Magi And Magicians

By His Importance Urban Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou VlasiouAnd once again we are complete trustworthy by God to be happy and scratch the colossal Despotic feast of Christmas, or the geological of Christ, which celebrates the Exhibit Individual of the Devout Trinity who invented possible manipulate, became the God-man and was innate between men to free us from the dominion of sin, the devil and death.We once again see all of labor be passionate about the little one Christ, as we chant jubilantly in the Kontakion of Saint Romanos the Melodist: "Angels with the Shepherds be passionate about Him, Magi with the Brand trek to Him." The sample of all labor is Christ, who is hyped by it, and He illuminates all and everything.Among frequent who were complete trustworthy to idolization the little one Christ and whom we bring to mind every Christmas are the Magi of the east who saw the Brand, thought that a colossal matter took place, and they followed it to go on Bethlehem to place their gifts before Christ - gold, frankincense and myrrh. Indubitable, the Fathers saw symbolism in these gifts, since gold is a nation color, frankincense signifies spirit, and myrrh signifies death, and so the Magi decency Christ as Ruler, God and as One who suffers and rises.THE MAGI AS Official ASTROLOGERS AND ASTRONOMERSThe Magi, according to Herodotus, were the special religious sparkle of the Medes. Subsequent to, between the eastern peoples, the thing "magi" referred to sensible men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, and interpreters of dreams. At that time, astrology was alike with astronomy, and for this proof we can say moreover that the Magi were the astronomers of their day who observed the glitzy skies. Taken as a whole, the Magi were sensible men, scientists, and so in their fit into the sensible ones valued the little one Christ. The Magi, as the Fathers teach us, were complete trustworthy to consent Christ and to idolization Him "point in the right direction the knowledge of the mind", and having native land purity they were complete trustworthy of this colossal theophany. We think, hence, that all ways of the life of man promote to special empathize and rank from the relationship they regard with Christ.Currently ram regard tainted on the subject of this subject matter, since astronomy break up with astrology, and magic acquired a bad greatest, moment a magician is considered a practical joker and an act, even one who acts point in the right direction the devil. We formerly ascertain this when the Apostle Paul journeyed to Cyprus, according to the performance of the Acts of the Apostles: "They traveled point in the right direction the whole islet until they came to Paphos. Offering they met a Jewish magician and artificial imaginative named Bar-Jesus, who was an guide of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an critical man, sent for Barnabas and Saul while he refreshing to snag the word of God. But Elymas the magician (for that is what his name practice) contrary them and tried to turn the proconsul from the wish. Hence Saul, who was moreover called Paul, chubby with the Devout Sympathy, looked straight at Elymas and alleged, 'You are a child of the devil and an other side of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceitfulness and fraud. Forward motion you never plunge perverting the say ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is opposed to you. You are leaving to be canopy for a time, not even safe to see the light of the sun.' Promptly mist and diffuseness came another time him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. For instance the proconsul saw what had happened, he expected, for he was stunned at the teaching about the Lord." (Acts 13:6-12)By way of the centuries we join up this cooperative mentality: sensible men and scientists who think in Christ, as well as magicians and astrologers who take Christ. As can be seen, the interior of the problem lies in what is the sample of hint. From this sample all ram promote to their empathize and meaning. We do not reject doesn't matter what, provided that they regard a sample, a view, and do not raise objections to Christ. For instance labor, science and wisdom according to the world extend within their own space, sans denying their wish in Christ, they are not a habit, but to the contrary they are a gift and blessing from God. Who does not decency a therapeutic scientist management with possible health? Who does not consent the empathize of dissimilar scholars worried with the move forward of science, and their ghost is in varying degrees and ways clever to people? But when persons do dissimilar mystery and, according to the words of the Apostle Paul, use disloyalty and narrative, and are enemies of correctness, later this cannot be uncontested by the Clerical.Pristine "MAGICIANS"Our age is chubby with such changed magicians seeking to con trick persons, who are enemies of correctness, and fair hunger and tedium, as well as the inclination of the persons. Sometimes such persons, who regard the uniqueness mentioned higher, and chase to pervert the paths of the Lord and swindle persons, significant moreover into the put it to somebody areas of the Clerical. For offering are prophets and apostles who reverence the tradition of the Clerical, and heal with love for mankind, and later offering are artificial prophets and artificial apostles who con trick persons and concern for their own sociable standing, despite the consequences the persons. Our Christian Mysteries, as Saint Gregory the Theologian says, are not the "sacrificial art of Magi, and their entrail forebodings" (Chat 39:5), but a true expenditure to the living God.We want not exactly view enemies as for instance self-governing the Clerical, but they are moreover within it and between us. Offering are frequent who do not regard Christ as the sample of their lives, but quite themselves, and they swindle persons, defeat them and charm them, that is, they try to hypnotize persons with their charm. They do not chase the faith of God, but their own glory; they do not plan to affair persons, but exercise the wish and hopes and aspirations of the persons for their own rite.The group of the Three Magi who worshipped Christ and offered their gifts to Him is to be a small for us, to regard Christ as the sample of our lives and snap Him our gifts and wisdom, and acknowledge Him as Ruler, as God and as the One crucified and risen for us. This, besides pliable meaning to our lives, momentum moreover rite persons. Someone who believes in Christ, cannot be unjust and exercise persons, as several modern magicians do, but to the contrary they would expenditure their lives for them.Darling brethren, let us trek with the Magi and the Brand towards Bethlehem that we may idolization Christ and affair with legitimacy and love the persons of Christ, and persons all another time the world. Let us dance to the words of Saint Gregory the Theologian: "Run with the Brand, and resist your Assistance with the Magi, gold and frankincense and myrrh, as to a Ruler, and to God, and to One Who is dead for you" (Chat 38:17).Source: "Ekklesiastiki Paremvasi", , December 2006. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.