Denis Valentinovich Manturov Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian ...
Reader question:
What do the gold, frankincense, and myrrh, which the Magi brought to the newborn Jesus, symbolize in the Bible?
Answer:
In the Gospel of Matthew we read: "And lo, the star that they saw(wise men from the East, wise men) in the east, she walked in front of them, when at last she came and stopped over the place where the Baby was.
Seeing the star, they rejoiced with very great joy, and, entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His Mother, and, falling down, worshiped Him; and opening their treasures, they brought Him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh ... "(Matthew, chapter 2, verses 9–11).
Gold, incense and myrrh ... What do these gifts represent? Who are they for?
Gold is undeniably a royal gift. And the wise men of the world brought it to Jesus as a true King as the One who revealed the light of truth to humanity - the word, teaching, ideology of humility and love, the only one worthy to reign in the minds and hearts of men.
Love, and for this, humble yourself, and therefore accept your neighbor, and the circumstances of your life as they are: without anger and irritation, without fear and anxiety, without pride and resentment, with peace - this is the credo of truly royal wisdom. And the wisdom of the world in the person of the Magi, having brought gold to Jesus as a symbol of the highest value, thereby recognizes God's wisdom as the only absolute value. The time will come, and kings and powers will come for the wise men, as the Queen of Sheba came to the wise Solomon in due time. The time will come and the "Ninevites" - those who today profess the ideology of materialism - will repent through "Jonah's sermon" (see Jonah, chapters 1-3). The time will come, and the "big fish" of the human community will certainly "swallow" the word of the Lord's wisdom (ibid.). The time will come, and "the nations will walk in His light, and the kings of the earth will bring Him their glory and honor" (Revelation, 21.24). The time will come, and the holy era of mercy will come. And the will of the Creator will surely reign on earth, as if in Heaven. "Then the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and they will rule the kingdom for ever and ever and ever" (Daniel 7.18). The time will come ... But for now, He, to whom this kingdom belongs by right, is hiding in a wretched manger, and only the wise find Him ...
Incense. It is literally a fragrant resin, a fragrant tree sap that hardens in the air and is collected from some aromatic trees. Frankincense seeds, being placed on a smoldering ember, fill the room with a wonderful unique aroma. The curing of incense symbolizes a pure prayer of the heart, "a fragrance pleasing to the Lord," as well as the spiritual scent of God's grace, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
“Let my prayer be like incense before you,” declares the psalmist David (Psalm 140). "And the smoke of incense ascended with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the Angel before God," we read in the Apocalypse (see Revelation, 8.4). "And when He took the book, then four animals and twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sing a new song, saying: You are worthy to take the book and unseal it, for you were slain, and with your blood you redeemed us to God from every tribe and tongue and nation and nation, and made us kings and priests (wise and consecrated, renounced, given ourselves. - Auth. ) To our God; and we will reign on the earth "(Ibid, 5.8–10).
Frankincense was brought to Jesus already as God and Priest- as the One Who Himself will bring Himself as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. Christ mystically is that Great Priest, the First Priest, about whom the "apostle of the nations" Paul testifies: to sympathize with us in our weaknesses, but who, like us, is tempted in everything except sin ...
And this, as one who abides forever, also has an everlasting priesthood; therefore, He can always save those who come to God through Him, being always alive, in order to intercede for them. This is how we should have a High Priest: holy, not partaking in evil, blameless, separated from sinners and exalted above heaven. Who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices first for their sins, then for the sins of the people, for He did it once, sacrificing Himself "(Hebrews 4.14-15; 7.23-27).
And finally, myrrh. Smyrna is a fragrant balm, an ointment with which the body of the deceased was anointed, preparing it for burial. Smyrna was brought to the newborn Messiah as a gift to a person who is to die. Christ is both King and Priest, but He is also the Sacrifice - the Immaculate Lamb offered for the sin of the world. And this, the last gift, was a type of the great and humble Sacrifice. The invaluable sacrifice of Christ ...
THE FURTHER Gospel story about the adoration of the Magi (Matt. 2 ch.) Is very edifying. This is, first of all, a story about “ Epiphany”, Or the appearance of Christ to the Gentiles.
Even Joseph and the Most Holy Mother of God with the Infant Jesus remained in Bethlehem, as the Magi came to Jerusalem from a distant country from the east (from Persia or Babylonia).
The wise men, or sages, were called the learned people who were engaged in the observation and study of the stars. At that time, people believed that at the birth of a great man, a new star appears in the sky. Many pagans within Persia, taught by the scattered Jews, knew about the coming Messiah - the Great King of Israel. From the Jews they could know the following prophecy of Balaam regarding the Messiah: “I see Him, but now I do not. I see Him, but not close. A Star rises from Jacob and a Rod from Israel rises, and (He) will smite the princes of Moab ”(Numbers 24:17), here“ Moab ”is the personification of the enemies of the Messiah. The Persian Magi expected that when the promised King was born, a new star would appear in the sky. Although Balaam's prophecy spoke of a star in spiritual sense, but the Lord, by His mercy, in order to bring the pagans to faith, gave a sign in heaven in the form of the appearance of an extraordinary star. Seeing her, the Magi realized that the expected King was born.
After a long and long journey, they finally reached the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, Jerusalem, and began to ask: “ Where is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him”. These words of such prominent strangers stirred up many of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and especially King Herod, who was immediately informed of the arrival of the mysterious Eastern scholars.
From the first days of his accession, Herod's throne was shaky. The people hated him, considering him a usurper of the throne of David and a tyrant and abhorred him as a pagan. The last years of Herod's life were further complicated by personal hardships and bloody massacres. He became extremely suspicious and, at the slightest provocation, executed his obvious and imaginary enemies. For this reason, several of Herod's children and even his wife, whom he had passionately loved before, perished. Sick and decrepit, Herod was now residing in his new palace in Zion. Hearing about the born King, He was especially worried, fearing that people would take advantage of his old age in order to take away his power and transfer it to the newborn King.
To find out who this new pretender to his throne was, Herod gathered all the priests and scribes - people who knew the books of Holy Scripture well - and asked them: “ Where should Christ be born? " They have replyed: " In Bethlehem Judea, because it is written by the prophet Micah”. Then Herod secretly summoned the Magi to him, found out from them the time of the appearance of the star and sent them to Bethlehem. Pretending to be pious, the cunning Herod told them: “ Go and learn everything about the Baby there, and when you find Him, come and tell me so that I can go and worship Him.”. In fact, Herod was going to use their message to put the Infant to death.
The Magi, having listened to King Herod and not suspecting anything, went to Bethlehem. And here again she star, which they had seen before in the east, appeared in the sky and, moving across the sky, walked in front of them, showing them the way. In Bethlehem, the star stopped over the place where the born Infant Jesus was.
The Magi entered the house and saw the Infant Jesus with His Mother. They bowed to Him to the ground and offered Him their gifts (gifts): gold, incense and myrrh(precious fragrant oil). The following symbolic meaning can be seen in the gifts of the Magi. They brought gold to Him as to the King (in the form of a tribute or tribute), incense, as to God (because incense is used in worship), and myrrh, as a Man who must die (because at that time the dead were anointed with oils mixed with fragrant meek).
Having bowed to the expected King, the wise men gathered, it was the next day to return to Jerusalem to Herod. But the Angel, appearing to them in a dream, revealed to them the insidious intentions of Herod and commanded them to return to their country, taking a different path that did not pass near Jerusalem. Tradition has preserved the names of the Magi, who later became Christians. They were Melchior, Gaspar and Belshazzar.
In the story of the Nativity of Christ, it is also remarkable that the first to bow to the born Savior were the shepherds, true children of nature, who could open before Him only the treasury of their hearts, full of simplicity, faith and humility. Much later, the Magi came from the East, saturated with learned wisdom, who cast down gold, incense and myrrh before the Infant God, along with reverent joy. They had to travel a long way before reaching Judea, and even when they were already in Jerusalem, they could not immediately find the birthplace of the King of the Jews. Does this not mean that simplicity of heart and deep conscientious learning equally lead to Christ? But the first path is straighter, shorter and more accurate than the second. The shepherds were led directly by Angels, and the Magi “uch a husya ”from the wordless star and through Herod from the scribes and elders of the Jews. Not without difficulties and dangers, they reached the desired goal and did not hear the heavenly harmony that sounded above the earth - “ Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth, goodwill in men”(Thought of Metropolitan Anastassy).
- from ancient times to the present day they have been used in divine services in the Orthodox Church. It is believed that the aroma of this resin protects from unclean spirits and is a symbol of the soul's prayerful aspiration to God. In Russia, the tradition of using incense from evil spirits and wearing an incense (a bag with illuminated incense, which was worn with a cross around the neck) has existed from time immemorial. It is useful to fumigate your home with incense, for this you can purchase a censer, incense and coal. Fumigating the house with incense, they go around it counterclockwise and read the prayer "Our Father". If the house does not have a special censer, you can use a simple aluminum spoon for this purpose, put incense in it and heat it over a fire.
Currently, several types of incense are produced - these are pure incense, dew incense and Athos incense.
Natural incense also called “Lebanese cedar resin”, as its amber-yellow droplets are collected from the Boswellia Carteri tree, a rare tree native to Arabia and East Africa. Since the time of the Old Testament, fumigation of a home with incense has been used not only during divine services, but due to its antimicrobial properties, and for fumigating the houses of sick people, during epidemics, and also, as a remedy, they used water infused with this resin and the resin itself, as wound healing agent. After all, the resin on the tree appears at the site of damage to the bark, allowing the tree to heal itself. Therefore, it was believed that what is useful for a tree is also useful for a person.
harvested in Southeast Asia from the Styrax Benzoin tree and is also called styrax or myrna. This brown-gray substance has been used since ancient times both as an incense and as food additive and a cosmetic product.
A wonderful story is associated with the appearance Athos incense ... After the birth of Jesus Christ, the wise men brought him precious gifts: gold - as a king, incense - as to God, and myrrh - as a mortal man (in those days, it was customary to coat the dead with fragrant oils).
The Mother of God preserved these gifts until her death, and before her dormition she handed them over to the Jerusalem temple. Over the course of several millennia, these gifts were transferred first to Constantinople, and then to the monastery of St. Paul, which is located in Greece on Mount Athos, where they are kept to this day. In the Orthodox Church, Mount Athos is revered as the abode of the Mother of God. It was from these gifts that the Athos incense was made in the monastery of St. Paul: it was crushed, mixed with myrrh and molded into aromatic balls that could retain their aroma for a very long time. According to this recipe, incense is still made on Athos by monks by hand and with prayer, only a few kilograms a day.
Gradually, other Greek monasteries began to make incense, changing and improving the recipe for its production. Later in Greece, various varieties of incense began to be produced, in which the resin collected from different types Boswellia wood, different quantity and quality of aromatic oils, special additives. As a result of various combinations of these components, incense is obtained of different colors and shapes, and, accordingly, different prices.
The following varieties of incense are most common:
- is considered the best Athos incense, it is made in the monastery of St. Anna, it has a yellowish color, 24 aromas.
Bishop and Altar incense - Greek varieties of high quality incense, have 20 aromas, each of which has its own color. These varieties of incense are made from selected Boswellia Carteri resin, aromatic oils produced in France and Switzerland. These varieties are distinguished by the richness of aromas, the duration of burning without a burning smell.
Cellular and Treasured incense - also varieties of Greek incense good quality, 20 flavors. They are made from the resin of the same Boswellia Carteri tree and fragrant oils produced in Greece. It is these varieties that are used for everyday worship, they are affordable and have a persistent aroma.
Smyrna- these are fragrant oils of high concentration, they have 20 aromas. It is made in Greece according to ancient recipes of Byzantium and the East from natural essential oils, does not contain alcohol.
SMIRNA- Incense resin from a tree growing in Arabia and Ethiopia.
What is myrna made of, what does it look like and where is it used today?
When translating the Bible into Russian, myrrh is called myrrh, but these are different substances obtained from different plants. All over the world, myrrh is the gum resin extracted from Smyrnium, and myrrh is extracted from the Commiphora myrrha tree, which grows in Arabia, Yemen, Somalia and Ethiopia.
Aromatic resin dissolved in vegetable oil, was used as a perfume. Egyptian women wore scented sacks filled with resin.
It is used for arthrosis, as a hemostatic, against infertility, dermatosis, diarrhea, as an antiseptic, give lepers, for weight loss, as an analgesic.
Poultices are used to treat myositis, resin is an insecticide against termites. Wood - for making beads. Folk remedy for liver and tendon cancer, soothing, for polyps. Myrrh resin is used to make a plaster against fever and seizures. Washed bark mixed with salt - against the bite of a poisonous snake. Leaves steamed in milk with millet - for toothache.
The best variety of myrrh was always considered to be gravity myrrh, which naturally flows from the plant itself, and the one that was collected from specially made cuts was the variety below. The trunk gives off a pale yellow resin, which solidifies in the form of red drops. If the collectors cut through the bark to increase the yield of the product, the color of the cooled droplets is red-brown. The resin is dried into pieces the size of Walnut which are ground and distilled.
Myrrh composition: 85 - 95% sexviterpenes, monoterpenes, phenols, aldehydes and ketones.
Pure myrrh is valued more than silver and now, as in past times, besides incense it is used in perfumery and medicine.
Myrrh essential oil strengthens hair, prevents hair loss and thinning.
Has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effect in chronic, sluggish processes of bacterial and viral etiology. Fortifying action. Antispasmodic, anticonvulsant. Stimulates lymphatic drainage of the body, etc.
After collecting, myrrh is immediately mixed with many substances on the spot.
The best type is the red and clear resin. Myrrh is liquid and solid. A dead body smeared with myrrh dissolved in wine does not smolder, so it was used for embalming. Myrrh belongs to the holy oil of antiquity.
According to legend, the magi brought myrrh, which is called myrrh in the Bible when translated into Russian, along with incense and gold, as a gift to the baby Christ.
Smyrna is a fragrant substance extracted from a thorny tree that blossoms 8 and 9 feet in height and is mainly exported from Arabia to East India. From the earliest times, Smyrna was a significant trade item and was part of St. the Old Testament world, as well as a composition for the fragrant anointing of those who have died. She was also one of those valuable gifts that were usually presented to kings and nobles as a sign of special reverence in ancient times in the East.
Smyrna is the famous Ionian city and one of the most beautiful in the Levant; located at a distance of 320 stadia from Ephesus and at the same distance from the sea coast, at the mouth of the river. Meles on the western coast of Asia Minor. The ancients considered him the crown of Ionia, precious stone Asia, abundant in its wealth and outstanding in the fine arts. The city was hit at least six times more or less by earthquakes, lost 60,000 inhabitants from the plague in 1814, and was severely affected by cholera in 1831. The Word of God was sown here in the days of the Apostles. The church was planted here by St. ap. John the Evangelist. The first bishop here was St. Polycarp, disciple of John the Evangelist. Today Smyrna is considered one of the most flourishing trading cities of the Ottoman Empire. However, its streets, with a population of 150 · People narrow and dirty. The houses are mostly wooden, without stoves and on one floor. In modern Smyrna, there are few remnants of the ancient city, such as: the remains of the amphitheater, in which the ap. Polycarp and in him the vaults of those lairs in which animals were kept, etc. Smyrna is now called Ismir by the Turks and is 4 miles in circumference. Smyrna's harbor is very spacious and provides an excellent anchorage for ships.
Sources: antiquites.academic.ru, dic.academic.ru, otvet.mail.ru, www.onlinedics.ru, www.sovslov.ru
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The gifts of the Magi are gold, frankincense and myrrh, which the Magi presented to the newborn Infant Christ.
It is customary to give each other gifts at Christmas. This tradition goes back not only to the image of St. Nicholas, who became the prototype of Santa Claus. It also has evangelical roots - the story of the Magi and their gifts.
Symbolism:
The gifts of the Magi have symbolic and prophetic meaning:
- Gold - as a gift to the King,
- Frankincense - as a gift to the High Priest and God,
- Smyrna is a gift to mortal Man.
History:
The Evangelist Matthew writes about the Magi:
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, magicians from the east came to Jerusalem and said: Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? for we saw His star in the east and came to worship Him (Matt 2: 1-2).
Not knowing anything from Herod, the Magi went further after the star that led them to Bethlehem: And behold, the star ... came and stopped over the place where the Child was ... and entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His Mother, and, falling, worshiped Him; and opening their treasures, they brought him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matt 2:11).
Who are the Magi:
In the original New Testament, the wise men are called μάγοι, that is, magicians. In ancient Greek, this word denotes the Persian (Iranian) priests, astrologers and astronomers who possessed special knowledge.
From the word "sorcerer" is formed Russian word"Wizard".
The Gospel does not specify the number of the Magi and their names, but church tradition names three: Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior.
According to the same tradition, they all later became Christians and were baptized by the Apostle Thomas. Western tradition says that the apostle ordained the Magi bishops. Their relics were found by the holy queen Helena and today are in the Cologne Cathedral (Germany).
Veneration of the Magi in Western Tradition, or "Three Kings"
In some European countries, saints Caspar, Balthazar and Melchior are especially revered and called the "three kings". On January 6, children in crowns and with staffs walk the streets of Cologne and other German cities, symbolizing the Magi. They knock on houses, congratulate residents and receive sweets or small money in return. On the doors of such hospitable hosts, the inscription “B + C + M” appears - the initial letters of the names of the Magi in the Latin alphabet. This is done as a sign that the dwelling was visited by the "three kings" themselves and blessed it.
Monastery of St. Paul on Mount Athos. Photo from afonua.com
The history of gifts after the Assumption of the Virgin
The Mother of God carefully kept the gifts and before her Assumption handed them over to the Jerusalem Church, where they remained until the year 400. Later, the Byzantine emperor Arkady transferred the gifts to the St. Sophia Church in Constantinople. After the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks, in 1470 the gifts of the Magi were given to the Serbian monastery of St. Paul on Mount Athos by the widow of the Turkish Sultan Murat II, Maria, the daughter of the ruler of Serbia (she did not convert to Islam and remained a Christian until the end of her life).
According to legend, Mary personally wanted to bring the gifts of the Magi to the monastery, but before the walls she was stopped by a heavenly voice and reminded of the ban on women from being on the Holy Mountain. In memory of this, the monks installed a cross, which is called Tsaritsyn, and in the nearby chapel they depicted the meeting of the great shrines by the inhabitants of the monastery.
The gifts of the Magi are kept to this day in 10 special arks on Mount Athos (Greece) in the monastery of St. Paul.
What the gifts look like now:
Gold is represented by 28 plates of various geometric shapes with different patterns that are never repeated. Smyrna and frankincense were combined together, now they are about 70 dark balls, similar in shape to olives. They are strung on a silver thread that is attached to gold plates.
The combined incense and myrrh also carry a symbolic meaning: when united, they remind of the two natures of Jesus Christ - divine and human.
In January 2014, the gifts of the Magi were first brought to the Russian Orthodox Church for the blessing and worship of believers. For 30 days of stay on the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church, 1.6 million people worshiped the shrine.
