The wise men who payed Homage to Infant Jesus. Their nativity and place where they met Jesus and his parents.
Gospel of Matthew records that wise men from the East had come to Jerusalem in search of the King of Jews, who was born.
Matthew 2:1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Let us see the nations that were East of Jerusalem.
The modern day Jordan, which was then called as Ammon
A part of Saudi Arabian desert.
Iraq and Iran, which was then called Mespotamia
Afghanistan, Pakistan, India which was together called as Partho-Indian Kingdom,
China and other Far east nations.
The scriptures say that they came together. So the possibility was that they came from one place and not from many places. Or there was a possibility that they had gathered for some retreat from their respective kingdoms and saw the star and astrologically they deduced that King of Jews was born.
Let us see historically who were capable of reading stars.
The Ammons, eventhough Abrahamic genelogy, they had fallen off the monotheistic religion and were worshipping Pagans. Hence they could not have got the knowledge of reading the stars.
Iraqis (Babylonians) and Iranians have a long culture of reading astrological signs. However would they have travelled to a kingdom which was under Roman rule to see an infant king that was born? This is a question which makes me to discount the Mespotamians off the radar.
Chinese Astrology is connected to more of mythology than birth and way of living. Far-east Nations the distance and the commuting hardships discounts them as well.
This leaves with India. India has a long history of Astrological science and have been practising tracking of Sun, Moon and Stars since 2nd millenium BC.
India had an established sea route and Road connections which was part of Spice Route and Silk Route. This also enables the Indian origin wise men to travel to Jerusalem.
The Christian Tradition ascribe one of the wise men to be GondoPhares I, an Indo Parthian King and rest 2 to Mespotamian King and Arabian King. However this could not be possible, since Kings were not Astrologers but had specialist astrologers in their cabinet of Ministers.
Gospel of Matthew also states that they saw the Star again in the fields outside Jerusalem. This definitely requires a specific knowledge in Astrology.
Considering these facts, we can deduce that the wise men who paid homage to Infant Jesus might have been from India.
The gifts given by the wisemen, Gold, Frankincense and Myrhh. All these three are trade articles in India since time immemorial.
Gold had been in trade in India since Pre-Mauryan era.
Spice route is Indian origin and History states that wars were fought just to take the spices as spoils. Franincense (Sambrani as we call in Local language) had been in India time immemorial.
Myrrh is a substance that is used in ancient healing of diseases. India has a great history of practicing Medical science and Ayurveda definitely originated before Christ era.
Time and Place of their visit
Considering that they saw the star from Indo-Parthian area, they would have taken atleast 5 to 6 days to visit Jesus.
1. Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem for the census.
2. Jesus was born in an Inn and was placed in the Manger.
3. Shepherds were announced about the birth of the LORD and saw the infant in Bethlehem
4. On Eighth day he was circumcised and presented in the Temple in Jerusalem. Possibly the Parents have started their Journey on the sixth day of Birth and travelled to Jerusalem in time of the day of circumcision.
5. They might have started their way back to Nazareth, thats another 3 days of journey.
6. Gospel of Matthew 2:9-11 accounts as "After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.
So it was not the Manger the wise men saw, but the house. We also know that Mary was a resident of Nazareth and Archangel Gabriel met Mary in Nazareth.
7. Probably Jesus was taken to the mother's residence in Nazareth and the wise men visited.
8. However the King Herod would have mistook that the child was born to a resident of Bethlehem and ordered massacre of children below 2 years in and around Bethlehem. Nazareth was way away from Bethlehem, but definitely not unreachable. Hence Jospeh was warned to take the child to Egypt.
Thus there is a possibility that the Gospel had reached India way before St Thomas came to India.
Gospel of Matthew records that wise men from the East had come to Jerusalem in search of the King of Jews, who was born.
Matthew 2:1-2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Let us see the nations that were East of Jerusalem.
The modern day Jordan, which was then called as Ammon
A part of Saudi Arabian desert.
Iraq and Iran, which was then called Mespotamia
Afghanistan, Pakistan, India which was together called as Partho-Indian Kingdom,
China and other Far east nations.
The scriptures say that they came together. So the possibility was that they came from one place and not from many places. Or there was a possibility that they had gathered for some retreat from their respective kingdoms and saw the star and astrologically they deduced that King of Jews was born.
Let us see historically who were capable of reading stars.
The Ammons, eventhough Abrahamic genelogy, they had fallen off the monotheistic religion and were worshipping Pagans. Hence they could not have got the knowledge of reading the stars.
Iraqis (Babylonians) and Iranians have a long culture of reading astrological signs. However would they have travelled to a kingdom which was under Roman rule to see an infant king that was born? This is a question which makes me to discount the Mespotamians off the radar.
Chinese Astrology is connected to more of mythology than birth and way of living. Far-east Nations the distance and the commuting hardships discounts them as well.
This leaves with India. India has a long history of Astrological science and have been practising tracking of Sun, Moon and Stars since 2nd millenium BC.
India had an established sea route and Road connections which was part of Spice Route and Silk Route. This also enables the Indian origin wise men to travel to Jerusalem.
The Christian Tradition ascribe one of the wise men to be GondoPhares I, an Indo Parthian King and rest 2 to Mespotamian King and Arabian King. However this could not be possible, since Kings were not Astrologers but had specialist astrologers in their cabinet of Ministers.
Gospel of Matthew also states that they saw the Star again in the fields outside Jerusalem. This definitely requires a specific knowledge in Astrology.
Considering these facts, we can deduce that the wise men who paid homage to Infant Jesus might have been from India.
The gifts given by the wisemen, Gold, Frankincense and Myrhh. All these three are trade articles in India since time immemorial.
Gold had been in trade in India since Pre-Mauryan era.
Spice route is Indian origin and History states that wars were fought just to take the spices as spoils. Franincense (Sambrani as we call in Local language) had been in India time immemorial.
Myrrh is a substance that is used in ancient healing of diseases. India has a great history of practicing Medical science and Ayurveda definitely originated before Christ era.
Time and Place of their visit
Considering that they saw the star from Indo-Parthian area, they would have taken atleast 5 to 6 days to visit Jesus.
1. Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem for the census.
2. Jesus was born in an Inn and was placed in the Manger.
3. Shepherds were announced about the birth of the LORD and saw the infant in Bethlehem
4. On Eighth day he was circumcised and presented in the Temple in Jerusalem. Possibly the Parents have started their Journey on the sixth day of Birth and travelled to Jerusalem in time of the day of circumcision.
5. They might have started their way back to Nazareth, thats another 3 days of journey.
6. Gospel of Matthew 2:9-11 accounts as "After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.
So it was not the Manger the wise men saw, but the house. We also know that Mary was a resident of Nazareth and Archangel Gabriel met Mary in Nazareth.
7. Probably Jesus was taken to the mother's residence in Nazareth and the wise men visited.
8. However the King Herod would have mistook that the child was born to a resident of Bethlehem and ordered massacre of children below 2 years in and around Bethlehem. Nazareth was way away from Bethlehem, but definitely not unreachable. Hence Jospeh was warned to take the child to Egypt.
Thus there is a possibility that the Gospel had reached India way before St Thomas came to India.
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