Why is it that all nativity scenes include three wise men? The Bible never says how many wise men, only that Jesus recieved gifts of three types. The wise men arrived when Jesus was a small child, not at his birth. Why has this falsity not been stopped?
2007-09-08 18:37:07 · 15 answers · asked by DJ - mom of 2 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I believe in teaching the truth. I bothers me that even the church teaches false stories. We need to get the facts straight. You may ask, why something petty like the 3 wise men. Well, if we believe small lies long enough, we will begin to believe big ones. I'm tired of being lied to by the church. Yes, I am a devoted Christian that goes to church every Sunday, and I teach at a Christian school.
2007-09-08 18:54:38 · update #1
They would have to burn all those Christmas cards.
2007-09-08 18:41:34 · answer #1 · answered by October 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No one really knows. The tradition for three comes from the three gifts given to the infant Jesus at about the age of two by the wise men. Unfortunately many assume that the wise men were at the birth, when they really arrived about two years later. The shepherds and angels were present at the birth.
2016-05-20 01:22:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because people like hearing stories that warm the heart... a Little Child In a Manger, Gift Giving, Star overhead.
When has there ever been a Picture of Jesus making a Whip and Cleaning out The Money Changers In The Temple? People Don't Know About That Incident..
Jesus Is NO Child Anymore, His a KING. He Ought To Be Treated As Such.
2007-09-08 18:48:58 · answer #3 · answered by conundrum 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Renata has part of what I believe to be a bigger picture: the 'gifts', and the 'wise men' represent a coded form of the doctrine from the Dead Sea Brotherhood: 'The Three Nets of Belial'. These three forms of evil are what snare the hearts of men and are the three basic 'stronghold' sins, or 'addictions', if you will: Riches, Pollution, and Fornication (Gold, Myrrh, and Frankincense) According to the scrolls, people cannot entirely break free from these alone, and need to work together to uphold each other when they 'stumble', and fall prey to one or more of these snares. The brotherhood at Qumran was established to do just that: to separate themselves from the 'evils' of the world, and to save anyone who might want to join them, as well...that is, only after a rigorous and demanding period of tribulation, trial and testing...(sounds suspiciously like what both 'Christianity' AND 'Islam' claim, doesn't it?)
Perhaps the 'wise men' were teachers, or Rabbis, as we do not know who they actually gave the gifts to: Jesus, or His parents. Later we find both Joseph AND Jesus disappearing from the Gospels...and I suspect they both sought political asylum and refuge at Kirbet Qumran, while fleeing the bounty hunters that sought them at the orders of Herod.
2007-09-09 09:11:05 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible also does not say that there were two of every animal on Noah's Ark.. but that doesn't stop us from telling the story that way.. the important part is that Noah had enough faith to build the Ark over a very long period of time prior to the flood.. he had FAITH...
Perhaps it is more important that Wise men DID come and bring gifts for Jesus.
2007-09-08 18:44:58 · answer #5 · answered by ♥Tom♥ 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It isn't a "falsity." The Bible doesn't say when the Wise men appeared, only that they did. Christians like to depict them at Christ's birth for some unknown reason and what difference does it make?
The point is that Christ was born as prophesied hundreds and hundreds of years prior. He came into the world humbly and lived the life of a humble man and died for the sins of mankind.
He died to pay a debt He didn't owe because we owed a debt we couldn't pay. Have you accepted His free gift of salvation?
2007-09-08 18:49:34 · answer #6 · answered by Devoted1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The wise men were not at his birth. Like you said, he was a small child. It also mentions that they went to the "house." I don't think a stable is a house.
Also, when Herod killed all the children be went after small children, not newborns. This is when they needed the gifts to help them travel to Egypt to get away from Herod.
Nativity scenes show the wise men but that's not how it really happened.
2007-09-08 18:42:54 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
In the 6th century the tradition arose that the Magi were Three Kings, even though it is not certain exactly how many there were, nor was there any particular reason to believe that they were kings (they were not called such by the Fathers of the Church, for example). Their names — Balthasar, Gaspar, and Melchior — were attributed to them in the 8th century.
2007-09-08 18:44:58 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
DJ: The magi were not limited to only three. They are referred to, commonly, as the "wise" men. In reality, they were astrologists from the east - most likely Iran [Persia] - of the Zoroastrian religion. Really; this is no big deal when it comes to Nativity scenes ! The Bible is to have all kinds of things in it that it really doesn't when it is researched.
2007-09-08 18:49:00 · answer #9 · answered by guraqt2me 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I think that people represent the number of Magi as three because there are three gifts mentioned -gold, frankincense, myrrh.
2007-09-09 07:09:08 · answer #10 · answered by Renata 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
But then a million grandmas would have to trade in their plastic nativity scenes that they set up in their yard every year. WalMart wouldn't stand for it.
2007-09-08 18:43:02 · answer #11 · answered by The Bog Nug 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋