"There is a great deal of historical evidence of the visit of magicians to Jesus," says one scholar

There is a great deal of archaeological, textual, linguistic and scientific evidence to prove the historical existence of the "Magi" described in the Gospel of Matthew, says a scholar who devoted himself to research and writing about the subject. A Catholic priest, Dwight Longenecker, who has published books on the subject, points out that "all the pieces are perfectly suited to give a plausible explanation of real characters who were firmly motivated to go in search of the King of the Newborn Jews. "

Read more

He remembers that, in his gospel, Matthew recounts the visit of μάγος, a term that can also be translated as" wise "and offered to Jesus in Bethlehem.

Longenecker, author of the book The Mystery of the Magi: In Search of the Three Wise Men [Mistério dos Magos: a busca para identificar os sábios] emphasizes that his study is unbiased and focuses solely on historical and archaeological issues. Matthew was encrusted with centuries of layers of legends and myths, "which allowed critics to try to clbadify history as" religious fiction. "However, Longenecker says that" all myths can be founded on a real historical basis. This is what happens to the story of the Magi. "

" It is easy to ignore the story of exotic men from the Orient who made a long journey in the desert on camels following a magic star. "

Much of the supernatural understanding of history" developed between the third and fifth century amidst the Gnostics, "he stressed, pointing out that apocryphal creation "added some fantastic elements that have become part of the tradition, such as the fact that they are three and their names.

In fact," the story of a star supernatural is not part of Matthew's text ", reiterates.Therefore, it is possible to evaluate important new discoveries in other disciplines that complement purely textual research." We are living an incredible time for "Biblical archeology," said Longenecker. "With the use of modern science and forensic science, we are learning more and more about the ancient Middle East every day. Biblical scholars are concentrating more and more on the text alone, so their opinions must be weighed against all the other discoveries we make. "

The priest claims that his book" brings together elements of religion, culture and politics, the economy of the Middle East, from the birth of Jesus to a solid conclusion about the existence of these magicians. "

" I believe that they were diplomats from the court of the neighbor of Herod the Great, King Nabatean Aretas IV "reveals." They were a kind of king's adviser overseeing the stars. When they discovered the birth of a new Jewish king, they concluded that he was to be a grandson or great-grandson of Herod. "

Aretas had" every interest in sending a party to Jerusalem to pay tribute to the new heir to the throne of Herod "it makes perfect sense that these magicians have completed their journey in such a way that Matthew's narrative be simple, factual, and historical. "

The question of the existence of the sage is more than academic, Longenecker insists, as it affects people's understanding of the times of Jesus and the Lord. history of salvation itself. There is "a growing attempt in our society to say that Jesus is a mythical character on whom we know almost nothing".

"It's ridiculous because with the advances in archeology, textual and forensic discoveries, we now know more about the environment, the context and the culture of the time of Jesus as never before.What we know almost always confirms the historical accuracy of the New Testament. "

The history of the New Testament is important because" if we demonstrate that the Gospels are historically reliable, we must take seriously Jesus' affirmations of Christ and the meaning of his life, his teachings and, more importantly, his birth, death and resurrection. "