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Mystery of the Magi

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Original price $14.95
$14.95
$14.95 - $14.95
Current price $14.95
Publisher: Regnery History
Publication Date:
Format: Paperback
Pages: 320
Availability: In Stock
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Modern biblical scholars tend to dismiss the Christmas story of the "wise men from the East" as pious legend. Matthew's gospel offers few details, but imaginative Christians filled out the story early on, giving us the three kings guided by a magical star who join the adoring shepherds in every Christmas crèche.

For many scholars, then, there is no reason to take the gospel story seriously. But are they right? Are the wise men no more than a poetic fancy?

In an astonishing feat of detective work, Dwight Longenecker makes a powerful case that the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem really happened. Piecing together the evidence from biblical studies, history, archeology, and astronomy, he goes further, uncovering where they came from, why they came, and what might have happened to them after eluding the murderous King Herod.

In the process, he provides a new and fascinating view of the time and place in which Jesus Christ chose to enter the world.

The evidence is clear and compelling. The mysterious Magi from the East were in all likelihood astrologers and counselors from the court of the Nabatean king at Petra, where the Hebrew messianic prophecies were well known. The "star" that inspired their journey was a particular planetary alignment--confirmed by computer models--that in the astrological lore of the time portended the birth of a Jewish king.

The visitors whose arrival troubled Herod "and all Jerusalem with him" may not have been the turbaned oriental kings of the Christmas carol, but they were real, and by demonstrating that the wise men were no fairy tale, Mystery of the Magi demands a new level of respect for the historical claims of the gospel.

Dwight Longenecker:

Brought up as an Evangelical, Dwight Longenecker graduated from fundamentalist Bob Jones University. While there he became an Anglican and after graduation went to Oxford to train as an Anglican priest. After serving for ten years as an Anglican priest he converted to the Catholic faith with his wife and family. Eventually he returned to the United States to be ordained as a Catholic priest under the special provision from Rome for married former Anglican clergy. Fr Longenecker has written over fifteen books and booklets on Catholic spirituality, apologetics and prayer. He has authored hundreds of articles which have been published in newspapers, magazines, websites and journals in the USA and the UK. His popular blog published at the Catholic portal at Patheos is called Standing on My Head. He is a popular broadcaster, conference speaker and mission speaker. Married with four children, he now lives in Greenville, South Carolina where he serves as pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church.

Editorial Reviews

"How utterly refreshing and encouraging to read Fr. Longenecker's extraordinary ruminations on something we all thought we understood, and obviously hardly begin to understand, until now. That he has dug so deep--so we can see things we have never seen before--is a testament both to his archaeological implacability and genius and to the happy fact that God has hidden endless treasures in the Scriptures for our benefit. -- Eric MetaxasNew York Times bestselling author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and Martin Luther

"Dwight Longenecker's Mystery of the Magi: The Quest for the True Identity of the Three Wise Men, is one of the best books you'll ever read about the birth of Jesus." -- Robert J. Hutchinson, author of The Dawn of Christianity and Searching for Jesus.

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