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● Matt 2:1 . . Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.
The koiné Greek word for these particular wise men is magos (mag'-os) which roughly indicates scientists; and judging by their interest in the cosmos; I'd say they were astrologers.
Back then, science was in its infancy and there was not yet a distinct division between astrologers and astronomers like there is now, so we probably shouldn't tag those guys as mystics.
● Matt 2:2 . . Saying: where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Now before we assume that these guys were all ethnic Persians we need to be aware that the Jews were spread out all over the world at this time; for example on the day of Pentecost:
● Acts 2:5-11 . . Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. A crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard [the disciples] speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!
I think it's pretty safe to assume that ethnic Persians would not be interested in the Jews' religion so I posit that the wise guys were all Jewish men; and thus knowledgeable of the prophecies predicting a very important successor to David's throne.
So; how did those Jewish men know to follow that star? Well; first off we have to realize that their star wasn't a celestial object because it was low enough in the sky to direct people to the exact house were baby Jesus was lodged (Matt 2:9). In other words: their star was an apparition.
But how did they know their star was related to a newborn king? Well; according to Matt 2:12, they were in contact with God. In other words: the men weren't acting on their own initiative: they were on a mission; directed and supervised by divine oversight.
_
● Matt 2:1 . . Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.
The koiné Greek word for these particular wise men is magos (mag'-os) which roughly indicates scientists; and judging by their interest in the cosmos; I'd say they were astrologers.
Back then, science was in its infancy and there was not yet a distinct division between astrologers and astronomers like there is now, so we probably shouldn't tag those guys as mystics.
● Matt 2:2 . . Saying: where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Now before we assume that these guys were all ethnic Persians we need to be aware that the Jews were spread out all over the world at this time; for example on the day of Pentecost:
● Acts 2:5-11 . . Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. A crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard [the disciples] speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed, they asked: Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!
I think it's pretty safe to assume that ethnic Persians would not be interested in the Jews' religion so I posit that the wise guys were all Jewish men; and thus knowledgeable of the prophecies predicting a very important successor to David's throne.
So; how did those Jewish men know to follow that star? Well; first off we have to realize that their star wasn't a celestial object because it was low enough in the sky to direct people to the exact house were baby Jesus was lodged (Matt 2:9). In other words: their star was an apparition.
But how did they know their star was related to a newborn king? Well; according to Matt 2:12, they were in contact with God. In other words: the men weren't acting on their own initiative: they were on a mission; directed and supervised by divine oversight.
_
