{"id":331822,"date":"2021-12-14T10:34:52","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T08:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/?p=331822"},"modified":"2021-12-14T10:35:46","modified_gmt":"2021-12-14T08:35:46","slug":"were-the-astrologers-the-magicians-who-came-to-jesus-guided-by-the-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moldovacrestina.md\/en\/were-the-astrologers-the-magicians-who-came-to-jesus-guided-by-the-star\/","title":{"rendered":"Were the astrologers the magicians who came to Jesus guided by the star?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Question:<\/b><\/p>\n

I met people who claim to be Christians, but also have astrology among their passions. I felt obliged to draw their attention to the fact that reading in the stars and any other kind of divination is forbidden by God, and an abomination before Him (at least every time I read the Bible, I understood that, and inside I know that it is so). But I was confronted with the fact that the three Magi from the east learned about the birth of the Messiah from the stars, and they were used by God to protect the newborn Jesus, and they themselves were protected by being sent back by a different route. Here, from the perspective of many, there is a contradiction and an imperfection of God’s Word, although it is nowhere mentioned in the Bible that reading in the stars would be a thing permitted by Him.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Magi were the wise men of the time who sought God<\/b><\/h2>\n

It is important to understand the meaning of the word “magi” in the text found in the Gospel of Matthew to which you referred. Here is the full text:<\/span><\/p>\n

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, \u201cWhere is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.\u201d When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They said to him, \u201cIn Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u2018And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,<\/span><\/p>\n

Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;<\/span><\/p>\n

For from you will come forth a Ruler<\/span><\/p>\n

Who will shepherd My people Israel.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Then Herod secretly called for the magi and determined from them the exact [e]time the star appeared.\u00a0 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, \u201cGo and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.\u201d\u00a0 After hearing the king, they went on their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And after being warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. (Matthew 2:1-12 NASB)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The word translated as “magi” is the Greek \u03bc\u03ac\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2<\/a><\/strong>, a name given by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), Medes, Persians and other peoples of the east to the sages, teachers, priests, doctors, astrologers, seers, dreamers, fortune tellers, and sorcerers. This was generally the name of the sages or philosophers of the East. So we shouldn\u2019t understand by this name that the magi were only astrologers and that they only read in the stars.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the text read above, one thing becomes clear – these magicians were people who sought the true God. They lived among the heathen peoples, among the idols, but they wanted to know the true God, and by sending them this guiding star, God revealed himself to them and led them to the Savior who is Christ. Speaking to the Greeks (also pagans) in Athens, the Apostle Paul told them that God is not far from every human being and that they should persevere in seeking Him by groping. This is how these magicians sought him, using their knowledge and efforts. And then, in ancient times, astrology and astronomy were not separated as sciences. God did not forbid us to study the stars (astronomy) but forbade us to foretell the future by reading in the stars. The text above shows us two other important details:<\/span><\/p>\n