Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: Isaiah 60,1-6. Feast of the Epiphany

Isaiah 60,1-6 0821

Fest der Erscheinung des Herrn (Epiphanias) 013

Epiphany of the Lord

6. Januar 2021

1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, who hast given us the light of Your holy Word, the guiding star, which leads us to the Christ-child: Send, we beseech You, Your Holy Spirit into our hearts, so that we may receive this light and make use of it unto our salvation, and that we, like the Magi, when they were seeking the star, may not be afraid because of any hardship or peril, but put all our trust in Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, as our only Savior; devote our earthly possessions to the advancement of Your kingdom, and in all things serve Him, Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. (Veit Dietrich)

2. »Arise, shine, for your Light has arrived, and the Glory of Yahweh has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but Yahweh will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. And nations will draw near to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they draw near to you; your sons will arrive from afar, and your daughters will be carried on the hip. Then you will see and be radiant; your heart will thrill and exult,because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will draw near to you. A multitude of camels will cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba will arrive. They will bring gold and frankincense, and will bring the gospel, the praises of Yahweh.«

3. The Prophet Isaiah looks ahead, 700 years forward, to when the light and glory of Yahweh has appeared. He proclaims that the Messiah is for the Gentiles too.

4. Notice what he says: »They will bring gold and frankincense.« These have royal and messianic connotations; the Song of Solomon mentions frankincense and myrrh in connection with Solomon’s bride, thus royal and priestly connotations (3,6; 4,6.14) (Gibbs 127). The Magi bring these 3 gifts, gifts one would expect a monarch to receive (Gibbs 126). Yet in the context of God’s (Heilsgeschichte) salvation history these gifts have royal, priestly and messianic connotations which reminds us that Jesus is simultaneously prophet, priest and prince.

5. What led the Magi to travel west with these kingly gifts? A: a star. „The ancient historians of the Near East, Greece and Rome were fond of describing astronomical phenomenon“ (Maier 51). Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) calculated that every 805 years Jupiter and Saturn conjoin, with Mars joining the conjunction a year later (Maier 54). Astronomers have computed that Jupiter and Saturn were conjoined in September and December 7 bc. Mars joined them in February 6 bc. In 7 bc this conjunction occurred in the constellation of Pisces, the Fishes (Maier 54). Kepler calculated that Jupiter conjoined with Saturn on 22. Jun 7 bc in Pisces, and that this is when the Magi first saw it. The planets conjoined again on 3. December 7 bc. Jerusalem also saw this conjunction in February 5 bc. Astronomers have long known, dating back to the Magi and earlier, that Jupiter and Saturn conjoin every 20 years and that every 800 years they conjoin in the same constellation. „In ancient astrology, the giant planet Jupiter was known as the ‘King’s Planet,’ for it represented the highest god and ruler of the universe: Marduk to the Babylonians, Zeus to the Greeks, Jupiter to the Romans. And the ringed planet Saturn was deemed the shield or defender of Palestine, while the constellation of the Fishes, which was also associated with Syria and Palestine, represented epochal events and crises. So Jupiter encountering Saturn in the Sign of the Fishes would have meant that a cosmic ruler or king was to appear in Palestine at a culmination of history. This, at least, may help to explain why the Magi were well enough informed to look for some ‘King of the Jews’ in Palestine. And the time of this rare conjunction in 7 bc fits part of the Nativity chronology very well indeed, even if Jesus were born in 5 bc. King Herod would later order the slaughter of all male infants in Bethlehem ‘who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men’ (Matt. 2:16). Seven minus two is five“ Maier 54-55).

6. Matthew tells us the Magi saw an άστέρα, what we normally translate as star in English, but the Greek word can mean any object in the heavens – a star, planet, comet, nova, etc. Certainly it can refer to a conjunction of planets. The magus was a caste of gifted sages in the Persian Empire who specialized in everything from astronomy to religion. They would have been familiar with the Messianic prophecies in Moses and the Prophets (from Daniel and other Jews who entered the magi caste), as well as the star as the symbol of the Messiah: »A star will come from Jacob. A scepter will rise from Israel.« (Numbers 24,17). From 586 bc - ad 414 a large Jewish community lived in Babylon (near Baghdad).

7. We can ascertain a basic conclusion to how the Magi interpreted what this conjunction foretold. Jupiter the „King’s Planet“ approaches Saturn the „Defender of Palestine“ in Pisces representing Syria and Palestine the constellation also associated with epochal events and crises (enmity for the Babylonians). This would have brought to mind the following Hebrew Scripture: »You carried along the statues of the god Sikkuth as your king and the star-god Kiyyun, the gods you made for yourselves.« (Amos 5,26) or the LXX: »You took up the tent of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship.« (Acts 7,42) Thus the Magi read this conjunction as: „a King is coming to Palestine at a culmination of history.“ Mars joins this conjunction a few months later; Mars is associated with the bringer of war, strife and change. It fits well with King Herod’s orders to murder all boys under two years of age, and ironically enough Herod dies shortly thereafter (Maier, In the Fullness of Time 54). Add to this another important event in the heavens: on 17. April 6 bc Jupiter is in Aries indicating a spectacular royal event was looming. Saturn and the Sun also came into Aries (a favorable sign), the Moon eclipsed and revealed Jupiter (another favorable sign), and in the dawn Jupiter emerged as a morning star (a sign of birth). This was a most powerful time to bring about the birth of a king with all these astronomical occurrences. The conjoining of these solar events indicates the birth of a super-king, a King of kings, the Messiah.

8. Recall that both Simeon and Anna, along with other Jews, were looking for the consolation of Israel and the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2,25.38). If the Jews saw these conjunctions in the heavens it is probable to reason that seeing these epochal events would further stoke the flames of their longing for the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah. We also have the miraculous birth of John to Elizabeth and Zechariah. The stories of what the angel told Zechariah, a priest in the very temple where Simeon and Anna we at, namely, that John will have the spirit and power of Elijah, one of the greatest Jewish prophets, preparing the way for Yahweh (Luke 1,17). Clearly the messianic hope was shining brightly, and the heavens verified that hope.

9. Capricornus often represents society, new knowledge and wisdom. „The earliest recorded evidence of this constellation is dated to the 21st century bce, where the “Sea Goat” was depicted on a Sumerian cylinder-seal. In the Babylonian star catalogues, which are dated to ca. 1000 bce, Capricornus (horns of the goat) was named suhurmašu (“The Goat Fish”). The constellation would later become the symbol of Ea (Enki) and was associated with the winter solstice“ (https://www.universetoday.com/19825/constellation-capricornus/).

10. At at the close of 2020, we again saw Jupiter and Saturn conjoining. It happened on 21. December in Capricornus. We are reminded that Jesus Christ draws near to His people, the Church, defends them and all society as He exhorts us of the knowledge of His Heilsgeschichte:

℣ O Morning Star, Splendor of the Eternal Light and Sun of | justice: *

℟ Draw near and give light to those who sit in darkness and the shad- | ow of death. Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Christ Jesus, the Praise of all nations; let us laud You so that all people see You as the Saving Light of the world. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Monday, January 11, 2021

Isaiah 60,1-6. Feast of the Epiphany

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