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Via:      UK.AC.SOLENT; 12 JAN 93 11:26:34 GMT
X-From:   CAROL L <Z_STAFF_CL@UK.AC.SOUTHAMPTON-INSTITUTE>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Date:         Tue, 12 Jan 1993 11:28:00 +0000
From:         Z_STAFF_CL%UK.AC.SOUTHAMPTON-INSTITUTE@SOLENT.AC.UK
Subject:      Re: Well what do you make of this ...?

Nabil kindly responded to my lighthearted musings with these points and
it occured to me that perhaps I should expand on some things.

Date:     Tue, 12 Jan 1993 04:16:00 CST
From:     nabil@EDU.WISC.CAE
> First of all, Epiphany is (in the Orthodox Church) the celebration of
> the Baptism of Lord Jesus Christ (epiphany means manifestation, and in
> the Baptism of Jesus, the three persons of the Trinity were manifested
> together at the same time for the first time).

Quite so but it is also associated with the "three kings" in many people's
eyes.  I am sorry if the implicit reference has caused confusion.

> To be precise Christ was born to Mary..... Joseph is *not* the father
> of Jesus.....

Again, correction accepted.  However tradition appears to have had it that
Joseph adopted Jesus and treated him like a son.  Apologies if my shorthand
has caused distress.


> I do come from an Arab country but I am not familiar with this custom.
> Would you please elaborate/clarify/document ? A typical gift would be
> a golden necklace, or earrings (for baby-girls).

I should have said a little more - baby girls are often given gold jewelry.
Apparently, the ring is a custom in the U.A.E. and I was lead to believe more
wide spread.  My partner's little girl was born out there - she recieved
a baby's ring from a friend in accordance with this custom.

This ring is tiny and I occurred to me that if a run of the mill baby is
given gold in this token proportion, wouldn't a wise man give a greater
gift even if only a little larger as it is a symbolic act.


> Well, nothing is documented about the fate of the gifts, but few of the
> questions raised are reasonable options (and some of them are really wild
> like the last one). I personally believe that the most probable answer
> to the question "What happened to the gold ?" is that it could have been
> used in the trip of the Holy Family to Egypt.

Part of me wants to agree, it is the most practical solution. It is very
like God to provide the wherewithall in such a fun manner - three mystery
guests give you your plane ticket just before you are run out of town.
I am aware of the distance and the time it must have taken.  It seems ideal
yet look at it this way.

You are the guardian of a very special child who has just been given this
gift of Gold.  You are poor.  You'd have difficulty making such a transaction
without drawing a good deal of suspicion.  Perhaps, the woman is the sort
who stores things up in her heart and is reluctant to give away a gift given
to her child.  What would you do ?

Incidently, I hope you enjoyed the "wild" crack about Peter's mother-in-law's
roof.  As I said in the preamble to my original post, this is a rather
sideway's look.  I rather enjoy my faith - I pray that all Christians will.

Carol A Long,  Southampton Institute of Higher Education, England
        email     :  Z_STAFF_CL@UK.AC.SOUTHAMPTON-INSTITUTE
DISCLAIMER - merely musings unless otherwise stated.
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU