Interestingly, much of the information we have taken for granted about the traditional tale of the three wise men, can be explained more thoroughly with this text. And yet one may ask, it remained unknown and hidden for centuries? The power of oral transmission is recognized by noticing some of the information in the text has been conveyed. Unfortunately, it also reveals limitations and possible suppressions.
The Bible only contains one short account of the Magi’s journey. The Christmas story, which has become one of the most beloved of all time, is in the Gospel of Matthew of the New Testament, chapter 2 verses 1 through 12. Most are familiar with how a star guided the wise men bearing gifts to the birth of the baby Jesus. The Bible doesn’t explain how they knew to follow the star or who the wise men are. It doesn’t even say there were three.
Actually, there is much the Bible doesn’t say that the Revelation of the Magi does. For example, Landau’s translation shares how the generations of the Magi had been waiting since the fall of man for the coming of the star. The star once shined bright above the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden but vanished after Adam and Eve sinned. When the lost star finally returns to the Magi, the text says they receive many different revelations and visions from it. It is from this information they know to follow the star. According to Landau’s translation and commentary, the revelations are “but one drop of salvation from the House of Majesty”; possibly implying “all revelations of all religions” may come from the star.
This understanding would offer acceptance for other religions; similar to beliefs found in the organization of Freemasonry.
In the March 3rd and 4th (2012 weekend edition) of the Wall Street Journal, there is an article written by Elaine Pagels entitled What Revelation Reveals. Commenting on the many other forgotten books of revelation, she says in her article, “Unlike the Book of Revelation, the great majority of the others weren’t about the end of the world, but about finding the divine in it now. Many offered encouragement to seek direct contact with God—a message that some early Christian leaders ultimately chose to suppress.”
It seems as more and more information is rising to the surface, deeper questions are being asked. Facts which may have been taken for Truth may have buried the real Truth. It leads one to question, ‘What is it?’
Read more about The Revelation of the Magi by Brent Landau in: The Mystery of the Three Wise Men and the Star of Bethlehem (a featured interview with Brent Landau)
I don’t know if the line “one drop of salvation from the House of Majesty” was meant to refer to all religions. But I’ve found a number of hints that the Holy Grail isn’t simply connected to the New Testament, and some portions of the Old Testament, but that it’s also a fundamental part of Islam and Buddhism.
If the star of the Magi, “in the East” according to the Gospels, refers to Venus, and since Venus appears to be the starting point of the journey, it could well be that almost all revelations from all religions come from the star of the Magi.