The synodal translation of Scripture, in particular the New Testament, introduces some confusion regarding the term "sorcerer." On the one hand, we are talking about people who came to worship the newborn Jesus Christ. They are mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew (second chap.), And they are certainly positive characters. On the other hand, in the Acts, in the eighth chapter, there is a story about a certain Simon, who was engaged in magic. Seeing that the indulgence of the Holy Spirit on a person allows him to perform great miracles, he brought the apostles money, asking them to sell this gift. Since then, the trade in church offices has been called simony. Thus, the sorcerer mentioned in Acts is a warlock trying to impersonate someone great. In a word, a quack. So what does “magi” mean, what is the etymology of this word?
Scripture and Church Tradition
Let's first clarify the complexity of the translation. If we look at the original Gospels written in Greek, the magi mentioned by Matthew magov are sages, astrologers, interpreters of dreams, priests. The Hebrew translation is more severe: these are sorcerers, fortunetellers. Both Greek and Jewish interpretations agree on one thing: those who came to worship the Baby were not alien to magic and astrology. Therefore, their star appeared in the east. In the Gospel there is no mention of the exact number of delegations, nor of their names. All this information relates to church Tradition, and therefore can be questioned. But the sorcery of Simon mageu / w also translates as "conjuring", "magic", "casting spells." Feel the difference: sages and witches? Let's see what exactly the Tradition of the Church brought to the history of the worship of the Magi.
Matthew's story
The evangelist is rather stingy with information. “Wise men from the East” came to Herod and asked: “Where is the king of Judea, since we saw His star?” Hearing of a possible rival, Herod became excited. He gathered a council of scribes and folk sages who knew the Torah to point him to the exact birthplace of the Baby. Having studied books and prophets, they pointed to Bethlehem. The magi went there. They followed the star and found the baby in the manger and his mother. They bowed to them and brought Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to this world, incense, gold and myrrh. Being admonished in a dream by an angel, they did not return to Herod, but went to their lands by another way. That’s the end of the story. Why are these characters mentioned only in Matthew, and nowhere else? Bible scholars argue that the message of this gospel is directed to the Jewish population of the Roman Empire. It most often refers to the Prophets, and the entire first chapter is devoted to the genealogy of Jesus, although all Christians know that He is the son of the living God, and has nothing to do with Joseph of the David family. At Matthew, the “Eastern Magi" are experts on the Jewish Scriptures, who calculated by the movement of the stars, when the Messiah came to earth.
Beautiful Christmas tale
Christian tradition rethought the Jewish myth of the coming of the King of Israel. First, the Church accepted that there were three sages, according to the number of gifts. Further, she decided that the Magi are the three cardinal points that left paganism and accepted the light of a new faith. Despite the fact that Matthew mentioned magicians from the East (Persia, Mesopotamia), the European tradition insists that black Africa and Europe worshiped the Baby along with Asia. It is also believed that people of all ages are subject to the new faith. In numerous paintings depicting the worship of the Magi, the African looks like a young man, the European looks like a middle-aged man, and the Asian (sometimes portrayed as a resident of the Near East) is a gray-haired old man. This is somewhat contrary to the Holy Tradition of the Church itself, which in the eighth century ruled that the sages were kings. One owned Arabia, the second - Persia, and the third - India.
The tradition of Slavic nativity scenes is close to biblical history. Some characters of this semi-Christian-semi-pagan theatrical performance are generated by a distinctive folk culture (Damn, Death, Jew), and some reflect the narrative of the Gospel of Matthew (Herod, a soldier representing the royal army, an angel). Sometimes the whole action seems somewhat politicized (let’s recall at least the nativity scene on the Kiev Maidan in 2014), but always cheerful and with a happy outcome. Among the characters there are always biblical magicians, which symbolize the wise people of goodwill.
Rites of worship
The celebration of Christmas in Western Europe and among us, Eastern Slavs, differs not only in time (December 25th and January 7th), but also in ritualism. The tradition of the Roman Catholic Church does not forget about the adoration of the magicians, whom she renamed “kings”. Thus, three ordinary people began to symbolize the peoples of different continents who converted to Christianity. The Church came up with the names of the Magi who came to Jesus. These are Balthazar (an African youth), Cupronickel (a European in his prime) and Caspar, or Gaspar (an Asian of advanced age). In the first days of the year in different European countries, people remember these three characters and try to recreate the gospel story of the coming of the Magi.
Of particular note is the celebration of the Three Kings Day in Spain. In all cities and towns of the country, large or small street costumed processions are held. Cupronickel, Caspar and Balthazar, surrounded by a large retinue, on horseback, greet the crowd and shower it with sweets. On this day, it is customary to give gifts to all children, especially the smallest. Christmas Magi are especially venerated in Germany. And this is not surprising - because the relics of these three sages, as the Church assures, rest in crayfish in the Cologne Cathedral. But these processions consist of only children. They go from house to house, and everywhere they are generously presented with sweets. And in gratitude, the little petitioners draw the mysterious letters "B + + M" with a chalk over the door jamb , supplementing this inscription with the indication of the year. The owners do not wash it for many years until there is no room over the hospitable threshold. After all, the inscriptions mean that Balthazar, Caspar and Cupronickel were under the roof of this house and met here the most cordial welcome. For what this home received the blessing of the saints.
Gifts of the Magi - what is it?
Now let's talk about what the sages (or, as they are also called, kings or magicians) brought to the Infant Jesus Christ. The Evangelist Matthew indicates what these gifts were: firstly, such a precious metal as gold, and secondly, aromatic resins - frankincense and myrrh. It is clear that all three gifts have a symbolic meaning. Otherwise, it becomes unclear why a newborn baby needs all this. The meaning of the gifts of the Magi is also revealed in the Church Tradition. According to him, gold is a symbol of royal glory. Matthew is silent about how the magi presented this precious metal - in bullion, in the form of coins or some other. But Christ is the Heavenly king of all earthly rulers, and it was this fact that the sages from the East wanted to note.
But incense and myrrh - other gifts of the Magi? What does this mean? The aromatic resin of incense was smoked in pagan temples. In the symbolism of the people of that time, this incense was identified with something divine, not from this world. Presenting the incense to Jesus Christ, the magi made it clear that they perceive Him not only as the King of Glory, but also as the Son of the Living God. In Ethiopia and Arabia, trees grow, the bark and resin of which, after appropriate treatment, is also aromatic grinding. The species of plants itself is called “dew incense,” but the incense obtained from it is myrrh or myrrh. In the Judeo-Hellenistic tradition, this substance was used to smear the dead before burial. It was believed that this helped people traveling to another world. The gift of peace to the Baby symbolized the future sacrifice that Christ will make for the people.
What happened to the relics later?
Despite the fact that neither Matthew nor any other evangelist mentions what happened to the Magi after they returned to their land (in Mesopotamia), church tradition did not think to forget them. The cult of veneration of the remains of saints, martyrs and saints appeared in the fourth century and developed tremendously in the Middle Ages. The more relics, the larger the flow of pilgrims, which means that the greater the amount of donations. Guided by this simple logic, the Church undertook to develop a cult of the Magi and everything connected with them. It was proclaimed that the sages from the East received baptism from the Apostle Thomas and later accepted a martyrdom in their countries. It is not surprising that the relics of the Magi soon appeared. They were found by the Empress of Byzantium Elena of Constantinople, as it usually happened to her, in a dream.
How did it happen that the remains of people who departed from Bethlehem to the East suddenly appear in the Byzantine (now Turkish) city of Sheva? Matthew does not mention exactly where the native lands of the three magicians were located, but an indication of this is contained in the Old Testament. The prophecy of Isaiah (60: 6) says: "All of them will come from Sava, and will proclaim the glory of the Messiah by offering incense and gold as a gift." And in the Psalter (71:10) something else is written: “The kings of the islands and Farsia, Sava and Arabia will pay him tribute; and all nations shall worship him. ” As you can see, the native lands of the sages (or the kingdom of three kings) lie far from Sheva. But sacred tradition found a way out. There was a legend that at the age of one hundred and fifty years each of all three magi met in Sheva to honor the memory of Our Lord. There they rested in peace. And the bones of the sorcerers were preserved and transferred to Constantinople by the Christian community.
Journey of the relics
In Constantinople, the remains of the saints did not stay long. Already in the V century, they were worshiped in Mediolan, the capital of the Duchy of Lombard (modern Milan in Italy). In the twelfth century, the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa conquered this territory and brought the relics to Germany. There is written evidence that the relics were donated to the Archbishop of Cologne, Rainald von Dassel, who in 1164 brought them out of Italy, first by carts and then by ship on the Rhine. It is said that the construction of the highest Gothic cathedral was initiated by the desire to create a magnificent "ark" for the imperishable remains of the three kings. And now the relics of the Magi rest in the relics created by the skilled craftsman Nikolai Verdensky, in the altar of the Cologne Cathedral.
But what then did Marco Polo see when he visited Sawa, a city located south of Tehran, at the end of the thirteenth century? In his notes, the traveler reports that he visited three nearby standing and beautifully decorated tombs of the Magi. The bodies exhibited there were not at all affected by decomposition. This circumstance Marco Polo especially emphasized: "As recently deceased, with beards and hair." Unfortunately, these relics from Savva were lost without a trace. But in Cologne, only bones are stored. They are shown to the crowd only from afar during the celebration of the Three Kings Day (January 6th).
Where are the gifts of the magi stored?
If with the relics of the three magicians everything is so ambiguous and doubtful, then with their gifts the picture looks simpler. According to legend, the Most Holy Theotokos herself preserved the gold, frankincense and peace presented to Her Son. Even before the Assumption, she transferred these gifts to a small community of Christians in Jerusalem. When the apostles decided to go preach to the Gentiles in all lands, the relics were transported to Constantinople. The frame for them was Hagia Sophia - a great temple, an example of Byzantine architecture. But in the fifteenth century, the Turks captured Constantinople. Tsarina Mara, daughter of Prince of Serbia George Brankovich and stepmother of the great conqueror Mehmed II, took Christian relics from the Ottoman Empire and transferred them to Mount Athos. She wanted to hand them to the monks with her own hand, but on the way the Virgin appeared to her and asked not to violate the strict monastery regulations forbidding women to climb the holy mountain. Mara obeyed and passed the relics through her guard. There they rest to this day, in the local monastery of St. Paul. And at the place of the appearance of the Virgin, a chapel was built.
The gifts of the three sages are undoubted shrines for all Orthodox. Not all pilgrims can come to Greece to bow to relics. On Mount Athos there is a ban on women visiting monasteries and cloisters. Therefore, the relics themselves travel to their believers. So, for example, in December 2013, the Athos Monastery complex, where the gifts of the Magi are stored, blessed Father Nicodemus to accompany the shrines on their journey through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. A logical question arises as to whether ordinary metal, albeit precious, as well as incense, can work miracles of healing? In response, Monk Nicodemus refers to a passage from the Gospel (from Matthew, chapter nine, from Mark - fifth, and from Luke - eighth), which refers to a woman who recovered only by touching the edge of the Savior's clothing. If ordinary robes have such power, then what power do objects that the hands of Jesus and the blessed Mary once touched?
What the gifts of the Magi look like, all Muscovites and guests of the capital could see for themselves. Relics were displayed during the Christmas holidays for worship in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Things directly related to the earthly life of Our Lord are in ten precious, richly decorated arks. They are twenty eight gold plates of triangular and square shape. Each of them is decorated with a unique ornament made by filigree. A relic is a silver thread on which sixty-two beads are strung, each the size of an olive, made from a mixture of myrrh and frankincense.
But believers from Ukraine were not able to fully verify with their own eyes what the gifts of the Magi look like. They were brought to Kiev just in the second half of February of this year, after they visited Belarus. The relics were put on public display in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra (owned by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate). But in those days, the Ukrainian people were just involved in the revolutionary events in Kiev, so not everyone was interested in the shrines from Mount Athos.
Translation difficulties
The synodal presentation of the New Testament confused the minds of ordinary Orthodox. Simon, mentioned in “Acts,” is a negative character who wants to acquire the Holy Spirit for money in order to perform great miracles than he did before by magic. Why then should we read the magicians who came to worship in Bethlehem? The word "vlhv" itself in the Old Slavonic dialect means a wizard, a wizard, a fortune teller. We will not go into the etymology of this term now. Whether he came from the word “hair” or “grow in” (to speak vaguely, mumble) is not the point. Let's take a closer look at who the Magi of Ancient Rus were.
Not only in our lands, but also in other parts of the world, pagan religions revered "knowledgeable people." They were knowledgeable in herbs, black and white magic, astrology, were able to predict the future. It was a special caste of priests who were engaged in religious ceremonies, fortune telling, prophecies, as well as compiling potions and treating patients. We can say that among the Celtic tribes the Magi were called Druids. Representatives of this peculiar spiritual caste occupied a rather high position and enjoyed great authority among the people. For their advice, as well as divination came the great princes (remember at least Prophetic Oleg or Gostomysl). What can I say! Some princes from the Polovtsian dynasty also owned the gift of magic. Bryachislav Izyaslavovich defended pagan priests from the persecution of Yaroslav the Wise. And his son - Vseslav Bryacheslavovich Polotsky - was born from sorcery. All his life he wore the "veil" in which he was born as a talisman. If you believe the "Word of Igor’s Regiment", Vseslav was a werewolf, mastered the techniques of obsession and knew how to guess.
With the adoption of Christianity by Prince Vladimir, the Slavic Magi began to be repressed. Prince of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise was especially zealous. Around 1010, he destroyed the temple of Veles. In his place, the prince built the city of Yaroslavl. Gleb Novgorod and Jan Vyshatich also took up arms against the Magi. Doctor of Historical Sciences I. Ya. Froyanov believes that in this struggle the opposition of the old pagan beliefs of the Slavic people and the new religion is visible. After all, Christianity was "lowered from above", imposed by secular authorities. Written sources mention sorcerers until the thirteenth to fourteenth centuries, in particular in Pskov and Novgorod. But gradually the meaning of the word "magus" is transformed. In the days of turmoil, churchmen called religious dissidents, heretics so, attributing them classes in magic, communicating with demons, causing crop failure and the death of cattle. In peacetime, however, they called magic healers, healers.
Modern neopagans
At the turn of the XX-XXI centuries, after the discrediting of the Orthodox Church, many people appeared in our country who consider themselves to be neopagans. These magi of Russia are actively engaged in preaching and publishing. They are the religious authorities and priests of their communities of believers. At the same time, on the pages of magazines and newspapers you can read a lot of announcements about healers and sorcerers who pour wax, remove the crown of celibacy, and the like. The Russian Orthodox Church considers the occupations of both those and others objectionable to God, since all magic and magic are warlocks. But we will be condescending. If we analyze historical sources, as well as take into account the opinion of art historians, then the holy gifts of the ancient magi, carefully preserved by the monks on Mount Athos, are nothing more than a fiction. Why?
Written evidence does not mention the gifts of the Magi as relics until the eleventh century. Around 1200, the Archbishop of Novgorod Anthony visits Constantinople and writes that in Hagia Sophia there are kept golden vessels, which "brought to the Lord from the gifts of the sorcerer." The first mention of the present form of gold - as we remember, gold plates - refers only to the fifteenth century. Having studied the ornament and the technique of performing filigree on them, art historians came to the conclusion that they once made up one piece of jewelry - a belt decorated with a post-Byzantine scan. Jewelry making time - XV century.