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The Magi: From Zoroaster to the "Three Wise Men" Paperback – November 15, 1999
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Print length134 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherBibal Pr
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Publication dateNovember 15, 1999
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Dimensions5.75 x 0.5 x 8.75 inches
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ISBN-100941037886
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ISBN-13978-0941037884
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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
We here respectfully remember
All pious men and women
Of all the World,
All that are and were and are to be . . .
Old Prayer of the Magi
One of the most enduring and endearing images of Christmas is that of the Magi. Have you ever wondered who the Magi were and just why they were motivated to travel from afar to honor the Savior of the Christian faith? Why was it important to the author of the Gospel of Matthew to include the Magi in his story of those who came to acknowledge the Holy Birth? Why are our memories flooded with children in Christmas pageants costumed as camels and kings?
The search for the identity of these Magi is the key to opening a startlingly refreshing insight into our Christian roots, little-known and unappreciated except by scholars. Although the language of the religion of the Magi echoes brilliantly throughout the New Testament, most Christians remain woefully ignorant of its source. Once the most widespread religion in Western Civilization, Magian ideas lie only vaguely concealed under subsequent Western religious thought from the first century to the present. According to Joseph Campbell, the obscure religion of the Magi, known as Zoroastrianism, is the primary religious heritage of the Western world. Magi is the Greek word for Mobeds, a term still used for Zoroastrian priests.
The religion of the Magi is one of Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds; the Golden Rule is in the teaching of the Magi, and the greatest sin is to lie. Good humans are needed by God in the fight to overcome evil. The belief that people who are more good than evil go to Heaven, expressed in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and James of the New Testament, in Jewish writings, and in the Koran, comes to us from the religion of the Magi and from their prophet, Zoroaster. Ideas of Heaven and Hell, as well as angels and devils, come into Judaism and Christianity through the influence of the religion of the Magi. The basic concepts of Zoroastrianism sound immediately familiar:
GodSatan,
GoodEvil,
LightDarkness,
Angels & ArchangelsArchdemons & Demons,
DeathJudgment,
HeavenHell,
Resurrection of the body and the Life Everlasting
While taking a required religion course as a freshman at Baylor University in the 1960s, I was first introduced to the teachings of the Prophet Zoroaster, who lived at least six hundred years before Jesus. I absorbed myself in his revelation and was impressed by the dramatic similarities between his experience with God and those experiences of God more familiar to me from my own Judeo-Christian background. More pointedly, I was moved by the beautiful language of his hymns and their highly ethical teachings. Since that time, my entire life has been spent exploring the Zoroastrian faith in books and libraries. Several years ago, I had the good fortune to form treasured friendships with members of the Zoroastrian community in Houston, and I have had the privilege of being present in their homes, at their meals, at their prayers, and at many of their ceremonies and gatherings.
This book is written to acquaint Christians with their unquestionable kinship to the ancient religion of the Magi and to fill in the gap of knowledge regarding its profound influence on Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Bahai. More importantly, I want to ensure that when Christian and Zoroastrian children look at the brightly-clad Magi in the creches at Christmastime, they can appreciate the powerful ideas that both of their religions embrace. Finally, I think it is time to say a belated thank you to the Magi, not just for their gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but for the concepts and ideals which live vividly in both Zoroastrianism and Christianity today.
Note: In the many matters of dispute among scholars over the religion of the Magi and its more than twenty-six-hundred-year history, my preference has been for the opinions of modern-day followers of the religion. In matters of translation, preference has been given to clarity and comprehension.
Product details
- Publisher : Bibal Pr (November 15, 1999)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 134 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0941037886
- ISBN-13 : 978-0941037884
- Item Weight : 6.7 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.75 x 0.5 x 8.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #5,529,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #305 in Zoroastrianism (Books)
- #666,326 in Christian Books & Bibles
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Dr. Ken R. Vincent has a B.Sc. in Psychology and a M.Ed.
in Counseling from the University of Houston and an
Ed.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of
Northern Colorado. Ken has had three careers in psychology — first
as a counselor (in the War on Poverty programs of the Kennedy/
Johnson administrations), second as a psychologist (working at Texas
Rehabilitation Commission and the Hauser Psychiatry and Neurology
Clinic), and third as a professor (Educational Psychology Dept. at the
University of Houston and Houston Community College). In 1993, he
married the love of his life Pam who became his best friend and first
editor.
Concurrent with his career in psychology and continuing after
his retirement in 2001, Ken had an avocational career as a writer and
religious/spiritual experience researcher and lay Universalist minister.
He has been active in interfaith organizations and the Foundation for
Contemporary Theology; he served many years as webmaster for the
Universalist Herald. He is the author of Visions of God from the Near-
Death Experience (1994), The Magi: From Zoroaster to the “Three Wise
Men” (1999), The Golden Thread: God’s Promise of Universal Salvation
(2005), and God Is With Us: What Near-Death and Other Spiritually
Transformative Experiences Teach Us About God and Afterlife (2014
Online Version and 2019, White Crow Books).
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First I'll review the physical book. Two words, Thin and Tight. The book has only 127 pages but if you subtract out 36 pages for the Hymns of Zoroaster and another 32 pages of so-so black and white images of Magi in Christian art, it seems Mr Vincent didn't have much to say. But despite the book being thin, it wasn't very comfortable to read. The binding was so tight you really couldn't hold it open with one hand, at least not for any length of time. I usually have a cat to stroke or a coffee cup to hold while reading but don't plan on getting comfortable with this book.
Now for the content. I must admit, my motivation for buying this book was to learn more about the Magi in the New Testament Matthew story. After finishing the book I'm not sure I accomplished that. Mr Vincent kept flipping back and forth from current times to pre-Christian, often without identifying where (when) he was. He also used the term "Magi" too loosely (in my opinion), interchanging Zoroastrians with Magi when the Magi were just the priests, not all Zoroastrians. As others have shared, much of his content is intended to show parallels of Zoroaster with the bible, (and less on who the Magi were).
Now for the actual Matthew nativity story, (besides all those parallels we already talked about). Mr Vincent finally brings up the Star on page 35 only to immediately say he won't comment on it! He then defends the claim that the Magi were astrologers not by denying it but by justifying it saying many other religions practiced it... the Magi were not unique (his words).
On the positive side, he does provide a nice list of sources in the Reference section. Maybe I'll find more information in one of those.
Not really recommended.
However, some assertions the author made are not accurate.
On page 46, Vincent writes, "Zoroaster taught that God loves us all and that, after evil is finally defeated, all humanity will be saved at the end of time." But in Yasna 46 verse 11, Zoroaster himself says, "The sacrificers and the sorcerer princes... when they come to the Bridge of the Separator, forever to be inmates of the House of the Lie" So it seems Zoroaster believed some reside in hell forever, contrary to what Vincent says. Although later Zoroastrianism taught some are redeemed from hell at the time of the ressurrection and judgement, this notion is never stated in the Gathas. The Gathas are the only texts generally thought to be written by Zoroaster, and this quote is from the Gathas.
On page 23, Vincent writes "the two hundred years of Jewish apocryphal writings (400-200 BCE)contained in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Coptic Bibles." But the Apocrypha was actually written from about 200-50 BCE.
To anyone seriously interested in Zoroastrianism or any other religion, I have found there simply is no substitute for reading the actual texts themselves. Please read the Holy Books of Zoroastrianism, the Gathas, Yasnas, Bundahis, the Kordo Avesta, and Vendidad, before believing what this or that scholar says. This is a good balance to all the authors out there who want to manipulate ancient religions to fit there own beliefs.
This book is written especially for Christians, and that is its focus. It is not overly technical or academic; it is directed toward thoughtful lay people. Vincent gives us a brief overview of Zoroastrianism, which concentrates on the central message and teachings of the religion as revealed in the Gatha hymns of Prophet Zarathushtra (who is also known as "Zoroaster" )which are the original Scriptures of the religion. He then shows how some parts of the Bible and the Zoroastrian Scriptures are similar, suggesting that the ancient Jews, and later, the Christians, learned much wisdom from the Persian Zoroastrians when they encountered them in the ancient Middle East.
Vincent carefully explains the features of the "Three Magi" which show up in Christian legends, such as their portrayal as kings, the frankincense, myrrh, and gold, the Christmas Star, and the Magi's belief that they were searching for a Savior.
Other good things about Ken Vincent's book are a "gallery" of historical artworks about the Three Magi (or Kings), and in the back of the book, a very good modern translation of the Gatha hymns of Prophet Zarathushtra, so you can read for yourself the inspiring words of one of the first monotheists of all time.