Adoration of the Magi
- SOURCES: see Adoration of the Magi (sources)
- LIST OF SCHOLARLY AND FICTIONAL WORKS: see Category:Adoration of the Magi (subject)
The Adoration of the Magi refers to an episode in the lives of Jesus of Nazareth, and his parents, Mary of Nazareth and Joseph of Nazareth. The episode is narrated only in the Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12).
Overview
According to the Gospel of Matthew, a group of "wise men" came from the east following a star, to visit the newborn messiah. They stopped by King Herod, who asked them to report their findings but whose real intention was only to kill the rival "king." The Magi finally arrived to Bethlehem delivering their gifts (gold, frankincense and myrrh) to the baby Jesus. Warned in a dream, they did not visit Herod again but took a different route on their way back home.
The Protoevangelium of James repeats almost verbatim the Matthew narrative, except that Jesus was born in a "cave" and it was there that the star led the Magi.
Later Christian tradition embellished the episode, and a series of legends began to flourish about the identity and whereabouts of the "three" Magi, who were described as "kings" coming from the East.
Around 1364 the Historia Trium Regum by John of Hildesheim collected all traditions into a long and detailed narratives, which became standard in Western Christianity.
The Adoration of the Magi in ancient sources
The Adoration of the Magi in Scholarship
The Adoration of the Magi in Fiction
Christian iconography shifted the emphasis from the wise to the kings. The Adoration of the Magi thus became the homage of the well-to-do to the newborn Messiah, following the homage of the poor (the Adoration of the Shepherds). The scene often offered the opportunity to rich patrons to have themselves portrayed in the procession of the Magi.