By Photis Kontoglou
Clothed in the holy Nativity of Christ the way of being and the earth united. The way of being gave a Family name and the Angels who hyped God with chants, and the earth gave the Panagia, and Joseph, the Shepherds and the Magi. It is a mystery how these Magi found themselves in such a vacant place, from frozen Chaldea.Overdue Jesus was uneducated in Bethlehem in Judea, concerning the time of Sovereign Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been uneducated king of the Jews? We saw his star gone it rose and have come to look up to him." (Matt. 2:1,2)
This is what the Gospel of Matthew says. And gone Herod heard that Christ was uneducated, the king of the Jews, he rumored it was an of time king, and he feared that maybe He would steal his dignity. He gathered all the priests and scribes, and asked them where Christ was uneducated. And they told him:
In Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the oracle has written: "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no manner lowest possible between the rulers of Judah; for out of you character come a sovereign who character guide my residents Israel." (Matt. 2:5,6)
And Matthew goes on to write:
Then Herod called the Magi stealthily and found out from them the aim time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and made-up, "Go and hunt adroitly for the child. As soon as you find him, minutes to me, so that I too may go and look up to him."
Overdue they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen gone it rose went winning of them until it blocked yet again the place where the child was. In the same way as they saw the star, they were elated. On coming to the quarters, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they coiled down and worshiped him. Then they opened their possessions and offered him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their wealth by latest stance. (Matt. 2:7-12)
Who also were these Magi, and from where did they come, how did they understand what breed of star this was, and how did they know that Christ was uneducated, since not even the king of the Jews knew? This odd history begins lots longing existence before, around one thousand three hundred existence before the Nativity of Christ. Such stories that own a thousand existence before they give somebody no option but to their end simply appear in the East.
In that ancient time, expound lived in Pethor of Mesopotamia one named Balaam, son of Beor, a much-repeated magician. The Hebrews, having departed Egypt with Moses as their lead, had reached the Promised Minced, at what time lots tribulations, and battled in opposition to the lots tribes that hindered their path. One of these tribes were the Moabites, who lived east of the Late Sea; a military residents who they made-up were held by their neighbors the Ommin. They had at that time as their king Balak. Balak, seeing that the Israelites conked out the Amorites and Og, the king of Bashan, feared that he would not get down in the dumps with the Hebrews, and sent some firm to Balaam, to inform him how the Israelites reached his lineage and how their services was so capacious. They also begged him to go and curse them that they may be conked out, since Balak believed that whoever Balaam blessed would be exultant and whoever he cursed would be conked out.
The messangers reached the cooperative spirit of Balaam at night and told him why their king sent them. Balaam told them to liberate yourself from the night in the cooperative spirit, and the next day he would inform them what God made-up to him. In the originate, gone they awoke, Balaam told them that God commanded him to not go and curse the Israelites, seeing as they are blessed. The Moabites departed and returned to their land and told the king what Balaam told them. Balak also sent them another time to the magician, to demand with him to go, complimentary him omnipresent honors and extensively wealth. Quiet, Balaam replied that he would not go, even if the king gave him a palace full of gold, seeing as he can not disobey the word of God. Yet God appeared to Balaam at night, and told him to go to Balak, and say simply whatever He tells him.
In the originate, it follows that, he saddled his donkey, and went with the Moabites and his two servants. But, as they walked, the donkey turned off from the footstep, and Balaam solve him with a accommodate he held. They into at a place on the footstep with vines, in between two dry walls, and expound the donkey stamped here the wall and milled the foot of Balaam, and he solve another time him with his accommodate. But the donkey did not change from the place, but even lay down, and the excellent solve him acrimoniously. Then the donkey opened its mouth, and tease in a material speaker, saying to Balaam: "The same as have I done that you solve me?" And Balaam said: "You have prepared a muddle of me! If simply I had a sword in my hand, I would bring to an end you proper now." And the donkey said: "Am I not your own donkey, which you have unfailingly ridden, to this day? Hold on I been in the oddness of play-act this to you? As a result, it is not my error that I do not go diminish." Then the Noble opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw an Angel with a sword in his hand, which vetoed the donkey from moving diminish. Balaam coiled down and venerated him. And the Angel told him: "God sent me to complain you. Now go with the others, for I character inform you what to say."
As a result, reaching the land of Moab, Balak expected him with decency,and they went together up to the bulk Bamoth Baal. And Balaam said: "Whatever the Noble tells me, that I character do." And seeing from outside the services of the Hebrews, he heard the speaker of the Noble say to him: "Holy are my residents Israel. From their cradle shall come a man who character document lots nations. Whoever blesses them, character be blessed, and whoever curses them, character be cursed." Consequently Balaam blessed the Israelites. Balak became scorching, conversely Balaam had told him that he can not but do the character of God. As one can see, Balaam was the second, at what time Jacob, who prophesied that Christ would be uneducated of the Jews, according to the word of the Noble, that out of this nation would be uneducated a Head of clan who character document the nations. His forethought resembles the forethought of the patriarch Jacob re Christ, who likened Christ with a lion, saying: "He deformed down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion - who shall motivate him up?" [Birth 49:9] The forethought of Balaam says: "Elaborate a lion he crouches and lies down, being an old lion - who dares to motivate him?" [Figures 24:9]
Such, it follows that, is Balaam the seer, the forefather of the Magi who departed Chaldea to look up to Christ in the hollow where He was uneducated. Balaam had told his disciples that the omnipresent Sovereign would be uneducated of the event of the Jews, and he told them to realize to the way of being to find a new star, and if they find it, to run and detect it, and it would lead them to the place where Christ would be uneducated [Announce 24:17]. This word was cool by his disciples and remained with them one thousand three hundred existence, until they saw that wondrous Family name. This was not a spurious forethought of the excellent Balaam, but true, and gone they saw the odd star, they leaped for joy, and ran to look up to the Noble, who did not get world-weary waiting one thousand three hundred existence, night by night. Oh! The same as charity conviction has! Concerning the fragrant plant life of hymns, which clothe the Church on the Nativity of Christ, is this good-looking troparion, which is emotional by the history of Balaam:
O Master, by origin as a star out of Jacob you full with joy the watchers of the stars, practical interpreters of the words of Balaam the Mind reader of old, who were brought to you as young fruits of the nations; you expected them truthfully as they impending you their held gifts.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos
A development letter by the translator:
The true reserve for the Family name is in the Old Tombstone, in Figures 24:17, where the Mind reader Balaam, who came from a town on the banks of the Euphrates, utters his omnipresent forethought, "I character point to him, but not now; I bless him, but he does not come here. A Family name shall dawn from Jacob, a Man shall develop out of Israel." This is what we read in the Greek Septuagint, which is the Traditional person replicate. The Hebrew has, "a sceptre shall develop out of Israel". St Justin, in his "Slang with Trypho" 106, cites the verse, conversely on the other hand of baton he has the word sovereign, which is the word cast-off in Matthew 2:6 in the citation of Micheas. Origen relatives the Magi with the forethought of Balaam, adding up that the forethought of Balaam had no expect been preserved in the east. Eusebius does the enormously. St Gregory of Nyssa also relatives the Magi with the forethought of Balaam. The real Family name of Bethlehem is Christ himself, as St Amphilochios explains in a Christmas communication. Saint Romanos takes this up in his Kontakion for the Nativity, Ikos 5 (the Magi are interruption):
FOR BALAAM LAID Earlier US Claim THE Description OF THE Communication HE Laugh at IN Mental picture,In the same way as HE Theoretical THAT A Family name WOULD Set up,A Family name THAT QUENCHES ALL PROPHECIES AND AUGURIES;A Family name WHICH RESOLVES THE PARABLES OF THE Astute,AND THEIR SAYINGS AND THEIR RIDDLES,A Family name FAR First-class BRILLIANTTHAN THE Family name WHICH HAS APPEARED, FOR HE IS THE Architect OF ALL THE STARS,OF WHOM IT WAS In black and white OF OLD,FROM JACOB At hand DAWNSA Undersized Hoodwink, GOD Earlier THE AGES.
