EPIPHANY

I have not blogged during the holidays but it is time to get back to the joyful task of sharing ideas with others. I only have one follower but trust that more will be added later.

Today is January 6, the feast of the Epiphany. The observance in the West is connected with the arrival of the Wise Men from the East and in the Orthodox calendar it is the observance of the birth of Christ. The Greek believers did not go along with the Latin Christians who had been coopted by the Roman Empire and had adapted and adopted Roman observances disguising them thinly with Christian veneer. The Epiphany is also referred to as Twelfth Night and the popular song "On the Twelfth Day of Christmas" is an allusion to January 6 even if the song is not heard from December 26 to January 6.

The season of Epiphany in the Christian year contracts and expands according to the date set for Easter that particular year. In 2010 Easter will be on April 4 and the "40 days of Lent" start on Ash Wednesday, February 17, that gives us six Sundays after Epiphany. Since Epiphany in the west refers to the visit of Magi (astronomer/astrologers from what is now Iran and Iraq) this is a good time to explore the Middle-Eastern and Asian influences in Christianity. This is also a good time to concentrate on Ecumenical and Interfaith relations. As for the actual day of the Epiphany I think it is wise to learn from the story our ancestors gave us as a legacy.

The story of the visitation of the Magi is only found in Matthew and it appears that the author of that Gospel (whatever his real name was, the names of the supposed authors of the Gospels were given decades after the documents were penned (or quilled or whatever they used to inscribe at the time) wanted to achieve a couple of things with the story: a) To connect the birth of Jesus with prophecies about kings coming to Israel's light, b) to make the birth of Jesus a cosmic event accompanied by signs in the heavens, and c) to establish the foundations for the internationalization of the nascent movement.

Most New Testament scholars agree that the author of this story was connected with a group of Jewish "converts" (the word does not fit well but it works for our purposes)and was intent on solidifying their belief in the Messiahnic character of Jesus and in convincing other Jewish people to become members of their group in Antioch. So it is easy to see why this author uses the text from Isaiah and turns it into a story. He is basically writing a Midrash, something that is part of the Judaic tradition and expands on how for their day this text is fulfilled in the visit of the Magi from the East.

But "Matthew" also wants to strengthen the story by adding events in the heavens. A star appearing in the skies which the astrologers/astronomers recognize as the portent of the birth of a very important person, so important as to summon them to witness the event themselves and to bring gifts for the "new born King of the Jews."
These wise men bring three gifts which are indicative of the true character of the new "King<" gold a symbol of the royalty of Jesus, frankinscence, a clear allusion to his divinity and myrrh, a portent of his impending martyrdom. There is nothing in the text to indicate how many Magi came, only the number of gifts, since there are three gifts those who help build and establish the tradition jumped to the conclusion that there were 3 Magi, Kings of Wise men and later names were given to each: Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar. These later were made to stand for the 3 races of humanity recognized in ancient times: White, Black and Yellow or Asian.

That successive generations ascribe differing racial characteristics to the Magi is indicative that "Matthew" succeeded in making his third point, Jesus was to be no longer just a "Jewish" messiah, he was recognized -and hence available- to all the peoples of the known world.

One should not waste too much time debating the historicity of the event, or the astronomical "proofs" of the kind of star that the astrologers saw (There used to be a show at the Griffith Observatory which dealt with the possible explanations for the kind of star the Magi saw!!) This is not a historical event, rather it is a history making story if we let it be that. The exclusivism of Ancient Israel (and some might add the modern Jewish State) is shattered by this story written by someone who once subscribed to and supported such exclusivity! That is what one needs to build upon and proclaim.

The consequence for our day is that we need to dedicate this and every Epiphany time to proclaim the universality, the inclusiveness and encouragement of differences that believing in Christ implies. The six Sundays after Epiphany this year give us the opportunity to explore ways to proclaim the universality of the message by encouraging honest dialogue with other Christians and with people from other faith paths. Since the anniversaries of the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. and the martyrdom of Gandhi fall always during this season of the Christian Year astute leaders should organize events that promote interfaith understanding and not mere tolerance. Gandhi was a careful and devoted student of religions. He eventually embraced his country's Hinduism but never to the detriment or devaluing of any of the other religions he studied and learned to appreciate. He also became a reformer of his Hinduism and summons us to become better within our faith paths. He influenced Martin Luther King Jr. whose movement was supported by Jews, Roman Catholics, agnostics, etc., who strengthened the movement through a passion learned in their original contexts and worked out, lived in the Civil Rights non-violent struggles.

Happy Epiphany!!