Difference between revisions of "Magi"

<p> Or MAGIANS, an ancient religious sect of [[Persia]] and other eastern countries, who, abominating the adoration of images, worshipped [[God]] only by fire, in which they were directly opposite to the Sabians. </p> <p> See SABIANS. The [[Magi]] believed that there were two principles, one the cause of all good, and the other the cause of all evil; in which opinion they were followed by the sect of the Manichees. </p> <p> See MANICHEES. They called the good principle Jazden, and Ormuzd, and the evil principle Ahraman or Aherman. The former was by the [[Greeks]] called Oromasdes, and the latter Arimanius. The reason of their worshipping fire was, because they looked upon it as the truest symbol of Oromasdes, or the good god; as darkness was of Arimanius, or the evil god. In all their temples they had fire continually burning upon their altars, and in their own private houses. The religion of the Magi fell into disgrace on the death of those ringleaders of that sect who had usurped the sovereignty after the death of Cambyses; and the slaughter that was made of the chief men among them sunk it so low, that [[Sabianism]] every where prevailed against it; [[Darius]] and most of his followers on that occasion going over to it. </p> <p> But the affection which the people had for the religion of their forefathers not being easily to be rooted out, the famous impostor Zoroaster, some ages after, undertook to revive and reform it. The chief reformation this pretended prophet made in the Magian religion was in the first principle of it; for he introduced a god superior both to Ommasdes and Arimanius. Dr. Prideaux is of opinion that [[Zoroaster]] took the hint of this alteration in their theology from the prophet Isaiah, who brings in God, saying to [[Cyrus]] king of Persia, I am the Lord, and there is none else: I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace and create evil, ch. 45: 7. In short, Zoroaster held that there was one supreme independent Being, and under him two principles, or angels; one the angel of light or good, and the other the angel of evil or darkness; that there is a perpetual struggle between them, which shall last to the end of the world; that then the angel of darkness and his disciples shall go into a world of their own, where they shall be punished in everlasting darkness; and the angel of light and his disciples shall also go into a world of their own, where they shall be rewarded in everlasting light. </p> <p> Zoroaster was the first who built fire-temples; the [[Magians]] before his time performing their devotion on the tops of hills and in the open air, by which means they were exposed to the inconvenience of rain and tempests, which often extinguished their sacred fires. To procure the greater veneration for these sacred fires, he pretended to have received fire from heaven, which he placed on the altar of the first fire- temple he erected, which was that of Xis, in Media, from whence they say it was propagated to all the rest. The Magian priests kept their sacred fire with the greatest diligence, watching it day and night, and never suffering it to be extinguished. They fed it only with wood stript of the bark, and they never blowed it with their breath or with bellows, for fear of polluting it; to do either of these was death by their law. The Magian religion as reformed by Zoroaster, seems in many things to be built upon the plan of the Jewish. The [[Jews]] had their sacred fire which came down from heaven upon the altar of burnt offerings, which they never suffered to go out, and with which all their sacrifices and oblations were made Zoroaster, in like manner, pretended to have brought his holy fire from heaven; and as the Jews had a [[Shekinah]] of the divine presence among them, resting over the mercy seat in the [[Holy]] of Holies, Zoroaster likewise told his Magians to look upon the sacred fire in their temples as a Shekinah, in which God especially dwelt. </p> <p> From these and some other instances of analogy between the [[Jewish]] and the Magian religion, Prideaux infers that Zoroaster had been first educated and brought up in the Jewish religion. The priests of the Magi were the most skilled mathematicians and philosophers of the age in which they lived, insomuch that a learned man and a Magian became equivalent terms. This proceeded so far, that the vulgar, looking on their knowledge to be more than natural, imagined they were inspired by some supernatural power. And hence those who practised wicked and diabolical arts, taking upon themselves the name of Magians, drew on it that ill signification which the word [[Magician]] now bears among us. The Magian priests were all of one tribe; as among the Jews, none but the son of a priest was capable of bearing that office among them. The royal family among the Persians, as long as this sect subsisted, was always of the sacerdotal tribe. They were divided into three orders; the inferior clergy, the superintendents, or bishops, and the archimagus, or arch-priest. Zoroaster had the address to bring over Darius to his new-reformed religion, notwithstanding the strongest opposition of the Sabians; and from that time it became the national religion of all that country, and so continued for many ages after, till it was supplanted by that of Mahomet. Zoroaster composed a book containing the principles of the Magian religion. It is called Zendavesta, and by contraction Zend. </p> <p> See ZEND. </p>

<p> ("magicians".) Called "wise men"' Matthew 2:1. [[Hebrew]] chartumiym , "sacred scribes," from two roots "sacred" and "style" or "pen" (cheret ); priests skilled in sacred writings, and in divining through signs the will of heaven. A regular order among the Egyptians, devoted to magic and astrology. (See DIVINATION.) The word is [[Persian]] or Median; it appears in Rab-mag, "chief of the magicians" (Jeremiah 39:3), brought with Nebuchadnezzar's expedition, that its issue might be foreknown. The [[Magi]] were a sacerdotal caste among the Medes, in connection with the Zoroastrian religion. "They waited upon the sacred fire, and performed ablutions, and practiced observation of the stars." Muller (Herzog Cyclopedia) says that the [[Median]] priests were not originally called Magi, but by the names found in the Zendavesta "Atharva," guardians of the fire, and that the Chaldaeans first gave them the name Magi. [[Nebuchadnezzar]] gathered round him the religious teachers and wise men of the nations he conquered (Daniel 1:3-4; Daniel 1:20). </p> <p> The [[Magians]] probably lost some of the original purity of the simpler Median religion by contact with the superstitions of Babylon: still there remained some elements of truth and opposition to idolatry, which formed common ground between them and Daniel (Daniel 5:11; Daniel 6:3; Daniel 6:16; Daniel 6:26; Ezra 1:1-4; Isaiah 44:28). Artaxerxes, Pseudo Smerdis "the "Magian," naturally thwarted the rebuilding of the temple to the one true God, for he had reintroduced a corrupted Chaldaic magianism instead of Cyrus' purer faith in Ormuzd. The Zoroastrian religion [[Darius]] restored, and destroyed the Mugtans; as the Behistun inscription states, "the rites which Gomates (Pseudo Smerdis) the Magian introduced I prohibited, I restored the chants and worship," etc. [[Naturally]] then the [[Jews]] under Darius resumed the suspended work of building the temple (Ezra 4:24; Ezra 5:1-2; Ezra 6:7-8). </p> <p> All forms of magic, augury, necromancy, etc., are prohibited in the Zendavesta as evil and emanating from [[Ahriman]] the evil one. The Magi regained power under Xerxes, and were consulted by him. They formed the highest portion of the king's court, the council about the king's person. Gradually the term came to represent divining impostors. However, [[Philo]] uses it in a good sense: "men who gave themselves to the study of nature and contemplation of the divine perfection, worthy of being counselors of kings." So in Matthew 2:1 it is used in the better sense of "wise men," at once astronomers and astrologers "from the E.," i.e. the. N.E., the region toward the [[Euphrates]] from whence [[Balaam]] came (Numbers 23:7; Numbers 22:5). (See BALAAM.) Balaam' s prophecy seems to have been known to them: "there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall arise out of Israel." [[Accordingly]] the very guide they look to is a star (a meteor probably), and the question they ask is "where is He that is born King of the Jews?" </p> <p> Moreover, Daniel, "chief of the Magi," had foretold Messiah's kingdom (Daniel 2:44; Daniel 9:25); naturally the Magi ("wise men") looked for the kingdom and the king among the people of him whose fame as a Magian they had heard of. Zoroaster's predictions led them to look for Zosiosh, the [[Head]] of the kingdom who should conquer Ahriman and raise the dead. Their presents, "gold, frankincense, and myrrh," were the usual gifts of subject nations (Psalms 72:15; 1 Kings 10:2; 1 Kings 10:10; 2 Chronicles 9:24; [[Song]] of [[Solomon]] 3:6; Song of Solomon 4:14). They came to the infant [[Jesus]] some considerable time after the shepherds in Luke 2, for now He is no longer in an inn but in the "house" (Matthew 2:11). (For details, see JESUS CHRIST, BETHLEHEM, and HEROD.) The star remained stationary while they were at Jerusalem, where they had turned aside; but when they left it the star again guided them until they reached Christ's birthplace. </p> <p> Only so long as we follow the sure word of revelation have we guidance to Jesus and safety in Him (2 Peter 1:19). [[Herod]] discovered the foretold birthplace of [[Messiah]] from the scribes' quotation of Micah (Micah 5:2) in answer to his query where He should be born. But the [[Child]] had escaped, and the Magi, being warned of [[God]] in a dream (they were famed for interpretation of dreams), had returned a different way, before Herod's cruel decree for the slaughter of the infants took effect at Bethlehem. Matthew, dwelling on Christ's kingly office as the [[Son]] of David, gives the history of the Magians' visit, since they first hailed Him as King. Luke, dwelling more on His human sympathy, gives the history of the divinely guided visit of the humble shepherds. Luke records the earlier event, according to his plan stated in his preface, "to write all things from the very first," and omits the already recorded visit of the Magi, which seemed the presage of an earthly kingdom, as unsuited to the aspect of lowliness and identification with the needs of universal mankind in which he represents our Lord. </p> <p> The names given by tradition to the "three kings" so-called (presumed to represent Europe, Asia, and Africa; Psalms 72:10 was the plea for their kingship), Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar, are of course mythical, as is the story of their bones being in the shrine of Cologne, having been removed first from the East by Helena to Constantinople, then to Milan, then to Cologne. In the sense "magician" [[Simon]] [[Magus]] at [[Samaria]] is an instance (Acts 8:9-10); also [[Elymas]] the [[Jewish]] sorcerer and false prophet who with. stood [[Paul]] and [[Barnabas]] at [[Paphos]] (Acts 13:6-12); also the exorcists and those who used "curious arts" and who "brought their books together, and burned them before all men" to the value of "50,000 pieces of silver," at [[Ephesus]] (Acts 19:13-19). </p> <p> Pharaoh's magicians practiced the common juggler's trick of making serpents appear "with their enchantments" (from a root, "flame" or else "conceal," implying a trick: Exodus 7:11-12); but Aaron's rod swallowed theirs, showing that his power was real, theirs illusory. So they produced frogs after [[Moses]] had done so, i.e. they only increased the plague, they could not remove it. At the plague of lice or mosquitoes they could not even increase the plague, and had to say, This is the finger of God (Exodus 8:7; Exodus 8:18-19). At last the plague of boils broke out upon the magicians themselves (Exodus 9:11); they owned themselves defeated, "they could not stand before Moses." The peculiarity of Balaam was, he stood partly on pagan magic and soothsaying augury, partly on true revelation.(See BALAAM.) For "enchantments" translated "auguries" (Numbers 23:3; Numbers 24:1). The [[Teraphim]] were consulted for divining purposes (Judges 18:5-6; Zechariah 10:2). (See TERAPHIM.) There is extant the [[Egyptian]] [[Ritual]] of amulets and incantations. </p>

<p> 1. Men whose interpretation of the stars led them to [[Palestine]] to find and honor Jesus, the newborn King (Matthew 2:1 ). The term has a [[Persian]] background. The earliest [[Greek]] translation of Daniel 2:2 ,Daniel 2:2,2:10 uses “magi” to translate the [[Hebrew]] term for astrologer (compare Daniel 4:7; Daniel 5:7 ). The magi who greeted Jesus' birth may have been from Babylon, Persia, or the [[Arabian]] desert. Matthew gives no number, names, or royal positions to the magi. Before A.D. 225 Tertullian called them kings. From the three gifts, the deducation was made that they were three in number. [[Shortly]] before A.D. 600 the Armenian [[Infancy]] [[Gospel]] named them: Melkon (later Melchior), Balthasar, and Gaspar. The visit of the magi affirms international recognition by leaders of other religions of Jesus' place as the expected King. </p> <p> 2. In Acts 8:9 the related verb describes [[Simon]] as practicing sorcery, with a bad connotation. Such negative feelings had long been associated with some uses of the term. </p> <p> 3. In Acts 13:6 ,Acts 13:6,13:8 [[Bar-Jesus]] or [[Elymas]] is designated a sorcerer or one of the magi as well as a false prophet. [[Paul]] blinded Simon, showing God's power over the magic arts. </p>

<p> <strong> MAGI. </strong> The plural of <em> magus </em> , which occurs in Acts 13:8 (tr. [Note: translate or translation.] ‘sorcerer’ see RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ). [[Used]] as a plural word it denotes the ‘ <strong> wise men </strong> ’ of Matthew 2:1-23 (see the RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] note at v. 1). The subject of this article is twofold (1) the elucidation of that narrative, and of one or two other Biblical references to the Magi; (2) the brief delineation of the religion connected with the Magi, in its relation to the religious history of Israel. These two points need not be kept apart. </p> <p> [[Herodotus]] tells us that the [[Magi]] formed one of six tribes or castes of the Medes. Since another of the six is expressly named as ‘Aryan,’ it seems to follow that the other five did not belong to the conquering race; and the Magi would accordingly be an aboriginal sacred caste, like the Brahmans in India. When Cambyses, the son of the great Cyrus, died, the Magi seem to have made an attempt to regain civil power, of which [[Cyrus]] and his Aryans had deprived them; and a Magian pretender Gaumâta held the throne of [[Persia]] for some months, until dispossessed aod slain by [[Darius]] in b.c. 522. There is reason to believe that the Magi, in the course of a generation or two, made a bid for spiritual power: they conformed to the religion of the conquerors, profoundly altering its character as they did so, and thus gained the opportunity of re-asserting their own sacred functions among their fellow-countrymen, who were predisposed to accept their re-introduction of the old beliefs under the forms of the new. We have but little evidence to guide us in re-constructing this primitive [[Median]] religion. The sacred caste itself appears to be mentioned in Jeremiah 39:3; Jeremiah 39:13 (see Rab-Mag); and a ritual observance, preserved still in Parsi worship, figures in Ezekiel 8:17 , from which we gather that sun-worship, accompanied with the holding of the <em> barsom </em> (‘bunch of fine tamarisk boughs,’ as the geographer [[Strabo]] defines it) to the face, was a characteristic of Magian ritual before it was grafted on to [[Persian]] religion. </p> <p> There are three special characteristics of Magianism proper which never obtained any real hold upon the religion with which the Magi subsequently identified themselves. These are (1) <em> astrology </em> , (2) <em> oneiromancy </em> , or divination by dreams, aod (3) <em> magic </em> , which was traditionally associated with their name, but was expressly forbidden by the religion of the Persians. The first two of these features appear in the narrative of the Nativity. We have evidence that the Magi connected with the stars the <em> fravashi </em> or ‘double’ which Parsi psychology assigned to every good man a part of his persooality dwelling in heaven, sharing his development, and united with his soul at death. A brilliant new star would thus be regarded by them as the heavenly counterpart of a great man newly born. That dreams guided the Magi at one point of their adventure is expressly stated ( Matthew 2:12 ); and it is fair to postulate similar direction in the initial interpretation of the star. There is, of course, nothing in this to convince those who have decided that the narrative of the Magi is legendary; nor is this the place to examine the difficulties that remain (see [[Star]] of the Magi). But it may at least be asserted that the story has curiously subtle points of contact with what we can re-construct of the history of Magian religion; and the invention of all this perhaps involves as many difficulties as can be recognized in the acceptance of the narrative as it stands. </p> <p> The doctrine of the <em> fravashi </em> , just now referred to, may be paralleled rather closely in the Bible; and it is at least possible that the knowledge of this dogma, as prevailing in Media, may have stimulated the growth of the corresponding idea among post-exilic Jews. When in Matthew 18:10 [[Jesus]] declares that the <em> angels </em> of the little ones are in heaven nearest to the Throne, the easiest interpretation is that which recognizes these angels as a part of the personality, dwelling in heaven, but sharing the fortunes of the counterpart on earth. This gives a clear reason why the angels of the children should be perpetually in the [[Presence]] they represent those who have not yet sinned. So again in Acts 12:18 Peter’s ‘angel’ is presumably his heavenly ‘double.’ The conception was apparently extended to include the heavenly representatives of communities, as the ‘princes’ of Israel, Greece, and Persia in Daniel 10:1-21; Daniel 12:1-13 , and the ‘angels’ of the churches of [[Asia]] in Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22 . If this doctrine really owed anything to the stimulus of Magianism, it is in line with other features of later [[Jewish]] angelology. It is only the naming and ranking of angels, and the symmetrical framing of corresponding powers of evil, that remind us of Parsi doctrine: the [[Jews]] always had both angels and demons, and all that is claimed is a possible encouragement from Parsi theology, which developed what was latent already. A more important debt of [[Judaism]] to Persian faith is alleged to be found in the doctrine of the Future Life. From the beginning <strong> [[Zoroastrianism]] </strong> (see below) had included immortality and the resurrection of the body as integral parts of its creed. It is therefore at least a remarkable coincidence that the Jews did not arrive at these doctrines till the period immediately following their contact with the Persians, who under Cyrus had been their deliverers from [[Babylonian]] tyranny. But though the coincidence has drawn some even to adopt the linguistically impossible notion that the very name of the [[Pharisees]] was due to their ‘Parsi’ leanings, a coincidence it remains for the most part. The two peoples came to the great idea by different roads. The [[Persians]] apparently developed it partly from the analogy of Nature, and partly from the instinctive craving for a theodicy. The Jews conceived the hope through the ever-increasing sense of communion with a present God, through which their most spiritual men realized the impossibility of death’s severing [[God]] from His people. But we may well assume that the growth of this confident belief was bastened by the knowledge that the doctrine was already held by another nation. </p> <p> How well the religion of the Magi deserved the double honour thus assigned to it that of stimulating the growth of the greatest of truths within Israel, and that of offering the first homage of the [[Gentile]] world to the infant [[Redeemer]] may be seen best by giving in a few words a description of the faith in general. </p> <p> Its pre-historic basis was a relatively pure Nature-worship, followed by the common ancestors of the Aryans in [[India]] and Persia, and still visible to us in the numerous elements which appear in both [[Veda]] and [[Avesta]] the most sacred books of India and [[Iran]] respectively. To Iranian tribes holding this faith came in the 7th cent. b.c., or earlier, the prophet Zarathushtra, called by the [[Greeks]] Zoroaster. He endeavoured to supersede Nature-worship by the preaching of a highly abstract monotheism. The ‘Wise Lord,’ <em> Ahura Mazda </em> (later <em> Ormazd </em> ), reigned alone without equal or second; but [[Zoroaster]] surrounded Him with personified attributes, six in number, called <em> Amesha Spenta </em> ( <em> [[Amshaspands]] </em> ), ‘Immortal [[Holy]] Ones,’ who were the archangels of the heavenly court. The problem of [[Evil]] he solved by positing a ‘Hurtful Spirit,’ <em> Angra Mainyu </em> (later <em> [[Ahriman]] </em> ), with his retinue of inferior demons (see Asmonæus), who is a power without beginning, like Ormazd, creator of all things evil, and perpetual enemy of God and of good men. In the end, however, he is to be destroyed with his followers, and [[Good]] is to triumph for ever. [[Truth]] and Industry, especially in agriculture, are the practical virtues by which the righteous advance the kingdom of Ahura Mazda. The eschatology is striking and lofty in its conception, and the doctrine of God singularly pure. Unhappily, with the prophet’s death the old polytheism returned, under the guise of angel-worship, and the Magi were ere long enslaving the religion to a dull and mechanical ritual. [[Many]] of these degenerate elements have, however, been largely subordinated in modern Parsism. The small community, mostly concentrated round Bombay, which today maintains this ancient faith, may assuredly challenge any non-Christian religion in the world to match either its creed or its works. </p> <p> James [[Hope]] Moulton. </p>

<p> This is the [[Greek]] word in Matthew 2:1-16 which is translated 'wise men' in the A.V. They had come from the East, and inquired for one who was born King of the Jews, for they had seen His star in the East, and had come with their gifts to do Him homage. [[Though]] magicians and magi are often classed together, they are not necessarily the same. [[Philo]] describes the magi as "men who gave themselves to the study of nature and contemplation of the divine perfections, worthy of being the counsellors of kings." In this sense Daniel was called master of the 'magicians,' but which others translate as 'scribes.' Dan, 4:9. How the magi connected the star with 'the King of the Jews' is not known. By the scattering of the [[Jews]] they may have heard of the prophecy of [[Balaam]] (Numbers 24:17 ) or of Daniel's prophecy. [[God]] who warned them in a dream not to return to Herod, may have in the same way led them to associate the above prophecies with the appearance of the star . See STAR IN THE EAST. God thus raised up from the [[Gentiles]] a testimony as to the 'holy child' in the midst of Jerusalem, though all there were troubled at the announcement. </p>

<p> Magi, great, powerful. [[Wise]] men, "rabmag," Jeremiah 39:3, which is used as a proper name, and properly signifies the prince Magus, or chief of the Magi. In [[Babylon]] the magi were known by the name of "wise men" and "Chaldeans." Isaiah 44:25; Jeremiah 50:35; Daniel 2:12-27; Daniel 4:6; Daniel 4:18; Daniel 5:7-8; Daniel 5:11-12; Daniel 5:15. To their number, doubtless, belonged the "astrologers" and "star-gazers," Isaiah 47:13; also the "soothsayers" and the "dream interpreters." Daniel 1:20; Daniel 2:2; Daniel 2:27; Daniel 4:7; Daniel 5:7; Daniel 5:11. Daniel describes them as men of wisdom, Daniel 1:20; he intercedes for them with Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 2:24; and accepts a position as their chief or master. Daniel 5:11. The same impression of dignity, truthfulness, and aspiration after the true religion is conveyed by the narrative in Matthew 2:1-14. [[Whence]] these [[Magi]] came we do not certainly know, but probably from the lands of the [[Jewish]] captivity on the Euphrates. </p>

<p> Ma'gi. (Authorized Version, wise men). In the [[Hebrew]] text of the Old Testament, the word occurs but twice, and then only incidentally. Jeremiah 29:3; Jeremiah 29:13. "Originally, they were a class of priests, among the [[Persians]] and Medes, who formed the king's privy council, and cultivated as trology, medicine and occult natural science. They are frequently referred to by ancient authors. Afterwar, the term was applied to all eastern philosophers." - Schaff's [[Popular]] Commentary. </p> <p> They appear in Herodotus' history of [[Astyages]] as interpreters of dreams, (i. 120); but as they appear in Jeremiah among the retinue of the [[Chaldean]] king, we must suppose Nebuchadnezzar's conquests led him to gather round him, the wise men and religious teachers of the nations which he subdued, and that thus, the sacred tribe of the [[Medes]] rose under his rule to favor and power. </p> <p> The [[Magi]] took their places among "the astrologers and star gazers and monthly prognosticators." It is with such men that, we have to think of Daniel and his fellow exiles as associated. The office which Daniel accepted, Daniel 5:11, was probably rab-mag - chief of the Magi. </p> <p> 2. The word presented itself to the [[Greeks]] as connected with a foreign system of divination and it soon became a byword for the worst form of imposture. This is the predominant meaning of the word as it appears in the New Testament. Acts 8:9; Acts 13:8. </p> <p> In one memorable instance, however, the word retains its better meaning. In the [[Gospel]] of St. Matthew, Matthew 2:1-12, the Magi appear as "wise men" - properly [[Magians]] - who were guided by a star from "the east" to Jerusalem, where they suddenly appeared in the days of [[Herod]] the Great, inquiring for the new-born king of the Jews, whom they had come to worship. </p> <p> As to the country from which they came, opinions vary greatly; but their following the guidance of a star seems to point to the banks of the [[Tigris]] and Euphrates, where astronomy was cultivated by the Chaldeans. See [[Star]] Of The [[Wise]] Men Of The East. </p> <p> (Why should the new star lead these wise men to look for a king of the Jews? </p> <p> (1) These wise men from [[Persia]] were the most like the Jews, in religion, of all nations in the world. They believed in one God, they had no idols, they worshipped light as the best symbol of God. </p> <p> (2) The general expectation of such a king. "The Magi," says, Ellicott, "express the feeling which the [[Roman]] historians, Tacitus and Suetonius, tell us sixty or seventy years later had been, for a long time, very widely diffused. Everywhere throughout the East, men were looking for the advent of a great king who was to rise from among the Jews. It had fermented in the minds of men, heathen as well as Jews, and would have led them to welcome [[Jesus]] as the [[Christ]] had he come in accordance with their expectation." </p> <p> Virgil, who lived a little before this, owns that a child from heaven was looked for, who should restore the golden age and take away sin. </p> <p> (3) This expectation arose largely from the dispersion of the [[Jews]] among all nations, carrying with them the hope and the promise of a divine Redeemer. Isaiah 9; Isaiah 11; Daniel 7. </p> <p> (4) Daniel himself was a prince and chief among this very class of wise men. His prophecies: were made known to them; and the calculations by which he pointed to the very time when Christ should be born became, through the book of Daniel, a part of their ancient literature. - Editor). </p> <p> According to a late tradition, the Magi are represented as three kings, named Gaspar, [[Melchior]] and Belthazar, who take their place among the objects of [[Christian]] reverence, and are honored as the patron saints of travellers. </p>

<p> or MAGIANS, a title which the ancient [[Persians]] gave to their wise men, or philosophers. Magi, among the Persians, answers to σοφοι , or σιλοσοφοι , among the Greeks; <em> sapientes, </em> among the Latins; druids, among the Gauls; gymnosophists, among the Indians; and priests, among the Egyptians. </p> <p> The ancient magi, according to [[Aristotle]] and Laertius, were the sole authors and conservators of the [[Persian]] philosophy; and the philosophy principally cultivated among them was theology and politics; they being always esteemed as the interpreters of all law, both divine and human; on which account they were wonderfully revered by the people. Hence Cicero observes that none were admitted to the crown of Persia, but such as were well instructed in the discipline of the magi; who taught τα βασιλικα , and showed princes how to govern. Plato, Apuleius, Laertius, and others, agree that the philosophy of the magi related principally to the worship of the gods; they were the persons who were to offer prayers, supplications, and sacrifices, as if the gods would be heard by them alone. But, according to Lucian, Suidas, &c, this theology, or worship of the gods, as it is called, about which the magi were employed, was little more than the diabolical art of divination; so that μαγεια , strictly taken, was the art of divination. These people were held in such veneration among the Persians, that Darius, the son of Hystaspes, among other things, had it engraven on his monument, that he was the master of the magi. [[Philo]] Judaeus describes the magi to be diligent inquirers into nature, out of the love they bear to truth; and who, setting themselves apart from other things, contemplate the divine virtues the more clearly, and initiate others in the same mysteries. The magi, or magians, formed one of the two grand sects into which the idolatry of the world was divided between 500 and 600 years before Christ. These abominated all those images which were worshipped by the other sect, denominated Sabians, and paid their worship to the [[Deity]] under the emblem of fire. Their chief doctrine was, that there were two principles, one of which was the cause of all good, and the other the cause of all evil. The former was represented by light, and the latter by darkness, as their truest symbols; and of the composition of these two they supposed that all things in the world were made. The sect of the magians was revived and reformed by Zoroaster. This celebrated philosopher, called by the Persians Zerdusht, or Zaratush, began about the thirty-sixth year of the reign of [[Darius]] to restore and reform the magian system of religion. He was not only excellently skilled in all the learning of the east that prevailed in his time, but likewise thoroughly versed in the [[Jewish]] religion, and in all the sacred writings of the Old [[Testament]] that were then extant: whence some have inferred that he was a native [[Jew]] both by birth and profession; and that he had been servant to one of the prophets, probably Ezekiel or Daniel. He made his first appearance in Media, in the city of Xix, now called Aderbijan, as some say; or, according to others, in Ecbatana, now called Tauris. [[Instead]] of admitting the existence of two first causes, with the magians, he asserted the existence of one supreme God, who created both these, and out of these two produced, according to his sovereign pleasure, every thing else. According to his doctrine, there was one supreme Being independently and self-existing from all eternity. Under him there are two angels; one the angel of light, the author and director of all good; and the other the angel of darkness, who in the author and director of all evil. These two, probably speaking figuratively, out of the mixture of light and darkness, made all things that are; and they are in a state of perpetual conflict; so that where the angel of light prevails, there the most is good; and where the angel of darkness prevails, there the most is evil. This struggle shall continue to the end of the world; and then there shall be a general resurrection, and a day of judgment: after which, the angel of darkness and his disciples shall go into a world of their own, where they shall suffer in everlasting darkness the punishment of their evil deeds; and the angel of light and his disciples shall go into a world of their own, where they shall receive in everlasting light the reward due unto their good deeds; and henceforward they shall for ever remain separate. </p> <p> Of the controversy as to Zoroaster, Zeratusht, or Zertushta, and the sacred books said to have been written by him, called [[Zend]] or Zendavesta, which has divided the most eminent critics, it would answer no important end to give an abstract. Those who wish for information on the subject are referred to Hyde's <em> "Religio Veterum Persarum;" </em> Prideaux's "Connection;" Warburton's "Divine Legation;" Bryant's "Mythology;" "The Universal History;" [[Sir]] W. Jones's Works, vol. iii, p. 115; M. du Perron, and Richardson's "Dissertation," prefixed to his Persian and Arabic Dictionary. But whatever may become of the authority of the whole or part of the Zendavesta, and with whatever fables the history of the reformer of the magian religion may be mixed, the learned are generally agreed that such a reformation took place by his instrumentality. "Zeratusht," says Sir W. Jones, "reformed the old religion by the addition of genii or angels, of new ceremonies in the veneration shown to fire, of a new work which he pretended to have received from heaven, and, <em> above all, by establishing the actual adoration, of the supreme Being;" </em> and he farther adds, "The reformed religion of [[Persia]] continued in force till that country was conquered by the Musselmans; and, without studying the Zend, we have ample information concerning it in the modern Persian writings of several who profess it. [[Bahman]] always named Zeratusht with reverence; he was, in truth, a pure Theist, and strongly disclaimed any adoration of the fire or other elements; and he denied that the doctrine of two coeval principles, supremely good and supremely bad, formed any part of his faith." "The Zeratusht of Persia, or the [[Zoroaster]] of the Greeks," says Richardson, "was highly celebrated by the most discerning people of ancient times; and his tenets, we are told, were most eagerly and rapidly embraced by the highest in rank, and the wisest men in the Persian empire." He distinguished himself by denying that good and evil, represented by light and darkness, were coeval, independent principles; and asserted the supremacy of the true God, in exact conformity with the doctrine contained in a part of that celebrated prophecy of Isaiah in which [[Cyrus]] is mentioned by name: "I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no [[God]] beside me," no coeval power. "I form the light, and create darkness, I make peace," or good, "and create evil, I the Lord do all these things." Fire, by Zerdushta, appears to have been used emblematically only; and the ceremonies for preserving and transmitting it, introduced by him, were manifestly taken from the Jews, and the sacred fire of their tabernacle and temple. </p> <p> The old religion of the Persians was corrupted by Sabianism, or the worship of the host of heaven, with its accompanying superstition. The magian doctrine, whatever it might be at first, had degenerated; and two eternal principles, good and evil, had been introduced. It was therefore necessarily idolatrous also, and, like all other false systems, flattering to the vicious habits of the people. So great an improvement in the moral character and influence of the religion of a whole nation as was effected by Zoroaster, a change which is not certainly paralleled in the ancient history of the religion of mankind, can scarcely, therefore, be thought possible, except we suppose a divine interposition, either directly, or by the occurrence of some very impressive events. Now as there are so many authorities for fixing the time of Zoroaster or Zeratusht not many years subsequent to the death of the great Cyrus, the events connected with the conquest of [[Babylon]] may account for his success in that reformation of religion of which he was the author. For, had not the minds of men been prepared for this change by something extraordinary, it is not supposable that they would have adopted a purer faith from him. That he gave them a better doctrine, is clear from the admission of even [[Dean]] Prideaux, who has very unjustly branded him as an impostor. [[Let]] it then be remembered, that as "the Most High ruleth in the kingdoms of men," he often overrules great political events for moral purposes. The [[Jews]] were sent into captivity to Babylon to be reformed from their idolatrous propensities, and their reformation commenced with their calamity. A miracle was there wrought in favour of three [[Hebrew]] confessors of the existence of one only God, and that under circumstances to put shame upon a popular idol in the presence of the king and "all the rulers of the provinces," that the issue of this controversy between [[Jehovah]] and idolatry might be made known throughout that vast empire.—Worship was refused to the idol by a few Hebrew captives, and the idol had no power to punish the public affront:— the servants of Jehovah were cast into a furnace, and he delivered them unhurt; and a royal decree declared "that there was no god who could deliver after this sort." The proud monarch, himself also is smitten with a singular disease;—he remains subject to it until he acknowledges the true God; and, upon his recovery, he publicly ascribes to him both the justice and the mercy of the punishment. This event takes place, also, in the accomplishment of a dream which none of the wise men of Babylon could interpret. It was interpreted by Daniel, who made the fulfilment to redound to the honour of the true God, by ascribing to him the perfection of knowing the future, which none of the false gods, appealed to by the [[Chaldean]] sages, possessed; as the inability of their servants to interpret the dream sufficiently proved. After these singular events, Cyrus takes Babylon, and he finds there the sage and the statesman, Daniel, the worshipper of the true God, "who creates both good and evil," "who makes the light, and forms the darkness." There is little doubt but that he and the principal Persians throughout the empire, would have the prophecy of Isaiah respecting Cyrus, delivered more than a hundred years before he was born, and in which his name stood recorded, along with the predicted circumstances of the capture of Babylon, pointed out to them. Every reason, religious and political, urged the Jews to make the prediction a matter of notoriety; and from Cyrus's decree in Ezra it is certain that he was acquainted with it; because there is in the decree an obvious reference to the prophecy. This prophecy, so strangely fulfilled, would give mighty force to the doctrine connected with it, and which it proclaims with so much majesty:— </p> <p> <strong> <em> "I am JEHOVAH, and none else, Forming LIGHT, and creating DARKNESS, </em> </strong> </p> <p> <strong> <em> [[Making]] PEACE, and creating EVIL; </em> </strong> </p> <p> <strong> <em> I JEHOVAH am the author of all these things." </em> </strong> </p> <p> Here the great principle of corrupted magianism was directly attacked; and, in proportion as the fulfilment of the prophecy was felt to be singular and striking, the doctrine blended with it would attract notice. Its force was both felt and acknowledged, as we have seen in the decree of Cyrus for the rebuilding of the temple. In that Cyrus acknowledged the true God to be supreme, and thus renounces his former faith; and the example, the public example, of a prince so beloved, and whose reign was so extended, could not fail to influence the religious opinions of his people. That the effect did not terminate in Cyrus, we know; for, from the book of Ezra, it appears that both Darius and [[Artaxerxes]] made decrees in favour of the Jews, in which Jehovah has the emphatic appellation repeatedly given to him, "the God of heaven," the very terms used by Cyrus himself. Nor are we to suppose the impression confined to the court; for the history of the three Hebrew youths, of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, sickness, and reformation from idolatry, of the interpretation of the hand writing on the wall by Daniel the servant of the living God, of his deliverance from the lions, and the publicity of the prophecy of Isaiah respecting Cyrus, were too recent, too public, and too striking in their nature, not to be often and largely talked of. Beside, in the prophecy respecting Cyrus, the intention of almighty God in recording the name of that monarch in an inspired book, and showing beforehand that he had chosen him to overturn the [[Babylonian]] empire, is expressly mentioned as having respect to two great objects, first, the deliverance of Israel, and, second, the making known his supreme divinity among the nations of the earth. We again quote Lowth's translation:— </p> <p> <strong> <em> "For the sake of my </em> </strong> <strong> servant Jacob, </strong> </p> <p> <strong> <em> And of [[Israel]] my chosen, </em> </strong> </p> <p> <strong> <em> I have even called thee by thy name, </em> </strong> </p> <p> <strong> <em> I have surnamed thee, though thou knewest me not. </em> </strong> </p> <p> <strong> <em> I am JEHOVAH, and none else, [[Beside]] me there is no God; </em> </strong> </p> <p> <strong> <em> I will gird thee, though thou hast not known me, </em> </strong> </p> <p> <strong> That they may know, from the rising of the sun, </strong> </p> <p> <strong> <em> And from the west, that there is NONE BESIDE ME." </em> </strong> </p> <p> It was therefore intended by this proceeding on the part of [[Providence]] to teach, not only Cyrus, but the people of his vast empire, and surrounding nations, </p> <p> <strong> 1. </strong> That the God of the Jews was Jehovah, the self-subsistent, the eternal God; </p> <p> <strong> 2. </strong> That he was God alone, there being no deity beside himself; and, </p> <p> <strong> 3. </strong> That good and evil, represented by light and darkness, were neither independent nor eternal subsistences, but his great instruments, and under his control. </p> <p> The Persians, who had so vastly extended their empire by the conquest of the countries formerly held by the monarchs of Babylon, were thus prepared for such a reformation of their religion as Zoroaster effected. The principles he advocated had been previously adopted by Cyrus and other Persian monarchs, and probably by many of the principal persons of that nation. Zoroaster himself thus became acquainted with the great truths contained in this famous prophecy, which attacked the very foundations of every idolatrous and Manichean system. From the other sacred books of the Jews, who mixed with the Persians in every part of the empire, he evidently learned more. This is sufficiently proved from the many points of similarity between his religion and Judaism, though he should not be allowed to speak so much in the style of the [[Holy]] [[Scriptures]] as some passages in the Zendavesta would indicate. He found the people, however, "prepared of the Lord" to admit his reformations, and he carried them. This cannot but be looked upon as one instance of several merciful dispensations of God to the [[Gentile]] world, through his own peculiar people, the Jews, by which the idolatries of the [[Heathen]] were often checked, and the light of truth rekindled among them. In this view the ancient Jews evidently considered the Jewish church as appointed not to preserve only but to extend true religion. "God be merciful to us and bless us; that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health unto all nations." This renders [[Pagan]] nations more evidently "without excuse." That this dispensation of mercy was afterward neglected among the Persians, is certain. How long the effect continued we know not, nor how widely it spread; perhaps longer and wider than may now distinctly appear. If the magi, who came from the east to seek Christ, were Persians, some true worshippers of God would appear to have remained in Persia to that day; and if, as is probable, the prophecies of Isaiah and Daniel were retained among them, they might be among those who "waited for redemption," not at Jerusalem, but in a distant part of the world. The <em> Parsees, </em> who were nearly extirpated by Mohammedan fanaticism, were charged by their oppressors with the idolatry of fire, and this was probably true of the multitude. Some of their writers, however, warmly defended themselves against the charge. A considerable number of them remain in [[India]] to this day, and profess to have the books of Zoroaster. </p> <p> <strong> 2. </strong> The term <em> magi </em> was also anciently used generally throughout the east, to distinguish philosophers, and especially astronomers. Pliny and [[Ptolemy]] mention Arabi as synonymous with magi; and it was the opinion of many learned men in the first ages of Christianity, that the magi who presented offerings to the infant Saviour, Matthew 2:1 , came from southern Arabia; for it is certain that "gold, frankincense, and myrrh." were productions of that country. They were philosophers among whom the best parts of the reformed magian system, which was extensively diffused, were probably preserved. They were pious men, also who had some acquaintance, it may be, with the Hebrew prophecies, and were favoured themselves with divine revelations. They are to be regarded as members of the old patriarchal church, never quite extinguished among the Heathen; and they had the special honour to present the homage of the Gentile world to the infant Saviour. </p>

<p> (n. pl.) A caste of priests, philosophers, and magicians, among the ancient Persians; hence, any holy men or sages of the East. </p>

<p> The [[Magi]] were originally one of the six tribes into which the nation of the [[Medes]] was divided, who, like the [[Levites]] under the [[Mosaic]] institutions, were entrusted with the care of religion: an office which was held in the highest honor, gave the greatest influence, and which they probably acquired for themselves only after a long time, as well as many worthy efforts to serve their country, and when they had proved themselves superior to the rest of their brethren. As among other ancient nations, as the Egyptians, and Hebrews, for instance, so among the Medes, the priestly caste had not only religion, but the arts and all the higher culture, in their charge. Their name points immediately to their sacerdotal character (from [[Mag]] or Mog, which denotes 'priest'), either because religion was the chief object of their attention, or more probably because, at the first, religion and art were so allied as to be scarcely more than different expressions of the same idea. </p> <p> Little in detail is known of the Magi during the independent existence of the [[Median]] government; they appear in their greatest glory after the Medes were united with the Persians. This doubtless is owing to the general imperfection of the historical materials which relate to the earlier periods. So great, however, was the influence which the Magi attained under the united empire, that the Medes were not ill compensated for their loss of national independence. Under the Medo-Persian sway the Magi formed a sacred caste or college, which was very famous in the ancient world for the practice of divination, astrology, and magic. According to [[Strabo]] the Magi practiced different sorts of divination—1. by evoking the dead; 2. by cups or dishes (Joseph's divining cup, ); 3. by means of water. By the employment of these means the Magi affected to disclose the future, to influence the present, and to call the past to their aid. Even the visions of the night they were accustomed to interpret, not empirically, but according to such established and systematic rules as a learned priesthood might be expected to employ. The success, however, of their efforts over the invisible world, as well as the holy office which they exercised, demanded in themselves peculiar cleanliness of body, a due regard to which and to the general principles of their caste would naturally be followed by professional prosperity, which in its turn conspired with prevailing superstition to give the Magi great social consideration, and make them of high importance before kings and princes—an influence which they appear to have sometimes abused, when, descending from the peculiar duties of their high office, they took part in the strife and competitions of politics, and found themselves sufficiently powerful even to overturn thrones. </p> <p> Abuses bring reform; and the Magian religion, which had lost much of its original character, and been debased by some of the lowest elements of earthly passions, loudly called for a renovation, when [[Zoroaster]] appeared to bring about the needful change. As to the time of his appearance, and in general the particulars of his history, differences of opinion prevail, after all the critical labor that has been expended on the subject. Winer says he lived in the second half of the seventh century before Christ. He was not the founder of a new system, but the renovator of an old and corrupt one, being, as he himself intimates, the restorer of the word which [[Ormuzd]] had formerly revealed, but which the influence of Dews had degraded into a false and deceptive magic. To destroy this, and restore the pure law of Ormuzd, was Zoroaster's mission. After much and long-continued opposition on the part of the adherents and defenders of existing corruptions, he succeeded in his virtuous purposes, and caused his system eventually to prevail. The Magi, as a caste, did not escape from his reforming hand. He appears to have remodeled their institute, dividing it into three great classes:— 1, learners; 2, masters: 3, perfect scholars. The Magi alone he allowed to perform the religious rites; they possessed the forms of prayer and worship; they knew the ceremonies which availed to conciliate Ormuzd, and were obligatory in the public offerings. They accordingly became the sole medium of communication between the [[Deity]] and his creatures, and through them alone Ormuzd made his will known; none but they could see into the future, and they disclosed their knowledge to those only who were so fortunate as to conciliate their good will. Hence the power which the Magian priesthood possessed. The general belief in the trustworthiness of their predictions, especially when founded on astrological calculations, the all but universal custom of consulting the will of the divinity before entering on any important undertaking, and the blind faith which was reposed in all that the Magi did, reported, or commanded, combined to create for that sacerdotal caste a power, both in public and in private concerns, which has probably never been exceeded. [[Neither]] the functions nor the influence of this sacred caste were reserved for peculiar rare, and extraordinary occasions, but ran through the web of human life. At the break of day they had to chant the divine hymns. This office being performed, then came the daily sacrifice to be offered, not indiscriminately, but to the divinities whose day in each case it was—an office therefore which none but the initiated could fulfill. As an illustration of the high estimation in which the Magi were held, it may be mentioned that it was considered a necessary part of a princely education to have been instructed in the peculiar learning of their sacred order, which was an honor conceded to no other but royal personages, except in very rare and very peculiar instances. This Magian learning embraced everything which regarded the higher culture of the nation, being known in history under the designation of the law of the Medes and Persians. It comprised the knowledge of all the sacred rites, customs, usages, and observances, which related not merely to the worship of the gods, but to the whole private life of every worshipper of Ormuzd—the duties which, as such, he had to observe, and the punishments which followed the neglect of these obligations; whence may be learned how necessary the act of the priest on all occasions was. Under the veil of religion the priest had bound himself up with the entire of public and domestic life. The judicial office, too, appears to have been, in the time of Cambyses, in the hands of the Magi, for from them was chosen the college or bench of royal judges, which makes its appearance in the history of that monarch. Men who held these offices, possessed this learning, and exerted this influence with the people, may have proved a check to Oriental despotism, no less powerful than constitutional, though they were sometimes unable to guarantee their own lives against the wrath of the monarch. </p> <p> If we turn to the books of [[Scripture]] we find the import of what has been said confirmed, especially in the book of Daniel, where the great influence of the Magi is well illustrated. </p> <p> The Magi were not confined to the Medes and Persians. Since they are mentioned by [[Herodotus]] as one of the original tribes of the Medes, they may have been primitively a Median priesthood. If so they extended themselves into other lands. Possibly Magi may have been at first not the name of a particular tribe or priestly caste, but a general designation for priests or learned men; as [[Pharaoh]] denoted not an individual, but generally king or ruler. However this may be, the [[Chaldeans]] also had an organized order of Magi, a caste of sacerdotal scholars, which bore the name of 'wise men' 'the wise men of Babylon' , among whom Daniel is classed . [[Among]] the [[Greeks]] and Romans they were known under the name of Chaldeans, and also of Magi. They lived scattered over the land in different places , and had possessions of their own. The temple of [[Belus]] was employed by them for astronomical observations, but their astronomy was connected with the worship of the heavenly bodies practiced by the Babylonians, and was specially directed to vain attempts to foretell the future, predict the fate of individuals or of communities, and sway the present, in alliance with augury, incantation, and magic (;; Daniel 2). </p> <p> It is easy to understand how the lofty science (so called) of these Magi—lofty while its scholars surpassed the rest of the world in knowledge, and were the associates, the advisers, the friends, and the monitors of great and flourishing monarchs, of indeed successively the rulers of the world—might, could indeed hardly fail, as resting on no basis of fact or reality, in process of time, to sink into its own native insignificance, and become either a mere bugbear to frighten the ignorant, or an instrument to aid the fraudulent: thus hastening on to the contempt into which all falsities are sure sooner or later to fall. The decline was indeed gradual; ages passed before it was completed; but as soon as it ceased to have the support afforded by the mighty and splendid thrones of Asia, it began to lose its authority, which the progress of knowledge and the advent of [[Christ]] prevented it from ever regaining. The estimation, however, in which [[Simon]] [[Magus]] was evidently held, as recorded in the Acts ('some great one,' etc.), gives reason to think that Magianism still retained a large share of its influence at the commencement of our era. It seems, indeed, to have held a sort of middle position, half way; between its ancient splendor and its coming degradation: whence we may understand the propriety of the visit paid by the Magi to the newborn King of the [[Jews]] (Matthew 2, 'star in the East'). For if the system had been then sunk so low as to correspond in any degree with our conception of these pretended arts, it is difficult to assign, at least to the unbeliever, a sufficient reason why the visit was made, or at any rate why it was recorded; but its credibility is materially furthered if the circumstances of the case are such as to allow us to regard that visit as a homage paid by the representatives of the highest existing influences to the rising star of a new day, in the fuller light of which they were speedily to vanish. </p>