by Brent Landau
But one might as willingly believe, if so inclined, that the introduction of the Revelation of the Magi to a wide audience at this precise moment in time is hardly a matter of chance. As already discussed, the Revelation of the Magi has a very unusual understanding of the origins of the world’s religious traditions. Instead of seeing non-Christian religions as products of human vanity or demonic inspiration, as most ancient Christians did, the Revelation of the Magi sees potentially all revelation as coming from Christ himself. Moreover, because the star-child never reveals himself to the Magi as Christ, the Revelation of the Magi apparently believes that having an experience of Christ’s presence is much more important than being a Christian.
Taking this radical viewpoint, the Revelation of the Magi practically stands alone among early Christian writings in its positive appraisal of religious pluralism. So, another way of answering the question of why the Revelation of the Magi is now beginning to be studied more closely is that such a text could be fully appreciated only in a moment such as today. Now more than ever before, religious diversity is a fact of life in many parts of the world. And this religious diversity has given birth, in recent decades, to a great deal of theological reflection onthe place of Christianity among the world’s religious traditions. It has become more intellectually challenging to insist on the obvious and exclusive truth of one’s religion when one lives and works in close proximity to other people who cherish their own religious tradition just as much. Are those who do not share our religious beliefs foolishly misguided? According to the Revelation of the Magi, the answer of Christ to the Magi appears to be no:
And I am everywhere, because I am a ray of light whose light has shone in this world from the majesty of my Father, who has sent me to fulfill everything that was spoken about me in the entire world and in every land by unspeakable mysteries, and to accomplish the commandment of my glorious Father, who by the prophets preached about me to the contentious house,297 in the same way as for you, as befits your faith, it was revealed to you about me. (13:10)
APPENDIX
The Magi Legend
from the
“Opus Imperfectum
in Matthaeum”
[The Latin text of the Opus Imperfectum in Matthaeum is taken from Migne’s Patrologia Graeca, volume 56, columns 637–638. It can also be found, with translation and commentary, in chapter 2 of my dissertation, available online at http://ou.academia.edu/BrentLandau/Papers.]
Apocryphal Book Under the Name of Seth. Victorious Mountain.—I have heard some referring to such a writing, even if it is not beyond dispute, nevertheless not ruining the faith, but charming (it), seeing that there was a certain race situated at the very beginning of the East near the Ocean, who had possession of a certain writing having been inscribed with the name of Seth, concerning this star which was going to appear, and (concerning) what sort of gifts to offer it, which was carried outthrough generations of studious people, with the fathers handing down to their sons. And so they selected from themselves twelve more learned ones and lovers of the celestial mysteries, and they set before them the expectation of that star. And if someone from them died, his son or one of his relatives who was found of the same inclination was set up in place of the dead one. And they were called Magi in their language, because in silence and with a silent voice they glorified God. Therefore, during every year, after the threshing harvest, they went up a certain mountain placed there, which was called in their language the Victorious Mountain, having in it a certain cave in the rock, most pleasant, with fountains and choice trees, going up into which, and washing themselves, they were praying and glorifying God in silence for three days. And they did thus for each generation, always waiting, that by chance in their generation that star of blessing might appear, until it appeared to them coming down above that Victorious Mountain, having in itself a form like a little boy and above it (or him?) the likeness of a cross. And it was speaking to them, and it taught them and instructed them to set out for Judaea. And while they journeyed for two years, the star went ahead, and neither food nor drink ran out from their pouches. And otherwise the deeds that were rendered by them were expressed in the compendious Gospel. However, when they had returned,they continued worshiping and glorifying God even more attentively than before, and they preached to all in their race, and they instructed many. Finally, after the Resurrection of the Lord, when the Apostle Thomas went into that province, they joined him, and having been baptized by him, they were made assistants of his preaching.
ART CREDITS
Frontispiece: Rogier (Roger) van der Weyden (ca. 1399–1464) (workshop of): The star in the form of a Child appears to the three Magi. Right wing of the Middleburg (Bladelin) Altarpiece. Ca. 1445. Berlin, Gemäldegalerie. Oil on oak panel. Detail. 91 x 40 cm. Inv.: 535. Photo: Joerg P. Anders. Photo Credit : Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz / Art Resource, NY
(Pages 4 and 5) The Three Kings (Wise Men). Early Christian mosaic. 6th century C.E. S. Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy. Photo Credit : Scala/Art Resource, NY
(Page 14) Adoration of the Magi. 5th century c.e. Early Christian. Cypress wood carving from the door. S. Sabina, Rome, Italy. Photo Credit : Alinari /Art Resource, NY
(Page 27) Benozzo Gozzoli (1420–1497) The Adoration of the Magi (with Gozzoli’s self-portrait—with red cap). Lorenzo il Magnifico as the youngest of the three Magi. Fresco, 1459. Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence, Italy. Photo Credit : Erich Lessing/Art Resource, NY
(Pages 40 and 41) The Three Magi. Speculum Humanae Salvationis, by Ludolfus de Saxonia. Ms.15, f.10r. Vellum. Germany, ca. 1410. Spencer Collection. Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations. Photo Credit : New York Public Library/Art Resource, NY
(Page 51) Rogier van der Weyden, Follower of. Polyptych. Mid-15th century. Tempera and oil. Main Panel: 33 3/16 x 55 1/8 in. (84.3 x 140 cm); Upper Wings: 17 15/16 x 7 7/8 in. (45.6 x 20 cm); Lower Wings: 33 5/8 x 16 5/8 in. (85.4 x 42.2 cm). South Lowlands, Brabant, Brussels. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cloisters Collection, 1949 (49.109). Photo credit: Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Art Resource, NY
(Pages 62 and 63) Sassetta (Stefano di Giovanni) (ca. 1400–1450) The Journey of the Magi. Ca. 1435. Tempera and gold on wood, 8 1/2 x 11 3/4 in. (21.6 x 29.8 cm). Maitland F. Griggs Collection, Bequest of Maitland F. Griggs, 1943 (43.98.1). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY. Photo Credit: Image copyright © The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Art Resource, NY
(Page 95) Vasco Fernandes (ca. 1480–ca. 1543) Adoration of the Magi. Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Lisbon, Portugal. Photo Credit : Scala/White Images/Art Resource, NYT8829
(Endpapers) MS Vaticanus Syriacus 162 ©2010, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, all rights reserved
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many people have helped me to bring the Revelation of the Magi to a wider audience. My work on this text started during my doctoral program at Harvard Divinity School. I am grateful to my thesis adviser, Professor François Bovon, for his careful shepherding of this project from its inception, and his kindness in introducing me to the scholarly community in Europe that is devoted to the study of early Christian apocryphal literature. Professor J. F. Coakley, now of the University of Cambridge, spent countless hours supervising my translation of the Revelation of the Magi from the Syriac. His very patient editing of my work has saved me from embarrassment time and again, and any errors remaining in the translation are entirely my own. Professor Karen King consistently pushed me toward further analytical rigor during the dissertation-writing process. Other colleagues from Harvard who have provided helpful advice on innumerable occasions include Ellen Aitken, Carly Daniel-Hughes, Ben Dunning, Ken Fisher, Anne-Marie Luijendijk, and Laura Nasrallah, as well as innumerable other faculty members and graduate students who offered constructive feedback during seminars and workshops. I am very grateful to the following faculty members for being extremely supportive of my professional development: Susan Abraham, Nicola Denzey, Eldon Epp, Helmut Koester, Anne Monius, and Stephanie
Paulsell. I would also like to single out for special thanks Margaret Studier, managing editor of Harvard Theological Review, who urged me to submit my dissertation to Harper Collins to be considered for the Huston Smith Prize.
My new colleagues at the University of Oklahoma have also provided invaluable support, particularly as I worked toward adapting the work of my dissertation for a more general audience. I am especially grateful to Erik Braun, Rangar Cline, Marie Dallam, Kyle Harper, Rachel Knudsen, Rienk Vermij, David Vishanoff, and Jane Wickersham for their feedback. I am especially grateful to my program director, Dr. Charles Kimball, for his strong support of this project in my first year of teaching. I am indebted to the senior members of the Religious Studies Program, Tom and Barbara Boyd, for their kind encouragement and support of me as a newcomer to Oklahoma.
I am exceedingly grateful to Eric Brandt at Harper Collins for his resolute support of my work. His enthusiasm for the Revelation of the Magi has buoyed the projectthrough the planning and editing stages. Thanks to him, the final form of this book is far better than I could have ever imagined. I am very thankful to his assistant, Kathryn Renz, for her kindness and accessibility in explaining various aspects of the publishing process to me, as a first-time author. I am also indebted to the careful editing of Carolyn Holland and Carl Walesa, and to the design talents of Janet Evans.
My family has been my deepest source of inspiration and support. My father, Greg; my mother, Debby; my sister, Elizabeth; and my brother, Brian, and his wife, Leslie, have all encouraged me with their enthusiasm for this project, as have my father-in-law, Bill Bangs, and brother-in-law, Jonathan Bangs. I would especially like to thank my mother-in-law, Margie Bangs, who constituted a crucial focus group of one for my translation and introduction. My grandmother, Helen Mason, and my uncle, H. D. Mitchell, were both eager to read whatever I sent them and put their theological training to good use. Finally, my deepest love, admiration, and gratitude are for my wife, Elizabeth, who is both my toughest critic and biggest fan.
About the Author
BRENT LANDAU received his Th.D. from Harvard University and is an expert in ancient biblical languages and literature. He currently teaches in the Religious Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma and lives with his wife in Norman, Oklahoma.
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ILLUSTRATIONS
Frontispiece. Middleburg (Bladelin) Altarpiece. Right wing, showing the star in the form of a Child appearing to the three Magi. Rogier van der Weyden, ca. 1445. Berlin, Gemäldegalerie.
page 4–5. The Three Kings (Wise Men). Mosaic, 6th century. Ravenna (Italy), Sant’Apollinare Nuovo.
page 14. Adoration of the Magi. Wooden door carving, 5th century. Rome, Santa Sabina.
page 27. The Adoration of the Magi. Fresco, Benozzo Gozzoli, 1459. Florence, Palazzo Medici Riccardi.
page 40–41. The Three Magi. Speculum Humanae Salvationis, Ludolfus de Saxonia, Germany, ca. 1410. New York, New York Public Library, Spencer Collection, Ms. 15, fol. 10r.
page 51. Polyptych. Right wing, detail showing the star in the form of a Child appearing to the three Magi. Circle of Rogier van der Weyden, ca. 1450. New York, the Cloisters Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
page 62–63. The Journey of the Magi. Sassetta (Stefano di Giovanni), ca. 1435. New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art.
page 95. Adoration of the Magi. Vasco Fernandes, ca. 1500. Lisbon, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga.
Copyright
REVELATION OF THE MAGI: The Lost Tale of the Wise Men’s Journey to Bethlehem. Copyright © 2010 by Brent Christopher Landau.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © SEPTEMBER 2010 ISBN: 978-0-062-02023-9
FIRST EDITION
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Revelation of the Magi. English.
Revelation of the Magi: the lost tale of the Wise Men’s journey to Bethlehem/[translated by] Brent Landau.—1st ed. p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978–0–06–194703–2
1. Magi. I. Landau, Brent. II. Title. BT315.3R4813 2010 232.92'3—dc22
2010004099
10 11 12 13 RRD(H) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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NOTES
1. The names Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior are most familiar to Westerners, but these names appear in written sources from only the sixth century onward. Several other lists of names survive from ancient Christian writings.
2. Going forward, I will prefer the term Magi to wise men. First of all, it respects what Matthew calls them, since it is simply a transliteration of the Greek magoi. Second, it leaves unresolved the question of precisely who these individuals are, since it is not at all clear who Matthew believed them to be. Leaving the question of their identity open-ended is important, since early Christians had a range of theories about their identity; the story addressed in this book has its own very distinct understanding of who the Magi were.
3. For other uses of the noun and its cognate verb, see Acts 8:9, 13:6, 8.
4. Matthew’s Gospel never specifies whether the star had led them to Jerusalem and then disappeared when they entered the city, or whether the Magi had seen it only initially in “the East.” In either case, Mt 2:9–10 seems to imply that the star had disappeared from the Magi for some period of time.
5. All three of these beliefs appear in early Christian literature. One story relates that the Magi were in the midst oftheir magical spells at the time of the star’s appearance; when the spells ceased to work, they consulted their ancient prophecies and learned about the star (see Origen Against Celsus 1.60). Some members of John Chrysostom’s congregation in fourth-century Antioch regarded the Magi as astrologers and believed (to his great frustration) that the Magi story showed that astrology really worked (Homilies on Matthew 6.1). Lastly, an ancient Infancy Gospel preserved in Arabic says that the Magi came to Jerusalem because of a prophecy of Zoroaster, the founder of their religion (Arabic Infancy Gospel 7).
6. Precisely when the star disappeared is unclear, just as in Matthew’s Gospel.
7. In their book on the infancy narratives, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan demonstrate these differences quite well by showing what a Christmas pageant based on only Matthew or only Luke would look like. See Borg and Crossan, The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus’s Birth (San Francisco: HarperOne, 2007), 3–24.
8. Two recent scholars have
argued for the historicity of some aspects of the infancy narratives. Jane Schaberg, in her Illegitimacy of Jesus: A Feminist Theological Interpretation of the Infancy Narratives (Revised edition, Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Phoenix, 2006), asserts that the detail that Jesus was conceived outside of wedlock is historical, though she does not specify who she believes his father was. Not surprisingly, Schaberg’s claim is quite controversial and has not been accepted by many scholars. Andries van Aarde, in his Fatherless in Galilee: Jesus as Child of God (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity, 2001), suggests that the presence of Joseph in the infancy narratives and his corresponding absence during Jesus’s adulthood indicates that Joseph died when Jesus was quite young, leaving Jesus to grow up without a father figure.
9. The small number of scholars who investigated the Revelation of the Magi in the twentieth century mainly regarded the text as the product of Zoroastrian converts to Christianity in Iran, written with the goal of reconciling their ancestral religious tradition with their new Christian identity. Although this theory is quite intriguing, I have not found it to be at all persuasive. It is not possible to treat this issue in the very limited space of an introduction; however, the basic fact that these Magi live in the mythical land of Shir—not Persia—is one powerful indication that the Revelation of the Magi has nothing to do with Zoroastrianism.