Christ is Born
Nativity and Epiphany: manger, shepherds, Magi, Star of Bethlehem
On 25 December Christians celebrate the Birth of Christ: the classic nativity scene unfolds.
In Bethlehem, writes Luke (2:1-7), Mary “brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn”.
Christ’s birth called the “Virgin Birth” because:
- she conceived miraculously
- in giving birth to Jesus she remained a virgin
This is called the doctrine of Mary’s “perpetual virginity”, which goes back to the 2nd century.
Luke writes that angels announced the birth of the Messiah to the shepherds in the neighborhood, who visited the baby and spread the news. Matthew (2:1-12) writes of more eminent visitors: “magi from the east”. “Magi” refers specifically to a Persian (Zoroastrian) caste of priests. It has been traditionally assumed that there were 3 Magi – known as Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, names given to them in the 6th century – because Matthew mentions 3 gifts. Each is interpreted as a kingly gift, a symbol, or a prophecy:
- gold, a valuable, symbolic of virtue or kingship on earth
- frankincense, a perfume, symbolic of prayer or divine authority
- myrrh, an anointing oil that is also an embalming oil, symbolic of suffering and death.
The Magi had followed the Star of Bethlehem, which they believed announced the coming of the King of the Jews, possibly because of the Old Testament “Star Prophecy” in the Book of Numbers (24:17). It would greatly help the dating of Jesus’ birth (the time in the year and the year itself) to identify the astronomical event (a supernova, comet, or conjunction of planets) that might have been the Star, but so far there are only conjectures.
The “Three Wise Men” and their gifts became a very popular aspect of the Nativity scene.
The Eastern Christian Churches celebrate the Nativity on 6 January with the Feast of the Epiphany or the revelation of God in human form to all mankind, which commemorates the birth, the visit of the Magi, and the events in Christ’s childhood up to his baptism, which is considered his entry into public life.
The Western Christian Churches decided to celebrate Christmas as a separate Feast on 25 December. For them, the Feast of the Epiphany is dedicated to the first manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles who are represented by the Magi. For that reason it is also called The Feast of the Three Kings.
