The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, December 20, 1903, Page 8

to treat lowing heads: bona- conten- ed theologians. I show the un- orks a miracle and n s through h exist. t was through nts already ivided the to pass God made use of the announce the nativity that the m were learned. The) efore, make use of word h discrim- were they astronomers, sed an astronomi- uld use the eppro- ase descriptive of the object referred to. They use the which ans an erdin- nent star, not an ex- 1d temporary one. e other words and ployed by the evangelist in t the star are astronomi- iich we conclude used in its ordinary as- star is'used only fication—iiterally or its figurative sense it ¥ il ruler, an i perhaps an ot used in its metaphor- Therefore it means motion. It the heavens. of ail the and the words of narrative are: “The star hem till it came.” When the star it occupied a in the sky. Now, how- Yerent position, not cause of the change in the on, but absolutely by the heavens. No was & movement in ppear more plain- osition. was a star t haed an aster- d at a particular point in ve them. The statement is : "It came and stood e the young ch in the original is from the Latin equivalent of which s stare, to stand. Joined with Sol (the sun) it forms soistice, an astro- nomical term applied to two positions e heavens, called the summer and winter solstices. At these points the stands for a few moments before entering upon his return journey. In the same way the star stood on the meridian passing through Bethlehem, which marks it as the true first meri- dian of the world. 4. It was a star that moved in an orbit—it had a periodic time. This ts 2 most remarkable statement. We @re told that Herod privately learned s characteristic bodies, r next pro FRANCISCO SUNDAY of the Magl “what time the star appearsd.” The margin of the Revised Ver- sion gives us a better be- cause a more correct trans- lation of the phrase. It is: “The time of the star that appeared.” But the lit- eral rendering is “the tim of the sappearing star.” There are two words in Greek for time, kairos and chronos. Kalros means a fixed time of definite length, euch as a season, & number of known years, etc. But chronos is the word for indefinite time, as a period whose number of years is not known. Yet it 1s not the equivalent of eternal; it has a beginning and ending; there is an initial etarting point and completion at the same point, as in the case of a circle, cycle or orbit. The word which Herod uses, no doubt quoting the magl's expression, is chronos, the indefinite period. The word qualifsing star, phainome- non (appearing), is better rendered by e expression “light-giving,” and means that the light was inherent in the star in other words, the star wWes a Su The expressions used are 1d not be applied to a tem- self, wous object. that had a relative it was in’the east. cbrrect rendering of anatole he east,” then It has ference to that partfeular part of the heavens to the east of the observer. The observers, therefore, must have been west of Jerusalem. This is a point to be borne in mind, as we shall have to refer to it more particularly later on. The conciusion here arrived at s contrary 16 the generally received opin- fon. As far as I am aware it Is uni- ersally held that the Magi were resi- t or located in the east at the time the star appeared to them. Yet accord- ing to theplain terms of the statement they must ‘hawe been located in the west. Anatole means (1) the rising of Whichever meaning you 2dopt, the beholder must have been west of the star. The star must have pointed to or been at Jerusalem when first observed by the wise men. There- fore the wise men must have been west of Jerusalem. 6. It was a fixed star—not erratle ements. The term “star” was the wise men. But they wers ed astronomers and knew the dif- e between a star, a planet, a comet or a meteor, for ull of which there were distinct names. Hence planet, comet, meteor are ruled out by the word aster (star). And hence we conclude that the star in the east was a fixed star. But assume that it was the evange- list who used the word aster. We still must conciude that it was a fixed star. In the days of the apostles the differ- ent kinds of heavenly bodies had dis- tinctive names. They are to be found in Josephus, the Jewish historian, and St. Jude distinguishes a plunet from & star Jude 13)—aster planets (wan- dering stars). Had it been other than a fixed star the evangelist would have stated so. It was a star in the sign pisces of the zodiac—the sign of Judea. This is an important factor. Among the ancients there was a part of the heav- ens called the zodiac. It was a belt encircling the heavens on each sgide of the ecliptic, or apparent path of the sun among the stars, within which the larger plamets always remain. ten of a by the ecliptic. twelve parts called the Signs of the It was divided into Zadiac. The different countries of the earth were divided among the twelve signs. Judea belonged ‘to the sign pisces, the twelfth. The Magi, like all other astrologers ar astronomers, be- lieved in the -division. It may be as well to answer an objection here. It is that astrology being a false science, God could not make use of it in the accomplishing of his designs. But this is to object to what God actually did. If he used a false prophet to disclose his will surely he would reveal that will through a false science. It was not to teach science that God gave his revelation. He therefore used the prophet Balaam, in all probability one of the old Magi. As Gerlach well says in his commentary, “As Jesus adapted himself to fishermen by a miraculous draught of fishes; to the sick by curing of their infirmities, and to all his hear- ers by his parables relating to the cir- cumstances around them, so did he draw the astronomists to himself by condescending to their favorite sci- ence.” The star of Bethlehem must be connected with the sign of pisces. So far we have traced some of the necessary conditions of the star. Let us now try and discover the star that fulfills these conditions. In doing so we shall briefly discuss the different theories put forth and held by differ- ent people, some of them men of great eminence in their own particular sphere. We shall also show the un- tenableness of the different hypothe- ses: I. The star was not an angel. No less a father of the church than Theo- phylact held this view. He believed CALL—CHRISTMAS NUMBER it was an angelic apparition. No doubt angels were sent on messages from heaven to men, and the Angel Gabriel was used in the annunciation. But the angelic vision would disappear with the accomplishment of the object. Not so the star; it remained. II. The star was not a meteor. This view has been largely held. It is as- serted that some kind of meteoric phenomenon would best meet the ne- cessities of the case. But any meteor drawn to the earth would either be consumed by the atmospheric friction or else would fall tp the ground and become extinguished. Its appearance would be almost momentary. III. The star was not a comet. One of the greatest fathers of the church, Origen, held this view. But not all the weight of Origen’s great scholar- ship could obtain credence for such a belief. Just recently this theory of a comet has been revived, unconsciously, however, that Origen was the father of it. IV. The star was not a conjunction of planets. This is the most feasible as well as fascinating theory. It is that of the great astronomer, Kepler. He calculated that there was a con- Junction of Mars and Jupiter on the night of December 25, in the year of Rome 747. Next year Saturn joined Mars and Jupiter, according to Dean Alford, the eminent- commentator, the light of the three planets blended and appeared to the beholder as one light. ‘What a beautiful {llustration of trinity in unity—the lights of three planets blended into one light! Ideler con- firmed Kepler's calculation as to the conjunction of the planets. Wieseler, who followed, makes the conjunction in A, U. C. 750, the year of the mnativ- ity now agreed upon by the Jearned. It is remarkable, too, that the conjunc- tion of the planets took place in the sign plsces, the sign of Judea. This theory is also free from the objections above referred to, But beautiful as is the theory, Bibll- cal conditions compel us to reject it. Christ's birth took place, according to St. Paul, in “the fullness of time.” This fullness of time is an astronomi- cal expression meaning the comple- tion of a cycle, or the revolution of a sphere in its orbit. That cycle, or revo- lution, occupled thousands of years in its completion. As we have seen, the Star of Bethlehem had a periodic time, which must necessarily have corre- sponded with “the fullness of time.” But the periodic times of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn are all known and are of short duration. Even if we apply the perfodic time to the conjunctions of the ~ the objection still holds. good. The times of the conjunctions are known and are comparatively short. 8o that attractive as {s the theory of Kepler, we must dismiss it and look elsawhere. There is one star which fulfills all the conditions. (a) It was In an especial sense the Magi’s star. (b) It has a pe- riodic time, (c) Its revolution is of in- definite length. . (d) It was in the sign pisces at the birth of our Lord. (e) I believe we can find a peculiarity %v which it could be called “His\ Star.” That star was Sirius, the brightest in the firmament of heaven. Before we can arrive gt our final ¢on- clusion it is necessary to learn some- thing about the wise men, or Magl. Who were the Magi? Where did they come from? The etymology of the word Magi is involved in much doubt. It is gener- ally supposed to be primarily a Perslan word, but the Persian is only a form of the original. Our.word Magus, of which Magl i{s the plural, is but the Latin rendering of the Greek Magos, the Persian of which is probably Maz. Maz Is cognate to Maj in major, Mag in Magnus and’ Meg In- Megas (Rawlin- son). “It is an intensitive and means much or all.” In ura-Maz-da, Per- sian name for it meany the all- wise or all-powerful. It is clear, however, that the Persians borrowed the word, as they assimilated the priesthood from the Médians and the Medians received it from the Ac- cadians, who inhabited - the country afterward called Babylonia. The Ac- cadlans were the “Highlanders who descended from the mountainous re- glon of Elam.” (Sayce). To them the Assyrians ascribed the origin of Chal- deau civilization and writing. Their language is called Turanian. Turanian difters from both the Aryan and Semi- tic languages, axd Is “used especially or restrictedly of the Ural-Altaic, or Scythian languages.” (Century Dic- ticnary). Thus we trace the term Magus to the Accadlans, whose language is Turanian or S8eythian. The home of the language and race of the Magi is Scythia. If we now turn to Jer. xxxix., 3, we shall find an officer of Nebuchadnezzer designa- ted Rab-Mag. Rab means chief; Mag means Magian; the chief Magian or high priest. We agaib locate the magl in Babylon. Go back many centurles to Gen. x., 2, and we read that the ‘second son of Japhet was Magog, or as we may write it, Maggog. The Scyth- jans claim to have descertded from Mag-gog. Josephus states that the Greclang called the Scythians Magogi in his day. We have thus traced his- torically and philologically the Magians to Bcythia. ; As the Persians, or Iramians, belong to tI Aryan stock In race and lan- guage, how came they to incorporate Magi Into their own speech? And how is it that their priests were called Ma- gians? To this, happily, we can give a succinet and intelligent answer. The primitive historical religion of the Persians was Zoroasterism, and not Magism. Zoroaster was probably a contemporary of Moses, and it is worthy of niote that the religion of both was monotheistic and similar in many respects. as i The original séat of the Zoroastrians was on the Oxus. In course of time they spread to the regions south and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Here they came in contact with a people whose religion was very similar to their own. This people inhabited Ar- menia, Cappadocia and the Zagros Mountains. Associated with their re- ligious tenets was a priest caste of a highly sacerdotal character. These priests claimed prophetic powers, in this corresponding very much to the Israclites. Their religion, too, was monotheistic; but the four elements, fire, air, earth, water, were speclally recognized as proper objects of human reverence. Fire as the most subtle and ethereal principle, as well as the most potent agent, wus given especial veneration. The Zoroastrians came in contact with this people, and as the fundamental temets of both religions were much allke, they readlly coal- esced. The Iranians incorporated the principal dogmas of bellef and adopted the most - characteristic religious usages of these people, whilst they took over bodily their priesthood. The priests were the magl and their relig- fon magism. As the fusion took place in Media the Magians subsequently be- came known as a Median tribe. (Raw- linson.) But originally they were lin- guistically and raclally distinct from Medes and Persfans. In fact, their language was Turanian, their race Scythian; they were descendants of Magog. Before and after their amalgamation with the Iranians they held an exalted position. They had neither temples, shrines nor images. They were not idolaters like so many of . the nations around them. They had altars, howev. er, and on these the perpetual fire, kin- dled, it was believed, by a flame from heaven, was kept alight continually. To blow the breath upon the flame was considered a defilement.of the altar, and so heinous as to be regarded a cane ital offense. & fhey offered sacrifies alse. The vio- tim was brought near te a river, lake or fountalin, where it waa slain by one of the priests with the utmest care, lest any of the blood should defils the water. A small porticn of the fat was consumed in the flame of the altar. The flesh became the portion of the priests, upon which they banqueted when the rites were finished. The mag! clalmed supernaturel powsrs as well as the gift of propheay. They interpreted dreams, explained omens and expounded mysteries. To their high pretensions they added a lofty dignity and J ¢ mein. Their vestiture was chaste, their ceremonial magnificent. Clad in long white flow- ing robes, wearing tall felt hats, with lappets at the side, and carrying the barsom, made of thelr tamarisk twigs, in thetr hands, 7 chanted mystic strains at the sacrifices and as they poured the propitiatory libation of oil, milk and honey on ths ground, they presented an Imposing spectacle in their Impress r X Addead to this wa eat learn- deep pi tity. No wonder an all powerful p of the western becoming world, the magi as indigenous t the general were confir k hood. It was, how co-religionists of the Yood that, standing by tars and looking toward sky, beheld afar the star of Bett These men were neither Arablan Kings, Persian priests, nor Oriental mages, On the contrary, they wers XKelts—Irish Druids. Their homes were in the west chief sanctuaries in the western isles. Is there a people on the face of the earth whose h fits In with the conditions necesary to determine who the Magi we and whence they came? There is one race, and ounly ome, whose history meets all the require- ments. That race ia the Irish ev Gaelic. The Irish clalm to be I‘ufld from Magog, the grandson of Noah. They originally came from Soythis. Thelr language belongs to the Scythis tongue or stock of languages, which connects them with the ancient Ac- cadians, This is the same stock snd race to which we traced the Magl The original country of the Magi and Gael is the same. It 1s well known that the Irish were some centuries ago known as Scots. Bcot comes from Scult, and this is the Irish for Scythia. In the seventh century before Christ the Greeks came in contact with =& race “whom they called Scythians, An exacter form of the name was Beolotl. Herodotus and Hippocrates clearly distingutsh the Scolots, or true Scythi- ans, from all their neighbors.” (En- cyclopedia Britannica.) It will be seen at a glance that Sco(lo)ts is but a dif- ferent linguistic way of spelling Scot or Scult. A tribe of the Irish that kept up communication with the true Soythi- ans and other Gaellc tribes in Greece and Asla Minor was the Tuatha de Danan. Tuatha Danan means “tribes of Dia and Anah,” according to Professor Sullivan. These ars the sky and sea gods of Accad. Alr and water were two of the four principles held in especial eration by the Magians whom traced to Accad and Scythia. Again the T we le Danan were of “the race Iba dson of larbonel the prophet, son of Nemed.” To these Danans es all e term Maglan Is applied in the ancier Irish | The power of enchan tion of dre: s, worl the gift of prophecy and grea are attributed to their priests Druids. It was this tril the stone of Scone, now ster Abbey, to Ireland. Edward VII was rec The Scottish Kings, a the Irish Kings, were cr same stone. The Irish word Druid or Magian. It is worth the Irish Scriptures rend e came wise men from the east™ by re came Drulds from the east.” The Irish words are: “Draloch o naird shoir go Hierusalem,” which shows the Irish be- liet that the Druids were Magians. It is a matter of history that part of the Gaels or Irish in the westward movement of the race returned by the valley of the Danube and settled in Asla Minor. They prefixed their own name to Asia, and cailed their abode Gael-Asia, or Galatia, as it came to be spelled. Whether the Druids or Magl to whom the star of Bethlehem appeared were residents of Ireland, Scythia er Galatia is iramaterial, for they ware all the same Gaelic race. - Canwsieht 1908 b W W B d bef: them owned on the means wisdom £ rd that