to them again and led them directly to Bethlehem. Verse 10 says they rejoiced greatly when they saw the star again. A star which appeared, disappeared, and reappears again (not seen by other humans) had to be an angel. Supporting this fact is that Luke 2:8-15 records that the birth of Jesus was announced to shepherds by angels speaking to them out of a heavenly light which accompanied their appearance. God also used an angel to warn Joseph to flee to Egypt. Since God was using angels to direct the movements of persons in the events surrounding Jesus’ birth, it would have been completely consistent for God to also send an angel to guide the Magi’s movements.

While it is not surprising that Jewish leaders understood the prophetic writings to pinpoint where the Messiah was born, it is interesting that God was working with the Parthian ruling class! This makes no sense unless the Parthians were descendants of the ten tribes of Israel and that the Magi included some Levites. During His ministry Jesus said he was not sent to gentiles but only to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 15:24-28, 10:5-6

Throughout the Old Testament God worked almost exclusively with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. It was not until after the death of Jesus that gentiles were given equal access to the God of Israel. The fact that God was working intimately with the Parthian nobility--sending them angelic messages, giving them divine guidance in dreams--confirms that the Parthians had to be descended from the ten tribes of Israel which had migrated into Asia.

Tomorrow: Pt 9 PARTHIAN-SCYTHIAN ORIGIN OF THE BLACK SEA GOTHS

Sources: Parthia: The Forgotten Ancient Superpower and Its Role in Biblical History - www.bibleblessings.net

The Jewish Study Bible, Oxford Press

Josephus Antiquities 18.9.1