Historicity of the Magi Story in Matthew

One of my most awkward moments at Cambridge was at a formal occasion at St. Edmund's College. Over dinner, some very conversant older gentlemen, perhaps about 80 years old, inquired about my research, and became rather animated when he discovered that Matthew's Gospel was my subject.

I didn't know the man, and when at Cambridge, you must always be on your guard in case you discover afterward that you've been talking with the world's foremost leading expert in some subject. At St. Edmund's College, this was often the case in the field of astronomy.

So, my inquisitor, in a rather friendly way and in an uncharacteristically loud voice for a Brit, asked me what I thought about the historicity of the journey of the magi in Matthew 2. In a more or less British fashion, I tried to evade such a direct question. But my inquisitor would not allow my diversion, and he pressed his question more directly, and did so yet a third time.

By this time, his wife and others seemed also a bit embarrassed for me and tried to change the subject, but yet he pressed me. As a matter of fact, I really do believe that Magi from the East came to worship Christ, and I figured that this hostile scholar was about to reveal to everyone at Cambridge that I was an ignorant fool to believe such a myth.

So, not being ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, I said in my most scholarly voice that I figured there was enough evidence to make the case that Matthew at least met the standard of historiography for his time frame.

At this, the man laughed and congratulated me for my answer, and he declared to everyone that I was an upstanding young chap! (My wife disputes that he used the word "young" to describe me.)

As it turns out, the elderly gentleman was none other than world famous astronomical historian Michael Hoskin. His résumé is a mile long, and he belongs to whatever royal academies there are. He even has a planet named after him.

Hoskin the astronomy historian then explained to me the Matthew exegete that astrologers (i.e., Magi) probably witnessed an "heliacal rising" within a constellation of stars viewed as pertaining to the Jews. He then asserted that historically, such astrologers would have been motivated to make the kind of pilgrimage to Judea as described in Matthew. And in keeping with the Matthean account, the star of the heliacal rising would have appeared in the sky for a while, then disappear, and then reappear. Hoskin places this heliacal rising within the time-frame of Jesus' birth.

Of course, I cannot account for any of the astronomy stuff, so I'll defer the science to the experts. But the story I relate above is accurate and I'm glad to know that someone like Hoskin does think the story of the Magi is historically plausible, if not likely.

Here's Hoskin's CV: http://www.michaelhoskin.com/

Pastor's Page: "Behold He Is Coming"

This is a short devotional formatted to fit a church bulletin page (in a large print font) which churches may freely reproduce, if the blog address is cited.

John the Revelator tells us, "Look! He is coming! And every eye will see him!" One of these days, we will hear a mighty shout and trumpet blast, and we will all look up to see Christ coming.
For some, this will be an incredibly good and joyous sight. For others, this will be a time of the greatest mourning. The contrast could hardly be greater. Christians long for that Day; we talk about it with great anticipation, and we pray that God would haste its coming. When it does happen, we'll sing and shout the victory!

Not so, the unbeliever! The Revelator continues, "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him" (1:7). Elsewhere he says,

Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty,
and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the
mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and
hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the
Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand"
(6:15-17)?

For those who have not placed their full allegiance in the slain but risen Lamb Christ Jesus, the day of his coming will be a day of disaster, not salvation; a day of wailing, not joy, a day of unassailable grief which will never be abated throughout all eternity.

Why such contrast? Why the extreme between great joy and great distress? The great divide falls on our acceptance of Christ's claims over our lives. Maranatha!

Pastor's Page: The Ugly Side of New Birth (Advent #4)

Duffy Robbins, a Youth Ministry professor, humorously recounts all the unsightliness and un-comeliness of giving birth. He notes that a first-time visitor from another planet would assume that something truly horrific was happening in the mater-nity ward, as he heard all the screaming, and wit-nessed the frenzied activity, and incredible pain and hardship associated with human birth. Robbins' tongue-in-cheek analysis conveys the important fact that bringing forth new life is messy business.

This was true even of the birth of the Savior. The miraculous conception brought shame to the couple. There was hardship in making the journey to Bethlehem. Being sent to the stable to share lodging with the sheep was insulting. There was panic in every step as they fled with Herod's thugs in hot pursuit. Bloodshed, violent shrieks of anguish, and tear-streaked cheeks filled nurseries in every household in Bethlehem as Herod raged over the one who was born King of the Jews. This birth was indeed a messy business.

But these labor pains were not in vain. The Savior was born, and so, New Life was brought into this world—like never before.

As with any new birth, we pace wearily through our daily lives, facing potential tragedy on every side. Yet we experience all this while fixing our eyes on Jesus who says, "Behold, I make all things new!" (Rev 21:5).

Pastor's Page: A Tale of Two Kings (Advent #3)

This is a short devotional formatted to fit a church bulletin page (in a large print font) which churches may freely reproduce, if the blog address is cited.

A Tale of Two Kings

One king wasn't born a king at all; he hadn't even a drop of royalty in his blood. He had to scratch, connive, conspire, and backstab all the way to his throne. The other King was born a true king, not by virtue of his genealogy—although he was descendant of kings—but by virtue of his very nature.

One king looked like a king. He wore royal garments and was surrounded by royal courtesans. He lived in fine palaces and was protected by body guards and armies. The other King didn't look like a king at all. He wore swaddling rags and claimed a feeding trough for a crib. His courtesans, so to speak, were bedraggled shepherds.

One king sought everyone's worship and adoration. He exerted his kingship like a petty thug or a child tyrant. On hearing the news of another king being worshiped, he took drastic desperate steps to stop it. The other King was meek and lowly. To those who worshiped him, he gave the gift of rest and life. To show his love for us, he stretched his arms wide open to receive us as he drew his dying breaths.

One king died and was buried. No one mourned his death or built a great memorial to him. The other King, too, died, but was resurrected to life. His monument to us is an empty tomb.

O come, let us adore the true King.

Advent Weekly Themes, Daily Scriptures

Week One: Repentance and preparation--Isaiah 40:1-5.
Candle lighting: One purple candle.

Scripture memory: Isaiah 40:3
A voice of one calling:
"In the wilderness prepare
     the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
     a highway for our God.

Daily Scripture
Sunday Isaiah 40:1-11, “Comfort for God’s People”
Monday Matt 3:1-12, “John the Baptist Prepares the Way”
Tuesday Rev 2:1-7 “To the Church in Ephesus”
Wednesday Acts 2:14-41 “Peter Addresses the Crowd”
Thursday James 4:1-12 “Submit Yourselves to God”
Friday Isaiah 1:10-18 “Let Us Reason Together”
Saturday 1 John 1:5-2:2 “Walking in the Light”

Suggested Hymn: O Come, O Come Emmanuel



Week Two: Good News--Matt 4:12-17
Candle lighting: Two purple candles

Scripture memory: “The time has come. The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15 NIV)
Daily Scriptures:
Sunday Mark 1:14-15 with Matt 11:1-6 “Good News”
Monday Luke 4:14-30 “Jesus Rejected at Nazareth”
Tuesday Isaiah 52:7-12 “Blessed Are the Feet”
Wednesday Rom 1:8-17 “Not Ashamed of the Gospel”
Thursday Gal 1:6-9 “No Other Gospel”
Friday Eph 1:3-14 (The Gospel Paul Preached)
Saturday Matt 4:12-17 “Jesus Begins to Preach”
Suggested Hymn: It Came upon the Midnight Clear


Week Three: Joy and Anticipation--Luke 2:8-20
Candle Lighting: Two purple candles and the pink candle

Scripture Memory: Luke 2:10-11
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
Daily Scriptures:
Sunday Luke 2:8-20 “The Shepherds and the Angels”
Monday Zech 9:9-17 “The Coming of Zion’s King”
Tuesday Isa 60:1-5 “The Glory of Zion”
Wednesday Rom 8:18-27 “Future Glory”
Thursday Philippians 4:4,10-13 “Joy and Contentment”
Friday 2 Peter 3:3-14 “The Day of the Lord”
Saturday Rev 6:9-11; 22:12-21 “Jesus Is Coming”
Suggested Hymn: How Great Our Joy!




Week Four: Royalty: Christ is King--Isaiah 9:1-7
Candle Lighting: Two purple candles followed by the pink candle, then by the third purple candle
Scripture memory: Luke 1:32-33
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.
Daily Scriptures:
Sunday Isa 9:1-7 “To Us a Child Is Born”
Monday Luke 1:5-25 “The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold”
Tuesday Luke 1:26-38 “The Birth of Jesus Foretold”
Wednesday Luke 1:39-45 “Mary Visits Elizabeth”
Thursday Luke 2:1-7 “The Birth of Jesus”
Friday Matt 1:18-25 “The Birth of Jesus Christ”
Saturday Matt 2:1-23 “The Visit of the Magi”

Suggested Hymn: Hark! the Herald Angels Sing


Christmas Eve or Day: Christ is born--John 1:1-18 or Matt 1:18-2:23
Candle lighting: Two purple candles followed by the pink candle, then the third purple candle, and finally the Christ candle (the white candle)
Scripture memory: John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Suggested Hymn: What Child Is This?

Pastor's Page: Getting Ready! (Advent #1)

We invest so much of ourselves into the coming of Christmas. We spend gobs of money buying gifts. We spend countless hours looking for really nice gifts. We send cards and letters. We spend more time and more money in the decorating. We attend Christmas parties. We load up our grocery carts and refrigerators. The whole ordeal of planning our meals, purchasing the foods, and preparing them takes many, many hours. We spread a beautiful table cloth and set out our finest china. Not only do we spend time and money buying gifts, we even go to great efforts to wrap them.

Preparing for the coming of Christmas is all well and good. However, none of it matters if we're not prepared for the coming of Christ.

"Where is this `coming' he promised?" so ask the skeptics. "Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation," they say. But God hasn't forgotten his promise. Truly, truly, Christ is coming.

How embarrassed we would be if we forgot to buy a gift for a close loved one. How much more will we be embarrassed if Christ's coming catches us by surprise?

During this Advent season, don't be too busy to prepare for Christ's coming. Preparing for Christ's coming is so much more important than getting ready for Christmas.

http://treasuresoldandnewbiblicaltexts.blogspot.com/

Pastor's Page: Joying a Great Joy Greatly (Advent #2)

Awkward as it may sound, "joying a great joy greatly" is pretty close to the Greek of those biblical passages describing people's response to the coming of the Lord (see Matthew 2:10). Of course, not everyone is so eager for the coming of the Lord, but those who earnestly seek him are filled with a glorious and unspeakable joy (1 Peter 1:8).

Why such joy at the birth of a baby? Yes, we're all happy about the birth of any baby. But this baby was different, filling not only his parents with unspeakable and indescribable joy, but also even strangers with the kind of joy which is otherwise never, ever experienced. What was it about this baby which brought such joy?

The birth of this baby Jesus was a demonstration of God's great love and commitment to us—let us rejoice! The manger scene was a fulfillment of promises made long ago that God would not leave us in our fallen state—let us rejoice! The angel's announcement signaled that the time had come for a new beginning which will culminate in the new heavens and the new earth—let us rejoice!

This news eclipses even the joy of happy faces opening presents around the Christmas tree. In fact, without the coming of Christ, we'd be left to live in die in the worst sort of misery. So, for this reason, we "joy a great joy greatly."

http://treasuresoldandnewbiblicaltexts.blogspot.com/

Historicity of the Lucan Birth Narrative

Some scholars get a kick out of debunking our traditional understanding of Christmas. While our portrait of Christmas could sometimes be more accurate, the traditional essentials are true. And any historical improvements to the traditional understanding are likely to increase our appreciation of Christ’s birth, not diminish it.

Many efforts have been made to undermine the historicity of some elements of the Christmas story. One target in particular is the empire-wide census for the purpose of taxation. (For further reading, see the scholarly summation in I. Howard Marshall’s New International Greek Text Commentary on Luke.)

First, skeptics like to point out the fact that no independent record exists of an Augustan census (Luke 2:1-2). However, we are aware of the fact that Augustus brought major reforms to empire administration, that a major census would be an on-going enterprise of many years, and that local authorities sometimes would take a local census under the all-encompassing imperial mandate and under the emperor’s name. For example, our census in Luke may have been initiated locally, but the local governor would have his authority grounded ultimately in no one less than Caesar, and could rightfully claim he was doing so in Caesar’s name.

Second, skeptics reject the notion that a census would be done by requiring people to report to their hometowns, as Luke 2 indicates. However, we are aware of some censuses which required landowners to return to their hometowns for registration. Perhaps we are to assume that Joseph owned land in Bethlehem.

Third, skeptics question the presence of Mary on the journey. Two possibilities seem evident. First, we know that women of Syria—the geo-political region in which Herod’s kingdom was located, required women 12 years and older to register. Further, the delicate situation between a righteous man and the untimely pregnancy of his betrothed may have made it unwise for Mary to be left behind.

Perhaps the most difficult issue which remains is the date of the census. According to the biblical record, Jesus was born during the reigns of the Roman emperor Augustus and the Judean king Herod, while Quirinius was governor. The problem is that Herod the Great’s death is dated to about 4 B.C., and Quirinius’ rule is dated after Herod’s death, from A.D. 6-9, twelve years later or more. Biblical historian W.M. Ramsay argued from a famous Latin inscription that Quirinius also served as a military governor in Syria, alongside the civil governor during the conquest against rebels in northern Syria, and that this earlier governorship was dated prior to Herod’s death. Another explanation is that the census was initiated by the previous governor of Syria in 4 B.C., but only completed years later under Quirinius’ governorship. At any rate, we do not have to conclude that Luke was mistaken.

If a person approaches accords the biblical record with a modicum of respect, then the aforementioned moments of skepticism will be fleeting.