Pope Benedict XVI on the Historicity of the Magi and Star

It is obviously popular to question the historicity of the Gospels’ portrait of Jesus. Scholars who practice the historical-critical method of biblical study devoid of faith – and thus rejecting the possibility that God entered our world in Christ – object to the historicity of a multitude of events recorded in the Gospels and propose a different Jesus than the one communicated by the four evangelists. Pope Benedict XVI, himself a master of the tools of historical-critical scholarship, wrote his three volume Jesus of Nazareth to answer such skepticism. By wedding the tools of historical-critical scholarship to the Church’s faith, he demonstrates to all who will listen that the Jesus of the Gospels is in fact “the real, ‘historical’ Jesus in the strict sense of the word. . .[T]his figure is much more logical and, historically speaking, much more intelligible than the reconstructions we have been presented with in the last decades” (Jesus of Nazareth: From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration, xxii).

With the Church celebrating the great feast of Epiphany, it is the perfect time to see how Pope Benedict argues the star and magi in Matthew’s infancy narrative are historical. These “are not a meditation presented under the guise of stories [i.e., Jewish haggadah], but the converse: Matthew is recounting real history, theologically thought through and interpreted” (Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, 119). Mind you, Benedict agrees with Jean Daniélou who, even though he held the star and magi are historical, stated that, if it were somehow proved that Matthew intended them only as theological symbols, it would not affect the Church’s faith since these elements do not pertain to any essential truth of Christian faith (Infancy Narratives, 118).

Benedict recounts a number of details showing that it was historically possible that magi, purveyors of religious, philosophical, and astronomical knowledge, traveled from Persia in search of the newly born king of the Jews. He points out that the Roman historians, Tacitus and Seutonius, both recorded the speculation that the ruler of the world would soon emerge from Judah (Infancy, 95). Such speculation was surely fueled by the spread of Judaism throughout the Mediterranean. The Holy Father points out how long such speculation had been spreading; he recalls the ancient prophecy of the pagan prophet Balaam, recorded in Numbers 24:17, “I see him, but not now; / I behold him, but not nigh: / a star shall come forth out of Jacob, / and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; / it shall crush the forehead of Moab, / and break down all the sons of Sheth.” Extrabiblical confirmation of Balaam’s existence and reputation as a middle eastern prophet were recently uncovered, pointing to the historicity of the prophecy recorded in Numbers as well as its being defused throughout the region hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus (Infancy, 91).

In regards to the Star of Bethlehem, Benedict reviews different theories explaining it as an astronomically identifiable occurrence. Benedict earlier expressed his conclusion that Jesus was born around 7-6 B.C., and notes how Johannes Kepler calculated that a conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars occurred at that same time. Kepler likewise postulated that this may well have been accentuated by a supernova – a point that appears confirmed in Chinese chronological tables (Infancy, 98-9). Closer to our own time, twentieth century astronomer Ferrari d’Occhieppo believed the star could be explained by a 7-6 B.C. conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation Pisces (Infancy, 99). Benedict sees the star implying that “the cosmos speaks of Christ, even though its language is not fully intelligible to man in his present state” (Infancy, 100).

Such a conjunction would surely have caught the attention of Persian wise men, devoted to astronomy and knowledgeable of religious matters such as the prophecy of a ruler coming forth from Judah. Even more than catching their attention, however, they felt moved to seek this ruler out. Pope Benedict sees the magi as representing “the inner dynamic of religion toward self-transcendence, which involves a search for truth, a search for the true God and hence ‘philosophy’ in the original sense of the word” (Infancy, 95). It was only natural that they would seek the newborn king in Jerusalem, in Herod’s palace. Benedict finds the turmoil experienced by Herod and Jerusalem by the magi’s appearance to coincide with the historical portrait of Herod as a paranoid ruler looking to kill anyone he perceived as a threat to his rule, even his own sons (Infancy, 103, 108).

The magi, through the chief priests and scribes summoned by Herod, are directed to God’s Revelation, to Micah’s prophecy (5:1) that the Messiah was, like David, to be born in Bethlehem (Infancy, 104). Their philosophy and natural religion brought them to a certain point, but Revelation was needed to reach their final destination. The star then reappears and they follow it directly to Jesus. Benedict sees in these events, “Creation interpreted by Scripture” (Infancy, 105-6). With so many historical indicators of the plausibility of Matthew’s narrative, Pope Benedict concludes that the wise exegete should accept Matthew’s account as historical, until unassailable proof is put forward that Matthew intended the narrative to be understood as haggadah (Infancy, 119).

Riffing on the Star of Bethlehem

In my last post I mentioned attending a wonderful lecture by Philip Blaxton on Cardinal Ratzinger's The Spirit of the Liturgy. I was reminded of it again when I thought of the Star of Bethlehem. Cardinal Ratzinger had spoken of something changing within the cosmos with the birth of Christ - by taking on a human nature, God had wed himself to His creation, and it was thus forever changed. The Star of Bethlehem was a sign of this change, drawing the first Gentiles to their Jewish Savior.

Now there are many different theories as to what the Star of Bethlehem. While it is certainly possible that the Magi were drawn to Judea by a supernatural light, the majority of theories involve a celestial event - from a comet, to a supernova, to a conjunction of planets. Let's assume for a moment that one of those natural theories is correct - what an awe-inspiring example of God's almighty providence!

If the "star" was a natural event such as a supernova or conjunction of planets that coincided with the birth of Christ, then it was set in motion with the Big Bang. The universe was set in motion in such a way that this "star" would be visible in the Middle East at the exact time that God would make his entry into creation. What an amazing reminder that, despite man's capacity to sin and his attempts to unravel the divine plan, none of this occurs outside of God's loving providence. Before man's Fall, God already knew His Remedy! Man has his freedom, but God also retains His - and His freedom is exercised from eternity! The angels captured it perfectly, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” (Lk 2:14)

Early Christmas Gifts (My Theological Justification)

I grew up with a mom who loved giving Christmas gifts early…and I loved it! What child wouldn’t? One minute you are dreaming about playing Yars' Revenge on the Atari 2600, thinking it's still two weeks away; and the next thing you know it is in your hands! It was amazing. And I must confess that I often do the same with my own kids.

Oh, I can see a few of your heads nodding in disapproval. "It's ADVENT; Christmas doesn't begin until Mass on Christmas Eve!" That's the liturgical calendar, alright. But I think the early Christmas gift has a neat lesson to teach us, too.

Christmas is not only when we cast our glance backward in celebration of our Lord's first coming; it is also when look forward - to the day of His return. Many of us, at least unconsciously, feel that Day to be a long way off. (Two thousand years have already elapsed.) But the truth is that it could be just around the corner. We expect certain prophetic events first, but the exact day and moment of Jesus' return are going to come as a shock. It's not on a calendar; we can't watch the seconds counting down in Times Square. One second we will be slugging through difficulties, and the next we will be staring into the eyes of the One we've longed for our entire lives!


That's what the early Christmas gift reminds us of. A child is going along, trudging through the loooong weeks before Christmas Vacation, when BAM! Christmas suddenly breaks out!

The Lord might come for you or me at any second. None of us knows when our lives will end. The post I am writing may never be finished. Or perhaps I will be worrying about the big meeting coming up at work when...Christmas suddenly breaks out! That is quite a thought.

Of Swaddling Clothes and Grave Wrappings

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, the "disciple whom Jesus loved."  Today's Gospel reading came from the end of John's Gospel, from his Resurrection narrative.  It may seem a strange choice for the Christmas season, but while at Mass I recognized a profound symmetry at work.  Let me share a couple of lines with you:

"They both ran, but the other disciple [John] outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping down to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.  Then Simon Peter came ... and went into the tomb; he saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, which had been on [Jesus'] head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself.  Then the other disciple [John], who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed." (John 20:4-8)

For John, seeing Jesus' discarded burial wrappings was a sign; it allowed him to grasp the truth that Jesus had been raised.  This takes us right back to the shepherds at the time of Jesus' birth.  The angel said, "This will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."  For both John and the shepherds the wrappings acted as a sign.  For the shepherds it was Jesus' presence in the bands; but for John, His absence.  And both signs occurred in caves to which the men had been sent - the first was the cave of the Nativity, and the second was the rock-hewn tomb. In the first Jesus had been laid in a manger, most likely also carved from rock; and in the second Jesus' body rose from the rock slab on which it had been lain. I of course am not the first to see this; you can find it woven into the icon of the Nativity at left.  God's sense of symmetry is truly beyond words.

Why 8 Days of Christmas?

To put it simply - it's just too big of an event for the Church to squeeze its celebration into one day!  The same is true of Easter.  We need an octave, eight calendar days, to even scratch the surface when it comes to appreciating these mysteries.

I thought about this last night in relation to the first Christmas.  I re-read Luke's account of how the shepherds were sent by an angel to find Jesus, "wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Lk.2:12).  It dawned on me that I had never stopped to truly put myself in the shepherds' place and imagine how they would have reacted.  In my head I had always seen them kneeling in silent awe before the manger ... and then going on their way.  But that's not what human beings do; it's definitely not what I would have done!  

Once the shepherds found Jesus there with Mary and Joseph, wouldn't they have had a million questions for Joseph?  Wouldn't the story of how they had seen the angel and then a whole angelic army have came spilling out?  And for the long-awaited Savior to actually be right there in front of them!  I bet their eyes just kept coming back to Him. 

Scripture tells us that the shepherds finally left (Lk.20), but I have to believe that they returned over the next few days.  How could they not?  If angels had appeared to you and told you where the Savior was, could you keep from going back?  Of course not.  We wouldn't be able to think of anything else and neither could they.  They wanted more! They must have looked for any opportunity to pay Jesus, Mary, and Joseph another visit.  "Boy, there sure was some nice grazing land over on the other side of the city.  And while we're out that way ..." (Anyone else feel the sudden urge to visit Jesus in the Tabernacle or Adoration Chapel?)

Christmas is a mystery and celebration that simply cannot fit into one day.  Happy third day of Christmas!

"And the Word became flesh ..."

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (Jn 1:1,14)

The scandal of the incarnation.  
It is impossible to become comfortable with it:  the thought that the eternal, all-powerful Deity would became a helpless child in the arms of His Mother.  It was too much for the Docetists, Gnostics, and Arians to take!  But the scandal of God's incarnate love didn't end there.  Not only did God humble himself by taking the form and appearance of a slave (Phil 2:5-8), He abased Himself even further, taking on the appearance of bread and giving himself to us as food! It was no accident that the only “bed” Mary and Joseph found to lay Jesus in that first night was a feed box for animals. It was divine foreshadowing of the night thirty-some years later when he blessed and broke the bread, saying, “This is my body” (Matthew 26:26).

Why Is Christmas on December 25th? Beyond the Myths

I was reading a post from Jimmy Akin and came upon a great quote on the matter of Christians choosing Dec. 25th as the date to celebrate Christ's birth in an attempt to re-appropriate a date already celebrated by pagans:

In his book, The Spirit of the Liturgy, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger commented:

"The claim used to be made that December 25 developed in opposition to the Mithras myth, or as a Christian response to the cult of the unconquered sun promoted by Roman emperors in the third century in their efforts to establish a new imperial religion. However, these old theories can no longer be sustained" (pp., 107-108).

Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict) is certainly no slouch as a scholar, so you had better believe there is solid data behind that statement.  Reading down in the comments on Akin's post I came across this link to Dr. Taylor Marshall's article, with a stunning chronology offering an explanation for why Christians began celebrating Jesus' birth on December 25th.  Please read it to check out the details.  Here is the rough outline: "We can discover that Christ was born in late December by observing first the time of year in which Saint Luke describes Zacharias [a priest, and father of John the Baptist] serving in the temple (Lk.1). This provides us with the approximate conception date of John the Baptist. From there we can follow the chronology that Saint Luke gives and that lands us right smack at the end of December."

Very interesting.  I look forward to reading more.

The Eucharist in the Crib

Compliments of Google Images and a little time spent in MS Paint

In four days we will celebrate Jesus' birth in the city of Bethlehem, an event prophesied some 700 years before by the Prophet Micah.  "But you, O Bethlehem Eph'rathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days" (Micah 5:2).  

But have you ever read the meaning of the name Bethlehem?  "House of Bread."  And we are told that when Jesus was born, He was laid in a manger, a feeding trough for animals.  The Eucharist - the truth that Jesus gives Himself to us as the Bread of Life - was announced there in the Cave of the Nativity!

"For My flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me will live because of Me."  (Jn. 6:55-57)

Eve and Mary (the New Eve)

"The knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve had bound in unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosed through faith."

                  - Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons
                    Against Heresies, Book III (180-199 A.D.)

I have meant to write this post since the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec.8th).  The readings at Mass that day contrasted humanity's disobedience in the Garden of Eden with Mary's obedience at the Annunciation.  

In both stories an angel spoke to a woman, a sinless woman fresh from the hands of God.  In the first, it is a fallen angel speaking in his own name, but in the second an archangel speaking in God's.

In the first, Eve gave her husband fruit to eat from the forbidden tree.  Mary offers us fruit as well, the fruit of her womb, Jesus (Lk.2:42), given to us as "real food" in the Eucharist (Jn.6:55).  But we must join her at the tree of the Cross to receive Him.

Eve did not believe God's word, that the fruit of the tree would bring death.  She did not trust in His love for her or her spouse, and was willing to believe that He was keeping them from true fulfillment.  She wished to put herself in the place of God.

In the sharpest contrast imaginable, Mary took God completely at His word - believing that even a virgin could conceive a child.  And Mary placed herself completely at God's service, "I am the handmaid [literally "slave girl"] of the Lord; let it be to me, according to your word.  

Both women became Mothers of the Human Race but in different ways.  Eve became mother of the fallen human race, but Mary the mother of the redeemed human race (Rev.12:17), redeemed by its union with her Son . 

Mary, "blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus!"

Sandals at Christmas-time

As stylish as those sandals are, if you receive them a s a Christmas gift, then you will have to wait a few months to start showing them off.  It's just too cold outside.  So why do I bring them up?  Because they captured my attention in this morning's Gospel reading.  John the Baptist, when asked if he was the expected Messiah, responded, "I baptize you with water; but He Who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of Whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Lk.3:16).

Listen to the way John speaks of Jesus, the esteem in which He holds the Lord.  It's so different from the stance many of us take toward God - the "me and my main man, Jesus" mentality.  But John is 100%, absolutely, completely and totally right!  It's the only stance we can assume before Jesus, Who is "the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible ... He is before all things and in Him all things hold together ... For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell"! (Col.1:15-19)  When the Baptist later encountered Jesus, Who was seeking baptism, we are told how "John would have prevented Him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by You!'" (Mt.3:14).

But the gospels give us another scene involving sandals and baptism.  It comes during the Last Supper when Jesus took it upon Himself to remove the sandals from the Apostles' feet and begin to wash them.  Peter didn't want to see Jesus performing the job of a servant, saying "You shall never wash my feet;" and Jesus answered, "If I do not wash you, you have no part in me."  After that all Peter could say was "Lord, then not my feet only but also my hands and head!" (Jn.13:8-11).  It's a beautiful allusion to the Sacrament of Baptism where Jesus not only washes away all of our sins, but brings us into His own relationship with the Father!  (See 2 Pet. 2:14, Jn.1:13).  In the Eucharist He feeds us His own Flesh and Blood, and in Confirmation makes us participate in His anointing with the gifts of the Spirit (Is.11:2-3)! He becomes our divine Lover, the Groom of our souls (Eph.5:25-26, 32).

This isn't meant to make us so "familiar" with Jesus that ever cease kneeling in awe before Him, and praying, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me, a sinner!"  Our nearness to Him increases our awe!
Who are we that God would love us enough to take on all the misery of the human condition? To put on sandals and trod the dusty roads of Palestine?  Who am I that the Creator of the Universe, Who stands above space and time, would want to dwell in my soul?  Who am I that He would die upon a Cross to save?  I am no one ... and yet I have been made a son in the Son.  In the mind of God I am one - and you are one - worth dying for.  Oh the Love and Mercy of God!  Listen to St. Paul, "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure" (Phil.2:12-13).

My Advent prayer this morning?  It comes from the Mass, "Come and save us O Savior of the world."