The Three Wise Men and The Revelation of The Magi

This is how the Tale of The Magi appears in Fulcanelli's Mystery of the Cathedrals which was published in 1928. This is Mary Sworder's translation from 1970, so who knows how many translations away from whatever Fulcanelli's source had been.

Here is a legend taken from a work entitled the Book of Seth and which a sixth century author relates in these terms:

'I heard some people speaking of a Writing, which, although far from certain, is not contrary to the faith and is rather agreeable to hear. It tells that a race existed in the Far East on the shores of the Ocean, who possessed a book attributed to Seth, which spoke of the future appearance of this star and of the gifts, which should be taken to the Child, which prediction was given as transmitted from father to son by generations of the wise men.'

'They chose out twelve from the most learned among them and from those most skilled in the mysteries of the heavens and gave themselves up to waiting for this star. If one of them came to die, his son or- a near relative, who was in the same expectation, was chosen to replace him.'

'They were called in their tongue Magi, because they glorified God in silence and in a low voice. 'Every year, after the harvest, these men climbed up on a mountain, which was called in their language the Mount of Victory, which enclosed a cavern hewn out of the rock and pleasant on account of the streams and trees, which surrounded it.'

'When they arrived at the summit, they washed themselves, prayed and praised God in silence for three days; this was their practice in every generation, always waiting in case by chance this star of fortune should appear during their generation.'

But finally it did appear on the Mount of Victory, in the form of a little child and presenting the shape of a cross; it spoke to them, instructed them and bade them depart for Judaea.'

'The star went before them for two years and neither bread nor water was ever lacking on their journey.'

'What they did next is reported briefly in the Gospel.'

Thanks for reading the thread everyone.

reply to post by KilgoreTrout



The Cave of Treasures in the Syriac tradition is also the Cave of the Patriarchs from Adam to the time of Noah, in that they were guardians and Ministers within it and placed there after death. At the time of the flood the body of Adam is removed (later reburied at Golgotha) and the cave sealed and thus ends that Ante-Diluvian episode.

The traditions associated with the Cave of Treasures include the fall of the evil Angels of Satan and their going into the daughters of Cain;

At this time Satan and thirty of his devils appeared to Yârêd in the form of handsome men, and called him from the Cave of Treasures. He came out to them, and thought they were strangers, and asked them who they were. In answer, Satan told him that he was Adam, and that among his companions were Abel, Seth, Enos, Cainan, and other kinsmen of Yârêd. He invited Yârêd to come with him, and live with him in the garden which God had given him, and at length Yârêd was persuaded to leave the Cave and go with him. When they arrived at the top of the mountain of the sons of Cain, Satan pretended that he had left a garment for Yârêd by the Cave, and sent one of his devils back to fetch it, telling him at the same time to extinguish the lamp which was burning in the Cave near Adam's body. Satan and Yârêd rested by a fountain, and food was brought out to them by the sons and daughters of Cain, but Yârêd refused to eat or drink. Satan entreated him to put aside his sadness, and to do as he was going to do. Thereupon Satan and five of his devils each seized a woman and committed fornication with her, and on seeing this exhibition of iniquity Yârêd burst into tears and began to pray to God to be delivered from that place. When he began to pray the devils took to flight, and God sent an angel, who brought him back to his holy mountain. When he returned to the Cave his people told him that the lamp had been extinguished, and that the bodies of the Patriarchs had been scattered about, and that voices had come from them. On entering the Cave a voice came to him from Adam's body, and warned him to beware of Satan and his wiles, and told him to relight the lamp from the fire on the altar at which Adam had ministered

It all happened at that Mountain as it was the place of connectivity between Earth, the Underworld, and Heaven, and to live on top of it was to be as Sons of the Most High, at times within it the deceased Patriarchs spoke.

And lasciviousness and fornication increased among the children of Cain, and they had nothing to occupy them except fornication--now they had no obligation [to pay] tribute, and they had neither prince nor governor--and eating, and drinking, and lasciviousness, and drunkenness, and dancing and singing to instruments of music, and the wanton sportings of the devils, and the laughter which affordeth pleasure to the devils, and the sounds of the furious lust of men neighing after women. And Satan, finding [his] opportunity in this work of error, rejoiced greatly, because thereby he could compel the sons of Seth to come down from that holy mountain. There they had been made to occupy the place of that army [of angels] that fell [with Satan], there they were beloved by God, there they were held in honour by the angels, and were called "sons of God," even as the blessed David saith in the psalm, "I have said , Ye are gods, and all of you sons of the Most High."

Also worth noting that in biblical tradition these events take place before the birth of the different races after the three sons of Noah, and thus were a tradition that would be seen as common to all descendants of Adam.


reply to post by Bybyots


The tradition of Eden being at the Eastern extremity by the Ocean is found in the Book of Adam and Eve, the Mountain of Paradise was Westward of that.

1 On the third day, God planted the garden in the east of the earth, on the border of the world eastward,beyond which, towards the sun−rising, one finds nothing but water, that encompasses the whole world, and reaches to the borders of heaven.

2 And to the north of the garden there is a sea of water, clear and pure to the taste, unlike anything else; so that, through the clearness thereof, one may look into the depths of the earth.

Again, also, because God is merciful and of great pity, and governs all things in a way that He alone knows
−− He made our father Adam live in the western border of the garden, because on that side the earth is very broad.

Book of Adam and Eve

The alchemical aspect to all of this is generally found in the Doctrine of the second Adam, the new man of spiritual perfection, the Mandaeans have the most involved Doctrines on such, but didn't recognize Jesus as representing such, unlike the Mazdaeans.

Kantzveldt
The Cave of Treasures in the Syriac tradition is also the Cave of the Patriarchs from Adam to the time of Noah, in that they were guardians and Ministers within it and placed there after death. At the time of the flood the body of Adam is removed (later reburied at Golgotha) and the cave sealed and thus ends that Ante-Diluvian episode.

Exactly

And...from the introduction to the Cave of Treasures...

One of the most important sections of the "Cave of Treasures" is that which contains a description of the Magi and their visit to Jerusalem, for it appears to be based upon the work of some writer who had exact knowledge of their methods. They are here grouped with the Chaldeans, who were presumably Babylonians, but they themselves are called the "wise men of Persia." Both these bodies of sages had studied the motions of the "Malwâshê," or Signs of the Zodiac, for centuries, and through them they felt that they were able to forecast with accuracy the course of events on this earth. p. 38 The Magi were terrified at the appearance of the star, which led them subsequently to Bethlehem, and thought that the king of the Greeks was about to attack the land of Nimrod. At length they consulted their great astrological work which is here called "Gelyânâ dhe Nemrôdh," i.e. the "Revelation of Nimrod," and there they learned that a king was born in Judah. What this "Revelation of Nimrod" was cannot be said, but it was evidently one of the large series of Omen-texts of which so many examples exist in the British Museum. These texts are being copied and translated by Mr. C. J. Gadd of the British Museum, and when the work is done we may learn something of the book which the Magi consulted. The "Cave of Treasures" says that the Magi were three kings, and gives their names, and thus repeats the tradition which was general in the early centuries of the Christian Era. On the other hand, the "Book of the Bee," following a very ancient Oriental tradition, says they were twelve in number, and gives their names; but it must be noted that some of the names are only found at a comparatively late period of Persian History.

www.sacred-texts.com...

Hence the mix up, the author drew from another text, and made assumptions due to a lack of understanding. The Cave of the Treasure of Hidden Mysteries is quite seperate from the Cave of the Patriarchs. The Revelation of the Magi seems to be that other text or at least, it's writer better understood the material and therefore the Magi.

As Pindar said, 'Custom is King of all.'

reply to post by Bybyots


Beautiful!

Kudos

Alright,

After all that, we must rock.

Because everyone knows, "All work and no rock make Jack an insufferable....

...rooster of some sort.

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about the magi, even among Christians. The original Gospel of Matthew never actually mentions how many magi were present, and the number three comes from the logical assumption that there were three gifts, but you are correct in stating that the number was likely 12, as this was the common number of these groups. Of course we know today that the magi were most likely Persian priests, or the Zoroastrian religion.

I think the biggest mystery is that of the star they supposedly followed. More recent research has, in my opinion, provided an answer. Some have stated that it was likely a comet that was seen, but there is a huge problem with this hypothesis. Namely, that since Zoroastrian priests were quite adept in studying the heavens, they would have known it was a comet and not a star. Although the word star could refer to different celestial objects. Nevertheless, in the Zoroastrian religion, a comet is NOT something that brings joy, goodness, not to mention a new king. A comet is more of a bad omen, meaning death or destruction.

So they would not have set out had they seen a comet. The recent research I referred to suggests that there was a strange planetary phenomenon occurring at the time, in which two planets were virtually on top of each other, for something like two months. This sign, accompanied by the constellation it aligned with, a constellation that signified Israel, it makes sense that this is why they believed a new king was to be born. They depended highly on the stars for such information, and this is what I believe happened.

So I think the story is very real, and can be taken as a historical account, and not a fable or tall tale. This is something that just fits with what the magi could have definitely done, knowing about their religion and beliefs.

Logged in for the first time in a long time for this thread. Firstly, let me say that I have spent the last few months in a personal quest to understand. To find my place in the world, to find my peace with God and my own past. Having said that, I shall say this; I have been reading a lot lately, and when I read this thread, something clicked. It may seem a small thing to you, but to me, it is another question in the quest for truth. Assuming that there really were some kind of city, or temple where the magi resided, I wonder if that wouldn't be the place where Jesus was said to disappear for a time? My bible reading is not what it could be, but I was always under the impression that there are missing years in the life of Jesus. The connection seems to make sense to me. One must learn how to be what one was meant to be, and one must learn of it someplace?

This is one of the best threads I've seen here in a while - thanks for creating it. Its so difficult to know what to believe - there are so many different accounts, with bits and pieces of the story needing to be pieced together from so many different times and sources.

I wish there was a central resource where I could look into all this stuff - its really is fascinating.

DrunkYogi
There is theory regarding the TWM story that they came from Tibet. Like when the Tibetin llamas go in search of the next Dali Lama. They follow signs from the stars etc.

edit on 20-12-2013 by DrunkYogi because: (no reason given)

lucky
The Chinese have the three kings Fu, Lu and Shou (lucky, prosperous, and undying). They actually have a hotel modeled on this theme:

www.theworldofchinese.com...

So a Tibetan monastery would seem the most likely location.

Dis iz da stuff I reed ATS fer! Thank you Bybyots!!

I wonder, though, what became of the Magi after their generations-long mission was accomplished? Hope I didn't miss anything in the posts.

Also, this is what makes me wonder why whatever Power it is that brought all this together would allow something like the early Catholic church to hide so much from common knowledge? The story of Christ is so bland without it.

So far this Christmas season, two things have made it special for me. This thread is one, and Shrek: The Musical is the other. Thanks for making this thread, and thanks to everyone who has contributed.

Bybyots
The Magi reinforce this by telling Herod when they meet him that The Star-Child has "worshipers in every land" (17:5), they also tell Mary and Joseph that, “forms of him are seen in every land, because he has been sent by his majesty [God the Father] for the salvation and redemption of every human being” (23:4).

That is exactly the kind of cross-cultural enlightenment I would expect from the Child of Humanity. It's entirely consistent with the findings of comparative mythology, comparative religion, comparative mysticism.

reply to post by Ollie769


I'm so glad that you have enjoyed the thread Ollie769.

I wonder, though, what became of the Magi after their generations-long mission was accomplished?

You didn't miss anything, it hasn't been mentioned yet so thanks for bringing it up. I didn't mark the spot so I can't scare up a specific quote for you at the moment, but somewhere in there it is stated by The Magi that they are sent to the "east" by the Star-Child to teach and evangelize.

Also, this is what makes me wonder why whatever Power it is that brought all this together would allow something like the early Catholic church to hide so much from common knowledge?

Right at the moment I am starting to believe that whatever Power we may be talking about here might have been trying to prove some point about the imperishable nature of the message heralded by the Star.

Chronogoblin
Logged in for the first time in a long time for this thread. Firstly, let me say that I have spent the last few months in a personal quest to understand. To find my place in the world, to find my peace with God and my own past. Having said that, I shall say this; I have been reading a lot lately, and when I read this thread, something clicked.

It may seem a small thing to you, but to me, it is another question in the quest for truth.

Nah, man, it's a huge thing to me and posts like yours make the effort worth it. I am left questioning as well, but it is a sort of ecstatic state; I am totally wasted on post-modern Alchemy and Jesus.

Assuming that there really were some kind of city, or temple where the magi resided, I wonder if that wouldn't be the place where Jesus was said to disappear for a time? My bible reading is not what it could be, but I was always under the impression that there are missing years in the life of Jesus. The connection seems to make sense to me. One must learn how to be what one was meant to be, and one must learn of it someplace?

Sure, I know, another mystery that fascinates me too. I have read some crazy stuff about what he might have been up to in those years, I sure don't know what it was, but I am also very much intrigued by the idea of secret enclaves of spiritual adepts.

Thanks for being here. I look forward to your further input.

stormcell

DrunkYogi
There is theory regarding the TWM story that they came from Tibet. Like when the Tibetin llamas go in search of the next Dali Lama. They follow signs from the stars etc.

edit on 20-12-2013 by DrunkYogi because: (no reason given)

lucky
The Chinese have the three kings Fu, Lu and Shou (lucky, prosperous, and undying). They actually have a hotel modeled on this theme:

www.theworldofchinese.com...

So a Tibetan monastery would seem the most likely location.

Indeed, that is something that you just don't see everyday...



Thanks for linking that, it's awesome and I never would have known but for your post.

reply to post by BlueMule


I have Christmases that I call "Lucky Christmases" and I have been having them ever since the first year that I read Fulcanelli's Mystery of the Cathedrals.

Christmas came to life for me in a way that it never had before that year. Every Christmas carol was filled with deep hermetic importance and meaning, I was weepy and could hardly stand myself. A friend was in the same boat. We were terrified of Jesus and becoming "Jesus-freaks". After a while, we had to avoid each other for a few weeks because one would invariably get the other going; I watched my buddy instinctively try to jump o'er the back of a booth at a Chinese diner because I simply said that I was thirsty for water.

We had been reading the same stuff, and it's precisely true what they say: "Don't mess with the occult. You'll get yourself in to trouble, or go crazy". One of us escaped Jesus.

So, I wanted to make sure that I had a Lucky Christmas this year, and this thread was about trying to share that Luck with others if i could. Your post and appreciation has made me feel as though I have accomplished that.

Thank you and Merry Christmas.

reply to post by Bybyots


This isn't the first time that I have heard of alchemy in relation to the Gospels. I'm sorry I cannot remember the source, but I have read that it is thought the 4 paths in the Chemical Wedding represent the 4 Gospels and the one that C.R.C. chose was representative of the only telling of the Gospel in which Christ carried his Cross.

I have also read that Sir Francis Bacon was actually handed the manuscripts of the King James Bible by King James himself. Excerpt from page 543 of The Secret Teachings of All Ages - Manly P. Hall:

It was in recognition of Bacon's intellectual accomplishments that King James turned over to him the translator's manuscripts of what is now known as the King James Bible for the presumable purpose of checking, editing, and revising them.

Emphasis mine.

I find this highly interesting because of Sir Bacon's connect to the Rosicrucians and to Alchemy. It is also of note that the KJV is one of the last translations to contain certain key phrases such as "If thine eye be single..." which was changed to "if your eyes are good" in later versions. IMHO, this change in later editions should be viewed as a rather poor and thinly veiled attempt at covering up the true nature of the teachings of The Christ.

reply to post by BlueMule


Oh I forgot,

That is exactly the kind of cross-cultural enlightenment I would expect from the Child of Humanity. It's entirely consistent with the findings of comparative mythology, comparative religion, comparative mysticism.

You and I share the same thoughts on that for sure.

Thanks again.

reply to post by JiggyPotamus

I think the biggest mystery is that of the star they supposedly followed.

Well alright JiggyPotamus,

You know that I appreciate your well thought out, candid and cogent post. Im not surprised that there would be a terrific amount of misconception amongst Christians that only had access to those 12 lines from Matthew and I think that it is very significant what member southofheaven has brought up about Francis Bacon and I want to get to that. But for the time being and for the sake of fun and dialogue, I don't mind telling you that I fundamentally disagree that the biggest mystery here has to do with the star and precisely what celestial event had been occurring at the time.

That would reduce the 3WM to a bunch of deluded bedouins in fancy brocade being dragged across the desert by some celestial event that they did not understand. When in fact what is really significant is that a supernatural spiritual event occurred. What is explicitly significant about Revelations of The Magi, is that the Magi say themselves that only they can see it, and the Star is preceded by The Magi being in the throes of visions for several days.

So, for the sake of making a point, The Magi in RoTM themselves have made the whole point of whether or not the star was real or a spaceship or what have you other than a supernatural event moot. I realize that the story may change from legend to legend, but that's what I like about the legend as it is related in Revelations of The Magi.

What is important is what is heralded by the Star, His Star, as the magi called it. It was a spiritual event, the repercussions of which are still being felt to this day. It is my personal contention that people have forgotten that our lives are deeply affected by that sort of thing, and that the deep sense of hope and togetherness that these events represent is forgotten.

And thet there's my story.

Some of you knew this was coming. I figured, "since I dropped the 'brocade' gauntlet, and all, why not?".

I think to properly tie in to normative Zoroastrian and Aryan tradition the Mountain would be considered as Hara Berezaiti;

Harā Bərəzaitī reflects Proto-Iranian *Harā Bṛzatī. Harā may be interpreted as "watch" or "guard", from an Indo-European root *ser- "protect". *Bṛzatī is the feminine form of the adjective *bṛzant- "high", which is cognate with Celtic brigant- (as in the Brigantes)The mountain has several secondary appellations, including Haraitī "the guarding one"

The benefit of this is that is where the sacred Haoma grows.

Haoma is said to appear before Zoroaster in the form of a "beautiful man" (this is the only anthropomorphic reference), who prompts him to gather and press haoma for the purification of the waters . Haoma is 'righteous' and 'furthers righteousness', is 'wise' and 'gives insight' (Yasna 9.22). Haoma was the first priest, installed by Ahura Mazda with the sacred girdle aiwiyanghana (Yasna 9.26) and serves the Amesha Spentas in this capacity (Yasht 10.89). "Golden-green eyed" Haoma was the first to offer up haoma, with a "star-adorned, spirit-fashioned mortar," and is the guardian of "mountain plants upon the highest mountain peak.


In Hinduism, the god Soma evolved into a lunar deity. Full moon is the time to collect and press the divine drink. The moon is also the cup from which the gods drink Soma

In the ancient Zoroastrian scriptures of the Avesta, Harā Bərəzaitī is the source of all mountains of the world, that is, all other mountains and ranges are but lateral projections that originate at High Hara.

In Avestan cosmogony, High Harā is the geographic center of the universe, immediately surrounded by the steppes of the Airyanem Vaejah, the first of the seven lands created by Ahura Mazda. It is a polar mountain around which the stars revolve; it is also the mountain behind which the sun hides at night.


Harā is tall and luminous, free from darkness and the predations of the daēvas, the "false gods" that are later considered to be evil spirits. The sacred plant haoma grows on Harā. It is also the home of the yazata Mithra. It is the site in legend of sacrifices (yasnas) to the yazatas Mithra, Sraoša, Arədvī Sūrā Anāhitā, Vayu, and Druvāspa, by sacrificers such as the divine priest Haoma and kings like Haošyaŋha and Yima.

In the Vendidad, High Hara is at one end of the Činvat bridge, the bridge of judgement that all souls must cross. The bridge then spans the lands of the daēvas, i.e. hell.

In Middle Persian, Harā Bərəzaitī appears as Harborz, attested in the Zend commentaries of the Sassanid epoch and in the Bundahishn, a Zoroastrian account of creation finished in the 11th or 12th century CE.

Mount Hara

I think with the Mountain being seen as the centre of the world if not the Universe, the Heavenly bodies rise and set around it.

In Mehr Yasht 10.118, we are introduced to the term "Hara Berezaiti". The modern word Alburz is said to be derived from Hara Berezaiti. Hara Berezaiti it is said in the literature became Hara-Barez (in Yashts 5.21 and 17.24) then Har-borz and eventually Al-borz. The word "hara" is said to mean "watch, guard, defence" and is derived from from the Old Iranian prefix har- meaning "to pay attention, watch over, protect".

The Mehr Yasht at 10.118 talks about the Sun riding rising above the peaks (tara) of the Hara Berezaiti. Tara , "For there are a hundred and eighty apertures (rojin) in the east, and a hundred and eighty in the west, through Alburz; and the sun, every day, comes in through an aperture, and goes out through an aperture...."

Airyana




There is also the general consideration that mystical mountains and caves that appear for example in the Grail Romances are after the tradition of Harā Bərəzaitī , also of course the tradition of Enoch from the Syrian perspective is concerned with that place of cosmic centrality, as it places him there with the other Patriarchs, and the various apetures around it and the fun and games that descend upon it, so an important place of legend