Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-19

by permedting the
~ nations of the
earth with its
Rev. HIT steverso, principles. When
he tries to solve
the problem of the influence Of the
religion of Jesus, he traces back its
mighty river that has overflown the
earth with its life-giving waters until
he finds it's fountain head in the birth
Of Jesus Christ. Christianity has its
fundamental basis in the miracle of
the ages, that God entered the human
race in the birth Of our Savior in the
city of David.
Matthew, who penned his gospel to
demonstrate to the Jews that Jesus
fulfilled the prophetic predictions con-
ce1ning the Messiah, opens his mar
rative of the birth of the Christ with
the story of the wise men from the
east. Their question. Where is lie
that is born King of the Jews?" Gre
lted sensation in the palace, startled
the priests and aroused the people OF
Jerusalem by their proclamation OF
The birth Of the MeSSianic King. The
visit of the magi is one of several
important incidents connected with
the birth of the Lord. that were mat
terS of historical record and popular
tradition. that proved beyond ques-
ton of controversy that Jesus in His
birth fulfilled the prophetic predic-
ton concerning the promised Messiah
The historical foundations of the first
gospel were based upon Jewish and
Roman public records that were ac-
cessible to all. when Matthew gave
his gospel to the world.
Scientists Seeking Savior.
The wise men were the scientists Of
the east. whose mastery OF astrology
had enabled them to understand the
meaning of His star, which they had
seen in the east. Both Tacitus and
Suetonius tell US of how throughout
the Orient there was at that period
an expectation of the coming out of
the Jewish race of a great king.
These men possessed wealth and
social position and probably Travelled
with a large retinue Of servants when
they followed the star in search for
the Savior The Bible is silent con-
Gel ming who they were and from
whence they came. Tradition calls
them Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar.
Wallace in Ben Hur" has worked up
this tradition by making them come
from India, Egypt and Greece,
Arabia, Mesopotamia and Persia have
also been named. They were the sci
entists. scholars and statesmen Of
their day Some traditions have
made them descendants of Shem.
Ham and Japheth, representing re
ngion, service and rulers of all classes
of men. This appears in their por-
travail by artists as white, brown and
black. representing all races of men,.
The truth underneath all these legends
is the universal appeal Of the Christ
to all men.
Some have suggested that the wise
men We're familiar with Balaam s
prophecy plumbers, XXiv.17), for they
associated the strange new star with
the scepter mentioned in his proph-
ecy. Missionaries have found in
the Orient traditions concerning the
Scriptures that have opened the door
for the entrance of the gospel. The
appearance Of the star has been a
problem for Bible students and sci
ontists to solve. Various suggestions
have been advanced, but the two that
apparently meet the requirements the
best are either the conjunction of the
planets Jupiter and Saturn that dis
tInguished astronomers like kepler.
EIncke and Pritchard have calculated
occurred about the time of the birth
of Christ, or the appearance Of a
miraculous light in the heavens. The
reached Jerusalem. where their
question. Where is He?" the first
recorded in the New Testament, un-
nerved Herod, the alien usurper, who
recognized the possibility of a new
claimant for the throne of the Mac
cabees and David. His family were
Jewish converts, and he was certainly
familiar with the various prophecies
concerning the coming of the Mes
Siah
When the wise men sought at the
kings palace some knowledge Of
where they could find the newborn
King of the Jews, the aged ruler,
stricken with disease, was terrified.
He knew that he was distrusted by
his own family. friends and foes be-
cause his administration had been
rarked by cruel, crafty crimes, SO
that the palace literally was the home
of murder. It Is no wonder that the
one who had his favorite wife, sons
and relatives killed should be sensi-
tive to his own unpopularity and i'm
minent danger. He called in the
Sanhedrin, demanding that they in
form him where the new King was
due to be born. The light of science
had brought the wise men to Herod.
but without the guidance of the
Scriptures they could not find the
Christ any more than any modern
scientists can find the Savior without
seeking the assistance of the Bible.
which 700 years previous to the COM
ing Of the wise men had predicted
that the Messiah would be born in
Bethlehem Of Judea.
Science Supplements Scripture.
When Herod learned where the
prophet had predicted He would be
born he summoned the wise men and
learned from them the exact time that
the star appeared. He proposed to
murder the newborn babe, although
he requested the magi to inform him
concerning the results of their inves-
tigation, so that he could worship
Him." They had gone only short
distance toward Bethlehem, when the
star again appeared and guided them
to the manager in the inn, where they
saw the young child and Mary. His
mother" They learned on that day
that the light Of science and Scrip
ture harmoniZed with one another.
Both are from God and reveal Him.
They found that the invisible things
are clearly seen. being understood by
the things which are made, even His
eternal power and God-head." The
wise men. following the light of ma
ture, were superior in their knowledge
to those who had the light Of the
Bible, but were Indifferent to it's teach
ings. The Combination of the reverent
study of science with that of the
Scripture will prove that the light of
reason and revelation are one. The
knowledge of the Bible is needed to
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