Matthew 2:2
Matthew 2:2 | |
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← 2:1 2:3 → | |
Book | Gospel of Matthew |
Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Matthew 2:2 is the second verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The magi travelling from the east have arrived at the court of King Herod in Jerusalem and in this verse inform him of their purpose.
Text
The original
- λεγοντες που εστιν ο τεχθεις βασιλευς των ιουδαιων ειδομεν γαρ
- αυτου τον αστερα εν τη ανατολη και ηλθομεν προσκυνησαι αυτω
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we
- have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
The World English Bible translates the passage as:
- "Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his
- star in the east, and have come to worship him."
The New International Version Copyright 2011, translates the passage as:
- “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw
- his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 2:2.
The theme of World Youth Day 2005, "We have come to worship Him", is derived from this verse in the bible.
The magi before Herod
Boring notes that where is the first word spoken aloud in the Gospel. Where will also be the first word spoken by Herod in
Albright and Mann mention but reject the theory that
The word worship, also often translated as "pay homage", proskunesai in the Greek, is a very popular one in Matthew. It can mean honouring either a king or a God, in this case which of the meanings is meant is not clear.[5]
An early Pseudo-Chrysostom source writes, "Were these Magi ignorant that Herod reigned in Jerusalem? Or that it is a capital punishment to proclaim another King while one lives? But while they meditated on the coming King, they did not fear the current king. Having not seen Christ, they were ready to die for Him."
Star of Bethlehem
The star referenced in this verse has come to be known as the Star of Bethlehem. Since at least Kepler there has been much work to try and link it to an astronomical event with the most common cited being a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC.[6] Since 1964 the astronomer Konradin Ferrari d'Occhieppo argued in several publications for this very seldom conjunction as having taken place in the year 7 BC. The phrase "seen his star in the east" is much disputed. Many scholars feel it should actually just read "seen his star rising". The Greek word in question is anatole, but its exact translation is unclear. It is likely a technical astrological term meaning rising. Its spelling is very close to the word for east, and this has become the standard translation. Fortna notes that it seems contradictory because a star rising to the east would then guide the magi westwards.[7] Boring suggests that the verse could be read as the magi seeing the star rising when they were in the east.[1]
John Chrysostom rejected the idea that the Star of Bethlehem was a normal star or similar heavenly body because such a star could not have specified the exact cave and manger where Jesus was found, being too high in the sky to be that specific. Also, he notes that stars in the sky move from east to west, but that the magi would have travelled from north to south to arrive in Palestine from Persia. Instead, Chrysostom suggested that the Star was a more miraculous occurrence, comparable to the pillar of cloud that led the Israelites out of Egypt through the wilderness.[8]
At the time the notion of new stars as beacons of major events were common, being reported for such figures as
The reference to the star makes it likely the magi were astrologers. Some Christians have had difficulty with this as elsewhere in the Bible astrology is condemned, a view shared by most Christian churches. France argues that the passage is not an endorsement of astrology but rather an illustration of how God takes care in "meeting individuals where they are".[10] Keener notes that astrology was ubiquitous in the Roman world of this period, and was also common among the Jews in Palestine.[11] Matthew goes in no detail about the astrological nature of the magi and makes no judgments either for or against the practice. Nolland states "the interest is elsewhere" and the author of Matthew has no inclination to go into a detailed discussion of astrology.[4]
Commentary from the Church Fathers
Saint Remigius: Yet was not the Lord born there; thus they knew the time but not the place of His birth. Jerusalem being the royal city, they believed that such a child could not be born in any other. Or it was to fulfil that Scripture, The Law shall go out of Sion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (Isa. 2:3.) And there Christ was first preached. Or it was to condemn the backwardness of the Jews.[12]
Glossa Ordinaria: ‘His star,’ i. e. the star He created for a witness of Himself.[12]
Glossa Ordinaria: To the Shepherds, Angels, and the Magians, a star points out Christ; to both speaks the tongue of Heaven, since the tongue of the Prophets was mute. The Angels dwell in the heavens, the stars adorn it, to both therefore the heavens declare the glory of God.[12]
Pope Leo I: Christ Himself, the expectation of the nations, that innumerable posterity once promised to the most blessed patriarch Abraham, but to be born not after the flesh, but by the Spirit; therefore likened to the stars for multitude, that from the father of all nations, not an earthly but an heavenly progeny might be looked for. Thus the heirs of that promised posterity, marked out in the stars, are roused to the faith by the rise of a new star, and where the heavens had been at first called in to witness, the aid of Heaven is continued.[12]
Saint Remigius: Some affirm this star to have been the Holy Spirit; He who descended on the baptized Lord as a dove, appearing to the Magi as a star. Others say it was an Angel, the same who appeared to the shepherds.[12]
Glossa Ordinaria: In the east. It seems doubtful whether this refers to the place of the star, or of those that saw it; it might have risen in the east, and gone before them to Jerusalem.[12]
Pope Leo I: Besides that star thus seen with the bodily eye, a yet brighter ray of truth pierced their hearts; they were enlightened by the illumination of the true faith.[12]
Pope Leo I: What they knew and believed might have been sufficient for themselves, that they needed not to seek to see with the bodily eye, what they saw so clearly with the spiritual. But their earnestness and perseverance to see the Babe was for our profit. It profited us that Thomas, after the Lord's resurrection, touched and felt the marks of his wounds, and so for our profit the Magians’ eyes looked on the Lord in His cradle.[12]
Pseudo-Chrysostom: Were they then ignorant that Herod reigned in Jerusalem? Or that it is a capital treason to proclaim another King while one yet lives? But while they thought on the King to come, they feared not the king that was; while as yet they had not seen Christ, they were ready to die for Him. O blessed Magi! who before the face of a most cruel king, and before having beheld Christ, were made His confessors.[12]
References
- ^ a b Boring, Eugene "Gospel of Matthew." The New Interpreter's Bible, volume 8 Abingdon, 1995 pg. 140.
- ^ Davies, W.D. and Dale C. Allison, Jr. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to Saint Matthew. Edinburgh : T. & T. Clark, 1988-1997.
- The Anchor Bible Series. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.
- ^ a b Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary on the Greek text. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005 pg. 109.
- ^ Hill, David. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981.
- ^ Zondervan NIV (New International Version) Study Bible, 2002, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA; footnote to Mt 2:2.
- ^ Fortna, Robert. The Gospel of Matthew - Scholars Bible Polebridge Press, 2005 pg. 36.
- ^ Chrysostom, John "Homilies on Matthew: Homily VI". c. 4th century.
- ^ Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. London: G. Chapman, 1977.
- ^ France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985.
- ^ Craig S. Keener. A commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999. pg. 101.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "Catena Aurea: commentary on the four Gospels; collected out of the works of the Fathers. Oxford: Parker, 1874. Thomas Aquinas". Oxford, Parker. 1874. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Preceded by Matthew 2:1 |
Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2 |
Succeeded by Matthew 2:3 |