This coming Sunday is the celebration of The Epiphany of the Lord. In the previous post we took a  look at the star the magi followed. Today we consider the gifts they carried.

“After their audience with the king” Herod the magi set out to Bethlehem to find the newborn King. Matthew tells that upon their discovery of Mary and child “They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew simply tells us of the gifts but makes no hint at intending their symbolic meanings. (And on a technical note, the account is specific about the three gifts, but never specifically says there are three magi.) The traditional understanding of the meaning of the gifts is as follows:

Gold symbolizes royalty and kingship. It recognizes Jesus as the King of the Jews and reflects his divine authority. This gift honors Jesus as a king who will reign not in earthly power but in spiritual sovereignty.

Frankincense, a resin used in worship and temple rituals, signifies divinity and priesthood. It points to Jesus’ role as the mediator between God and humanity, underscoring his divine nature and the prayers offered through him.

Myrrh, an aromatic resin often used in embalming, foreshadows suffering and death. It highlights Jesus’ future sacrifice for humanity and his role as the suffering servant.

This traditions are the basis upon which we infer the Magi’s recognition of Jesus’ unique identity:

• King: gold acknowledges his royal lineage as a descendant of David (see Matthew 1:1-17).
  • Divine: Frankincense represents worship due only to divinity (Exodus 30:34-38 describes its use in sacred incense).
    • Sacrifice: Myrrh points to Jesus’ suffering and death (John 19:39 mentions its use at his burial).

King Herod

This coming Sunday is the celebration of The Epiphany of the Lord. In the previous post we considered the gifts the magi carried. Here, we pause to learn a little about King Herod, the monarch on the throne of Judah in Jerusalem.

Matthew is not concerned with the historical Herod. Herod serves as a foil for the conflict against the kingdom of God. When the magi contacted the king, “King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled.”  Matthews is not referring to the psychological turmoil of one man, but the clash of the two claims of kingship. The theme of conflict is one that occurs throughout Matthew’s narrative. When we read that and all Jerusalem was troubled with the king, it is not in sympathy with Herod, but rather the tension that comes from their own memories of the unrest that comes with rival claimants to the one throne. Add to that the patina of messianic arrival. Just as at the end of the gospel when Jerusalem will be implicated in the passion and death of Jesus, those troubles are nascent even now.

More than you probably want to know about King Herod – feel free to skip.

From the Anchor Bible Dictionary we know that Herod (the great) was born in the late 70s BC. into an aristocratic family of Idumean descent.  Idumea was the Hellenized name of Edom, one of the traditional enemies of Israel.  When the land was conquered by Judas Maccabees (167 BC.) and again by John Hyrcanus I (125 BC.), all the inhabitants were forcibly converted to Judaism.  Herod’s father, Antipater, was adviser to Hyrcanus II and later held office in his own right when he was appointed epitropos (overseer) of Judea in 47 BC. The rise to power of both Antipater and Herod was predicated first and foremost on their unswerving loyalty to Rome. Both father and son were convinced that, following the conquest of Judea by Pompey in 63 BC., nothing could be achieved without the consent and aid of Rome. This principle was inviolable, and it guided their actions under all circumstances and at any price. At the age of 25 Herod was appointed governor of Galilee by his father and gained a reputation as a vigorous ruler by his aggressive campaign against brigands in the area.

By the late 40s, however, Herod’s political fortunes took a turn for the worse. The murder of his father in 42 BC. put him on the defensive with regard to Jerusalem’s aristocracy. Taking revenge on what it considered a tyrannical usurper, this nobility attempted to have Herod removed through Roman intervention, only to be thwarted by the steadfast loyalty of the Romans to Antipater’s memory and Herod’s proven abilities. Nevertheless Herod was finally forced to flee Judea in 40 BC. when the Hasmonean Mattathias Antigonus joined with the Parthian invaders to oust both Herod and the Romans. Herod then made his way to Rome, where he was formally crowned King of Judea. He returned to Judea in 39 BC., and in the summer of 37, after a stay of some two years during which Herod and the Romans were pitted against Antigonus and the Parthians, Herod was finally able to claim his kingdom. He proceeded to rule for the next 33 years.

Herod’s reign can be divided into three periods. The first was one of consolidation, lasting from 37 to 27 BC. The second, from 27 to 13 BC., was a period of peace and prosperity, marked by Herod’s close relationship with Rome and her leaders on the one hand and an ambitious building program on the other. The third period, from 13 to 4 BC., was marked by domestic strife and misunderstandings with Rome which greatly took its toll on Herod’s health in his later years.

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Image credit: The Adoration of the Magi | Giotto, 1310 | Basilica inferiore di San Francesco d’Assisi | Assisi, Italy | PD-US