The gifts of the Magi that they gave to Jesus. Three wise men who came to the newborn Jesus

The gifts of the Magi are gold, frankincense and myrrh, which the Magi brought as a gift to the newborn Christ Child.

At Christmas, it is customary to give gifts to each other. This tradition goes back not only to the image of St. Nicholas, who became the prototype of Santa Claus. She also has gospel roots - the story of the Magi and their gifts.

Symbolism:

The gifts of the Magi have a symbolic and prophetic meaning:

• Gold - as a gift to the King,
• Frankincense - as a gift to the High Priest and God,
• Smyrna - as a gift to a mortal Man.

Story:

The Evangelist Matthew writes about the Magi:

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, magicians from the east came to Jerusalem and said: Where is the King of the Jews who has been born? for we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him (Matthew 2:1-2).

Not having learned anything from Herod, the Magi went further after the star that led them to Bethlehem: And behold, the star ... came and stopped over the place where the Baby was ... and entering the house, they saw the Baby with Mary, His Mother, and falling down, worshiped Him; And having opened their treasures, they brought Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Mt 2:11).

Who are the Magi:

In the original New Testament, the magi are called μάγοι, that is, magicians. In ancient Greek, this word refers to Persian (Iranian) priests, astrologers and astronomers who had special knowledge.

From the word "sorcerer" the Russian word "magician" is formed.

The gospel does not specify the number of Magi and their names, but church tradition names three: Caspar, Balthasar and Melchior.

According to the same tradition, they all later became Christians and were baptized by the Apostle Thomas. Western tradition says that the apostle ordained the Magi as bishops. Their relics were found by the holy Empress Helen and today are in the Cologne Cathedral (Germany).

The veneration of the Magi in the Western tradition or the “three kings”

In some European countries, Saints Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior are especially revered and called the "three kings". On January 6, children in crowns and with staffs walk the streets of Cologne and other German cities, symbolizing the Magi. They knock on houses, congratulate residents and receive sweets or small money in return. On the doors of such hospitable hosts, the inscription “B + S + M” appears - the initial letters of the names of the Magi in the Latin alphabet. This is done as a sign that the “three kings” themselves visited the dwelling and blessed it.

Monastery of St. Paul on Athos. Photo from afonua.com

The history of gifts after the Assumption of the Virgin

The Mother of God carefully kept the gifts and, before her Dormition, handed them over to the Church of Jerusalem, where they remained until the year 400. Later, the Byzantine emperor Arcadius transferred the gifts to the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. After the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks, in 1470, the gifts of the Magi were transferred to the Serbian monastery of St. Paul on Mount Athos by the widow of the Turkish Sultan Murat II Maria, the daughter of the ruler of Serbia (she did not convert to Islam and remained a Christian until the end of her life).

According to legend, Mary personally wanted to bring the gifts of the Magi to the monastery, but in front of the walls she was stopped by a heavenly voice and reminded of the ban on women being on the Holy Mountain. In memory of this, the monks erected a cross, which is called the Tsaritsyn, and in the nearby chapel they depicted the meeting of the great shrines by the inhabitants of the monastery.

The gifts of the Magi are still kept in 10 special arks on Mount Athos (Greece) in the monastery of St. Paul.

What the gifts look like now:

Gold consists of 28 plates of various geometric shapes with different patterns that never repeat. Myrrh and frankincense were combined together, now they are about 70 dark balls, similar in shape to olives. They are strung on a silver thread, which is attached to gold plates.

The combined frankincense and myrrh also carry a symbolic meaning: when combined, they remind of the two natures of Jesus Christ - Divine and human.

In January 2014, the gifts of the Magi were first brought to the Russian Orthodox Church for the blessing and worship of believers. During the 30 days of their stay on the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, 1.6 million people bowed to the shrine.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ was born. Although it happened quite quietly, the whole world knows about this event today. One of the most memorable details of the Christmas story is the visit of the Magi and their gifts to the baby Jesus.

Let's take a closer look at this episode together in order to gain a deeper understanding of the Biblical tradition.

Magi are priests or magicians who came to the newborn Jesus, following the Star of Bethlehem

We know about the Magi from the New Testament. They are mentioned in connection with the birth of Jesus Christ by the author of the Gospel of Matthew:

“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, magicians from the east came to Jerusalem and said: Where is the King of the Jews who has been born? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.”

The star in question is a mystery to historians and theologians. There are different opinions:

• comet;
• conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn;
• a miracle that has nothing to do with astronomy.

But first things first. Who are these Magi who followed the Star of Bethlehem?

Magi could be magicians, or priests from the East.

Most likely, we are talking about priests from Media or Persia. The text of the Bible hints at just such an interpretation. However, Holy Scripture uses a word that can also be translated as:

• sorcerer;
• wizard.

Giving preference to the idea of ​​priests, we still cannot unequivocally state that these were representatives of the Persian clergy, and not sorcerers. Too little information for that.

They are also sometimes called kings (kings - in the Orthodox tradition).

The Magi could have known Jewish traditions, their worship of Christ is the fulfillment of a prophecy from the Old Testament

How did it happen that foreigners and non-Christians became interested in the birth of Christ? The fact is that Jewish traditions were not new to them. For 6 centuries before those events, the Jewish religion was already well known in the East.

The Jews were in captivity in Babylon, so the imprint of their culture forever remained on those lands.

Wise people, like priests, could not but be interested in such knowledge, and therefore were aware of the Bible prophecy:

“I see Him, but not yet; I see Him, but not close. A star rises from Jacob and a scepter rises from Israel, and crushes the princes of Moab and crushes all the sons of Seth.”

And the book of the prophet Daniel even provided information for calculating the time of the birth of the Messiah:

“Therefore, know and understand: from the time the command comes out about the restoration of Jerusalem, until Christ the Master is seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; and the people will return and the streets and walls will be built, but in difficult times.”

So the Magi, even if they were not of the Jewish faith, could well be curious about what kind of Christ would appear in the world.

They went to King Herod the Great. This decision is not surprising, because the Jewish tradition depicted the Messiah as a kind of king, and therefore the Magi began to look for it there.

But Herod the Great disappointed the travelers, as he could not help them in any way.

On the second attempt, the Magi nevertheless discovered the refuge of Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus Christ. It is not known exactly what it was. The modern tradition believes that the family spent the night in a cave, which served as a barn. In those days, many people came to Bethlehem for the census, so there were simply no places left in hotels.

However, the Gospel of Matthew does not speak of a cave, but of a house:

“And when they entered the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.”

The adoration of the Magi to the baby is often considered as the beginning of the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy:

“The kings of Arabia and Sava will bring gifts; and all kings will worship him; all nations will serve him, for he will deliver the poor, the crying and the oppressed... and save the souls of the needy.”

(Ps. 71:10-13)

Magi are sometimes confused with shepherds.

There is a similar episode in the New Testament. Angels come to the shepherds and announce the birth of Jesus Christ:

“When the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said to each other: let's go to Bethlehem and see what happened there, about which the Lord announced to us. And hastening, they came and found Mary and Joseph, and the Child lying in the manger. When they saw it, they told about what had been proclaimed to them about the Baby This.

And all who heard were amazed at what the shepherds told them. And Mary kept all these words, putting them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, as it was told to them.

It is not known how many Magi there were, but in Tradition there are names of 3 of them

The names of the Magi often create confusion and are reflected in incorrect iconography. In fact, the Bible does not say what the names of the Magi were. Calling them by name is a late tradition, it originated in the Middle Ages and is not based on Holy Scripture. Here are the names of the Venerable Beda the Venerable from the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul ascribes to travelers:

• Caspar;
• Melchior;
• Belshazzar.

3 names of the Magi are known from the texts of St. Bede the Venerable.

But this does not mean at all that there were only three Volokhovs. This figure is probably related to the number of gifts that were presented to the baby Christ. But we will return to them.

In addition to names, Tradition reports the appearance of these three people:

1. Kaspar is a young man without a beard.
2. Melchitor is a black Ethiopian.
3. Belshazzar is a bearded old man.

It is possible that these people really existed and were the leaders of a large group of travelers, or maybe they really traveled in three. The Bible does not give any clues to favor any version.

The Magi brought 3 symbolic gifts to Jesus Christ: gold, frankincense and myrrh

A very important moment in this story is the gifts of the Magi. Travelers did not arrive empty-handed, but with objects that had a deep symbolic meaning.

It is obvious that these people were seriously preparing for their mission and saw in it not just a visit of courtesy or an initiative to satisfy curiosity, but a hidden meaning. So they knew what kind of gifts they would like.

Here is what the Magi brought as a gift to the Divine Infant:

• gold - such a choice is not surprising, because the Magi believed that they were heading to the royal heir. This precious metal pays tribute to the ruler. Also, gold is a material for decorating sacred relics, which could emphasize the special position of the Messiah. Therefore, gold demonstrates that Christ is a king, albeit not in the traditional sense of the word;
• Frankincense is a resin with a pleasant aroma. She cost a lot of money. They used it in divine services, so the meaning of such a choice is obvious: Christ is the mentor of people and the true High Priest, the priest. At least that's how the Magi imagined it. Frankincense emphasizes the spiritual nature of the Messiah, his connection with God;
• myrrh is a funeral incense. The fate of the Messiah was known to many people familiar with the Holy Scriptures. He had to make a great sacrifice, to die. Traditionally myrrh was used in embalming. This emphasized gratitude for the sacrifice of Christ.

The Magi brought him gifts and left without informing King Herod the Great about anything.

The Magi founded the tradition of giving gifts for Christmas and New Year

So the Magi laid the centuries-old tradition of giving gifts at Christmas. Although far from them, she entered into the everyday life of Christians and people of other faiths. The real impetus for this tradition was given by Nicholas the Wonderworker. He had a rich inheritance and disposed of it generously when he learned that one poor man could not marry off his daughters due to lack of a dowry.

Nicholas the Wonderworker became the prototype of the modern Santa Claus with a bag of gifts.

Then Saint Nicholas the Pleasant annually tossed bags of gold to this poor man. Later, under the influence of literature, his image was transformed into a kind bearded Santa Claus with a bag of gifts.

Since then, Catholics for Christmas, and Orthodox - for the New Year, give gifts to relatives. Many do not even know how the gifts were brought to Jesus and where this tradition came from. But she took root everywhere.

In memory of the Magi, children in Cologne dress up in them on January 6 and go to bless their neighbors

The image of the Magi is not as popular with Christians as the image of Christ, saints or prophets. Yet in some places they are especially revered. For example, there is such a tradition in Germany. On January 6, children take to the streets in crowns and trains.

They portray wise men and kings, knock on the doors of neighbors, and people gladly open them. After all, this is good news - tomorrow is Christmas!

Children in Cologne dress up as magicians and visit neighbors for money or sweets.

It is very reminiscent of Halloween: children sing songs, receive candy or money. The only difference is that here they dress not as heroes of mass culture, but as magicians.

The "wizards" themselves can bless the owners.

This tradition is most widespread in Cologne.

The gifts of the Magi were preserved on Mount Athos, in the monastery of St. Paul

The legend tells about the fate of the gifts of the Magi. Mary kept them all her life, and before her death she gave them to the Jerusalem Church. There they lay for four centuries, until the relics were transferred to a new place - to Constantinople. This decision was made by Emperor Arcadius.

Then the gifts were kept for six centuries in Nicaea, since Constantinople was occupied by the Latins. Then they were returned back to the capital.

In 1453 the capital of Christendom, Byzantium, fell. Then the gifts were transferred to Mount Athos, to the monastery of St. Paul.

Elena Slobodyan

On January 6, 2014, the Gifts of the Magi will arrive at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior - a great Christian shrine for the first time available to believers outside of Greece.

On Christmas Eve, Christians remember the gospel story about the worship of the newborn Christ by the Magi, who were led to Him by a wonderful star over Bethlehem. The Magi presented gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh. Particles of the Gifts of the Magi are one of the few relics associated with the earthly life of the Savior that have survived to this day.

In the Gospel, the word "magi" means astrologers and wise men. Watching the heavenly bodies, they saw a hitherto unknown phenomenon and, knowing about an ancient prophecy, went to Bethlehem to see the King of Glory who was born. The evangelists themselves did not mention the number and names of the Magi - the story of three (according to the number of gifts) Magi (in the west - kings) appeared in early Christian literature and was supplemented in the Middle Ages. According to tradition, the Magi are depicted as people of three ages (Balthazar - a young man, Melchior - a mature man, Caspar - a gray-haired old man) and three cardinal points (Balthazar - an African, Melchior - a European, Caspar - a representative of Asia). According to legend, the Magi were later baptized by the Apostle Thomas and martyred in Eastern countries. And their relics were found by Empress Helen of Constantinople and laid first in Constantinople, and then transferred to Western Europe, where they are now stored in the Cologne Cathedral.

What did the Gifts of the Magi look like and what did they symbolize?

The Magi brought three gifts to the Child: gold, frankincense and myrrh (myrrh). Each of the gifts had its own symbolic meaning:

gold is a gift to the Child as a king, indicating that Jesus was born to be King;

incense - a gift to Him as God;

myrrh, fragrant resin - a symbol of the sacrifice of Christ, a gift to those who must die.

It was these gifts that laid the foundation for the tradition that arose in the Christian world to give gifts at Christmas and in general to newborns.

According to legend, the Blessed Virgin Mary handed over the Gifts of the Magi to the Christian community of Jerusalem, after which they were transferred to Constantinople to the church of Hagia Sophia. After the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks in the 15th century, the daughter of the Serbian prince Maria Brankovich transported the Gifts of the Magi to Athos, where they have been stored for more than 500 years in the Athos Monastery of St. Paul.

The relic consists of 28 triangular and square gold plates, 60 beads, consisting of a mixture of incense and myrrh, are attached to them on a silver thread.

Today, parts of the relic are stored in ten special reliquaries, and several of them will be available during the Christmas holidays in Moscow at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The Synodal translation of Scripture, in particular, 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 chapter), and they are certainly positive characters. On the other hand, in the "Acts", in the eighth chapter, it is told about a certain Simon, who was engaged in sorcery. Seeing that the indulgence of the Holy Spirit on a person allows him to work great miracles, he brought money to the apostles, asking them to sell this gift. Since then, the sale of church positions has been called simony. Thus, the sorcerer mentioned in Acts is a warlock trying to impersonate someone great. In a word, a charlatan. So what does "magicians" mean, what is the etymology of this word?

and ecclesiastical tradition

Let's clear up the translation difficulties first. If we look at the original of the Gospels written in Greek, then the magov, “magicians” mentioned in Matthew, are wise men, astrologers, interpreters of dreams, priests. The Hebrew translation is more severe: these are sorcerers, fortune-tellers. Both Greek and Jewish interpretations agree on one thing: the persons who came to bow to the Infant were no strangers to magic and astrology. Therefore, they were led by a star that appeared in the east. The Gospel does not mention either the exact number of the delegation or their names. All this information refers to Church Tradition, and therefore can be questioned. But the sorcery of Simon mageu / w is also translated as “witchcraft”, “divination”, “casting spells”. Do you feel the difference: wise men and fortune tellers? 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 the Jews, since we saw His star?” Hearing about a possible competitor, Herod got excited. He gathered a council of scribes who knew the Torah and folk sages to point him to the exact birthplace of the Infant. They, having studied books and prophets, pointed to Bethlehem. That's where the magicians went. They followed the star and found the Baby in the manger and his Mother. They bowed to them and brought to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came into this world, frankincense, gold and myrrh. Being admonished in a dream by an angel, they did not return to Herod, but went to their lands by a different path. That's it, end of story. Why are these characters mentioned only in Matthew, and nowhere else? Biblical scholars claim that the message of this gospel is directed to the Jewish population of the Roman Empire. It most often mentions 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 line of David. In Matthew, the “eastern magicians” are experts in the Jewish Scriptures, who calculated by the movement of the stars when the Messiah comes to earth.

Beautiful Christmas tale

Christian tradition has rethought the Jewish myth of the coming of the King of Israel. First, the Church accepted that there were three wise men, according to the number of gifts. Further, she decided that the Magi are the three cardinal points, who left paganism and accepted the torch of the new faith. Despite the fact that Matthew mentions magicians from the East (Persia, Mesopotamia), the European tradition insists that black Africa and Europe bowed to the Infant together with Asia. It is also commonly believed that people of all ages are subject to the new faith. In numerous paintings depicting the adoration of the Magi, an African looks like a young man, a European looks like a middle-aged man, and an Asian (sometimes portrayed as a resident of the Near East) looks like a gray-haired old man. This somewhat contradicts the Holy Tradition of the Church itself, which in the eighth century decreed that the wise men were kings. One owned Arabia, the second - Persia, and the third - India.

The tradition of Slavic nativity scenes is close to biblical history. Some of the characters in this half-Christian-half-pagan theatrical performance are generated by the original folk culture (Devil, Death, Jew), and some reflect the narration of the Gospel of Matthew (Herod, a soldier representing the royal army, an angel). Sometimes the whole action seems to be somewhat politicized (remember, for example, the nativity scene on the Kiev Maidan in 2014), but always cheerful and with a happy ending. Among the characters there are always biblical wise men who symbolize wise people of good will.

Rites of honor

The celebration of Christmas in Western Europe and among us, the Eastern Slavs, differs not only in time (December 25 and January 7), but also in ritual. The tradition of the Roman Catholic Church does not forget about the adoration of magicians, whom she renamed "kings". Thus, three ordinary people began to symbolize the peoples of different continents who adopted Christianity. She came up with the Church and the names of the Magi who came to Jesus. These are Balthazar (African youth), Melchior (European in the prime of life) and Caspar, or Gaspar (old Asian). In the first days of the year in different European countries, people remember these three characters and try to recreate the gospel story about the coming of the Magi.

Special mention should be made of how the day of the Three Kings is celebrated in Spain. Large or small street costume processions take place in all cities and towns of the country. Melchior, 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 revered on a special scale in Germany. And there is nothing surprising in this - after all, the relics of these three wise men, as the Church assures, rest in shrines in the Cologne Cathedral. But these processions consist only of children. They go from house to house, and everywhere they are generously presented with sweets. And in gratitude, little petitioners draw in chalk over the mysterious letters “B + C + M”, supplementing this inscription with an indication of the year. The owners do not wash it for many years, until there is no place left above the hospitable threshold. After all, the inscriptions mean that Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior visited under the roof of this house and met here with the most cordial welcome. For which this dwelling received the blessing of the saints.

Gifts of the Magi - what is it?

Now let's talk about what the wise men (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 incomprehensible why a newborn baby needs all this. The meaning of the gifts of the Magi is also revealed in Church Tradition. According to him, gold is a symbol of royal glory. Matthew is silent about the form in which the Magi presented this precious metal - in ingots, 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 point out.

But frankincense and myrrh - other gifts of the Magi? What does this mean? The aromatic resin of incense was burned even in the symbolism of the people of that time, this incense was identified with something divine, not of this world. Presenting 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, there are trees whose bark and resin, after appropriate processing, is also an aromatic ointment. The plant species itself is called "dewy incense", but the incense obtained from it is myrrh or myrrh. In the Judeo-Hellenistic tradition, the dead were anointed with this substance before burial. It was believed that this helped people heading to another world. The gift of myrrh to the Infant symbolized the future sacrifice that Christ would bring for people.

What happened to the relics then?

Despite the fact that neither Matthew nor any other evangelist mentions what happened to the Magi after they returned to their land (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 extremely in the Middle Ages. The more relics, the larger the flow of pilgrims, which means the greater the amount of donations. Guided by this simple logic, the Church undertook to develop the cult of the Magi and everything connected with them. It was proclaimed that the wise men from the East were baptized by the Apostle Thomas and later martyred in their own countries. It is not surprising that the relics of the Magi were soon discovered. They were found by the Empress of Byzantium, Helen of Constantinople, as it usually happened to her, in a dream.

How did it happen that the remains of people who left Bethlehem for the East are suddenly found 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. (60:6) says: "They will all come from Sheba and proclaim the glory of the Messiah, bringing gifts of frankincense and gold." And in the Psalter (71:10) something else is written: “The kings of the islands and Tarsia, Savy and Arabia will bring tribute to Him; and all nations will worship him." As we can see, the native lands of the sages (or the kingdoms of the 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 wise men met in Sheva to honor the memory of Our Lord. There they rested in peace. And the Christian community preserved the bones of the Magi and transferred them to Constantinople.

Journey of relics

The remains of the saints did not stay long in Constantinople. Already in the 5th century, they were worshiped in Mediolanum, the capital of the Duchy of Lombardy (modern Milan in Italy). In the twelfth century, Emperor Frederick Barbarossa conquered this territory and took the relics to Germany. Written evidence has survived that the relics were donated to the Archbishop of Cologne, Rainald von Dassel, who in 1164 took them out of Italy, first on carts, and then on a ship along the Rhine. It is said that the construction of the highest Gothic cathedral was initiated by the desire to create a majestic "ark" for the incorruptible remains of the three kings. And now the relics of the Magi rest in the reliquary, which was created by the skilled craftsman Nicholas of Verden, in the altar of the Cologne Cathedral.

But what then did Marco Polo see, who visited Savva, a city located south of Tehran, at the end of the thirteenth century? In his notes, the traveler reports that he visited three adjacent and beautifully decorated tombs of the Magi. The bodies exposed there were not at all affected by decomposition. Marco Polo especially emphasized this circumstance: “Like the recently dead, with beards and hair.” Unfortunately, these relics from Savva were lost without a trace. And in Cologne, only bones are stored. They are shown to the crowd only from afar during the celebration of the day of the "Three Kings" (January 6th).

Where are the gifts of the Magi kept?

If everything is so ambiguous and doubtful with the relics of the three magicians, then with their gifts the picture looks simpler. According to legend, the Most Holy Theotokos herself preserved the gold, frankincense and myrrh presented to Her Son. Even before the Assumption, she gave these gifts to a small community of Christians in Jerusalem. When the apostles decided to go preach to the pagans 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. Queen Mara, daughter of Prince George Brankovich of Serbia and stepmother of the great conqueror Mehmed II, took Christian relics from the Ottoman Empire and transported them to Athos. She wanted to hand them over to the monks with her own hands, but on the way the Mother of God appeared to her and asked her not to violate the strict monastic charter, which forbids women to climb the holy mountain. Mara obeyed and handed over the relics through her guard. There they rest to this day, in the local monastery of St. Paul. And on the site of the appearance of the Virgin, a chapel was built.

The gifts of the three wise men are unquestionably sacred for all Orthodox. Not all pilgrims can come to Greece to venerate the relics. On the holy Mount Athos, there is a ban on women visiting monasteries and cloisters. Therefore, the relics themselves make journeys to their believers. So, for example, in December 2013, the Athos monastery complex, where the gifts of the Magi are stored, blessed Father Nikodim 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 to this, the monk Nicodemus refers to a passage from the Gospel (from Matthew, chapter 9, from Mark - the fifth, and from Luke - the eighth), which speaks of a woman who recovered only by touching the edge of the Savior's garment. If the ordinary fabric of a vestment has such power, then what kind of power do objects radiate that were once touched by the hands of Jesus and the Blessed Mary?

How the gifts of the Magi look like, all Muscovites and guests of the capital could see with their own eyes. The relics were exhibited 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 triangular and square gold plates. Each of them is decorated with a unique filigree ornament. A silver thread is also a relic, 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 fully able to verify with their own eyes what the gifts of the Magi look like. They were delivered to Kyiv just in the second half of February this year, after they visited Belarus. The relics were put on public display in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate). But in those days, the Ukrainian people were just involved in the revolutionary events in Kyiv, so not everyone was interested in the shrines from Mount Athos.

Difficulties in translation

The synodal exposition of the New Testament brought confusion into the minds of ordinary Orthodox. Simon, mentioned in the Acts, is a negative character who wants to purchase the Holy Spirit for money in order to perform greater miracles than he did before with sorcery. Why, then, is it necessary to honor the magicians who came to worship in Bethlehem? The very word "vlhv" in the Old Slavonic dialect means a wizard, a magician, a fortune-teller. We will not now go into the etymology of this term. Whether it came from the word "hair" or "squeeze" (talk vaguely, mutter) - it doesn't matter. Let's take a better look at who the Magi of Ancient Russia were.

Not only in our lands, but also in other lands, pagan religions revered "knowledgeable people." They were versed in herbs, black and white magic, astrology, and were able to predict the future. It was a special caste of priests who were engaged in religious rites, divination, prophecy, as well as the preparation of potions and the treatment of the sick. 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 prestige among the people. For their advice, as well as divination, the great princes came (remember at least the Prophetic Oleg or Gostomysl). What is there to say! Some princes from the Polovtsian dynasty also possessed the gift of sorcery. Bryachislav Izyaslavovich defended the 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. According to The Tale of Igor's Campaign, Vseslav was a werewolf, possessed the techniques of obsession and knew how to guess.

With the adoption of Christianity by Prince Vladimir, the Slavic Magi began to be subjected to repression. Prince of Kyiv Yaroslav the Wise was especially zealous. Around 1010, he destroyed the temple of Veles. In its place, the prince built the city of Yaroslavl. Gleb Novgorodsky and Jan Vyshatich also took up arms against the Magi. Doctor of Historical Sciences I. Ya. Froyanov believes that this struggle shows the confrontation between the old pagan beliefs of the Slavic people and the new religion. After all, Christianity was “lowered from above”, imposed by secular authorities. Written sources mention sorcerers up to the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries, in particular in Pskov and Novgorod. But gradually the meaning of the word "sorcerer" is being transformed. In the days of unrest, clergy called religious dissidents, heretics, ascribing to them practicing magic, communicating with demons, causing crop failure and loss of livestock. In peacetime, the Magi were called folk healers, healers.

Modern neo-pagans

At the turn of the 20th-21st centuries, after the discrediting of the Orthodox Church, many people appeared in our country who consider themselves neo-pagans. These Magi of Russia are actively engaged in preaching and publishing activities. 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 ads about sorceresses 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 any divination and magic are witchcraft. But let's be lenient. If we analyze historical sources, and also take into account the opinion of art critics, 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, Archbishop Anthony of Novgorod visits Tsargrad and writes that in Hagia Sophia there are golden vessels, which "brought gifts to the Lord from the Magi." The first mention of the current form of gold - as we remember, gold plates - refers only to the fifteenth century. Having studied the ornament and the technique of making filigree on them, art historians came to the conclusion that they once made up one piece of jewelry - a belt decorated with post-Byzantine filigree. The jewelry was made in the 15th century.

The Magi were the first pagans to worship the infant Jesus as the Messiah, or "King of the Jews." Following the star, they came from the East to Bethlehem with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And now Christians worship the relics of these astrologer magicians and those signs of reverence that they brought to the Savior.
Those who want to see the gifts of the Magi will have to go on a pilgrimage to Athos, to the monastery of St. Paul. True, only the strong sex has this opportunity - women are not allowed into the ancient monastery of male Orthodox piety in order to avoid temptation for the monks.
Athos monks have preserved the gifts of the Magi, precious to humanity, to this day. The Greek monks of the monastery of St. Paul keep these relics in several small reliquaries - reliquaries. The monks are well aware of how great the spiritual, historical and archaeological value of the gifts of the Magi is for pilgrims, so after the night services they take them out for worship to all the guests of the monastery.
Each of the gifts has its own deep religious and mystical meaning. Gold is a gift for the King. Frankincense is an expensive aromatic resin at that time, offered as a sign of special honor - for God. Myrrh (myrrh) - an expensive aromatic substance - for the Savior, who became the Son of Man and Man. There is also such an interpretation: gold means intelligence, frankincense - faith, myrrh - good deeds.
The gold of the Magi that has survived to this day is presented in the form of three dozen small plates having the shape of trapeziums and polygons, on which ancient master jewelers applied the finest filigree ornament. Seven dozen small, the size of an ordinary olive, rolled balls - this is incense and myrrh. Some happy pilgrims say that when the Greek monks brought one small golden pendant from the gifts of the Magi to their ear, a kind of whisper was miraculously heard from it ...
Light from Jerusalem
Everyone knows the gospel story about the birth of the God-baby in Bethlehem at night. The first to know about the birth of the Savior were the Bethlehem shepherds. The Magi came from a distant country from the East two years later.
Magi, or sages, were called in those distant times magicians and astrologers who observed and studied the stars. Then people believed that at the birth of a great man, a new star appears in the sky.
Why did they go to Jerusalem? There was no need for a revelation like the one that the angel gave to the Bethlehem shepherds, announcing: "I announce to you great joy - the Savior for you, Lord, was born in Bethlehem, you will find Mother and Baby in the cave." According to ancient documents, at that time a rumor was circulating in the East that it was from Jerusalem that the Redeemer of the nations would come. The Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus writes about this in his Annals and many other ancient authors whose texts have come down to us.
King Herod, secretly calling the Magi to him, found out from them the time of the appearance of a new star. Prior to this, he asked the priests and scribes: "Where should Christ be born?" They replied: "In Bethlehem of Judea, because it is written in the prophet Micah."
The Magi, after listening to King Herod, went to Bethlehem. And again the same star that they had seen before in the east appeared in the sky and, moving across the sky, walked before them, showing them the way. In Bethlehem, the star stopped over the place where the baby Jesus was. The Magi perform the rite of "proskinesis" before Him (they prostrate themselves, as before an Eastern monarch) and present their gifts to Him. A prophetic dream forbids them to return to Herod, and they go to their homeland.
Caspar, Melchior, Balthazar...
How many Magi there were, the biblical story is silent. There are apocryphal works that speak of 2,4,6,8 and even 12 (in the Armenian and Syrian tradition) magi. However, the already prominent theologian Origen (II-III centuries) proceeds from the fact that the number of the Magi corresponded to the number of their gifts, that is, it was equal to three, and this became the generally accepted version. This number also correlated with the three persons of the Trinity.
The names of the Magi in early Christian literature vary (for the mentioned Origen - Aaimelech, Okhozat, Fikol, for the Syrians - Gor-mizd, Peroz, Yazdigerd, etc.). In the medieval West and then everywhere, the names - Caspar (or Gas-par), Melchior and Balthazar (Belshazzar) become widespread. In some narratives, there is also information about their appearance: Caspar was a "beardless youth", Melchior - a "bearded old man", and Balthasar - "dark-skinned" or "black".
No less controversial is the nationality of the Magi. In early Christian literature, their homeland since the 2nd century was often called the Arabian Peninsula, thereby linking them with Old Testament prophecies about the worship of foreigners to the Messianic King of Israel: "the kings of Arabia and Saba will bring gifts ... and will give Him from the gold of Arabia ... and they will come nations to your light, and kings to the brightness that rises above you ... they will bring gold and frankincense." The text mentions both "light", which is correlated with the image of a star, and gifts - gold and incense. From the imposition of these prophecies about the coming of "kings" on the social reality of the Eastern monarchies, where the heads of the priestly hierarchy were local mayors and kings, the idea of ​​the kingship of the Magi, subsequently generally accepted, arose.
However, more often the Persian-Mesopotamian region was taken as the homeland of the Magi. The very word "Magi", used in the Bible, originally denoted members of the priestly caste of Persia and Media, but in everyday life it was used to denote Mesopotamian ("Chaldean") astrologers and "esoteric specialists". The Persian king Khosrov II Parviz, who destroyed during the conquest of Palestine in the 7th century. all Christian churches, spared the Bethlehem Church of the Nativity because of the Persian appearance of the magi depicted on it.
Returning to their native places, the Magi began to proclaim to the people about Jesus Christ, built temples and chapels, where there were images of the Divine Infant and a star above the cross. There is also evidence that the Apostle Thomas consecrated them as bishops. The Magi ended their earthly life at approximately the same time, and they were also buried together. The Church canonized them as saints. Author: F. Grischuk