Mir<aculous elements were increasingly intro- duced into the narrative, and the whole history was gradually amplified. Thus the star is alleged to have shone with .surpassing brilliance (Ignat. Ephes. 19 ; Leo, Serm. 31. 1 ; Protevang. Jacob. 21 ; and pass, quoted in Barradius, Com. ix. 9), having the sun, moon, and other stars as ' chorus ' to it (Ignat. loc. cit.). According to Eastern tradition, there was in the star an appearance of the Virgin and Child (Lightfoot, Ap. Fath. ii. 81), or of a young child bearing across {Op. Imp. in Matt. 2 ap. Chrysost. vi. ). The star was alleged to be an angel (Suicer, Thes. s.v. aur-qp) ; and according to Greg, of Tours it Avas still, in his time, to be .seen in a well at Bethlehem {Mirac. i. 1). Similarly a mass of details were invented about the Magi themselves, their journev, and their later life and death. Here it need only be noticed that they are reported to have been baptized by St. Thomas. (A full account of the Magi-legends will be found in Crombach's monumental monograph, Primitice gentium sive hi.storia et encomi^im SS. Trium Magorum. See also the epitome in the Quarterly Review, vol. Ixxviii. p. 433 ff., of the mediaeval .stories collected by John of Hildesheim ; and the Boll. A A. SS. Jan. d. i. vi. and xi.).
The bodies of the Magi are said to have been discovered in the East in the 4th cent, (according to one tradition, by St. Helena herself), and to have been brought to Constantinople and deposited in the Church of St. Sofia. When Eustorgius became bishop of Milan, they were transferred to that city, whence, in the year 1162, they were again removed by Frederic fiarbarossa to Cologne {Boll. A A. SS. Jan. d. vi. ). The festival of Epiphany (the celebration of which in the West is mentioned first by Amm. Marc. xxi. 2) commemorated origin- ally Christ's manifestation to the Magi, togethei with His baptism, His miracle at Cana (Max. Taur. Horn. 29 ; Isid. de Off. Fed. i. 27 ; Abelard, Serm. 4), and the miracle of feeding the 5000 ([Aug. ] Append. Serm. 36. 1). But soon the manifesta- tion to the Magi became in the West, if not ex- clusively, yet principally, dwelt upon (see, e.g., Leo's Epiphany Sermons) ; and the common Western synonym for Epiphany was Festum Trium Regum (bingham, Ant. xx. 4; DCA i. p. 617 ff. ; Boll. A A. SS. Jan. d. vi.). In the Middle Ages the Magi were considered the patron saints of tra^-
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ellers, and inns were called after them. Their names were also used as charms to cure epilepsy and snake-hite (Spanheim, ii. ])p. 289, 290). See also art. Star.
LiTERAirRE. — Besides the books referred to above, see Hast- inifs' DB, art. 'Magi' ; PRE'^, vol. viii. art. ' Magier' ; Enci/c. Bibl. art. ' Nativity ' ; Kraus, BE, vol. ii. art. ' Magier ' ; Moroni's Dizionario, vol. xli. art. 'Magi' ; Hamburger's RE, art. ' Zau- berei'; Smith's UB, artt. 'Magi,' 'Star'; Suicer, Thesaurus, artt. >.i^a.\o;, uMyo; ; Winer, BiOUsches Reahcurterbuch, vol. ii. artt. ■ Magier,' ' Stern der Weisen ' ; Hone, Everyday Booh, Jan. 6 ; and the various Comm. on Matthew. An English monograph by K. W. Upham, The Wi.-se Men, is of little value. The discussions of Spanheim and Patritius should be consulted, while Crombach's elaborate study is a treasury of curious information. F. HOMES DUDDEN.
MAGISTRATE.— This English word occurs only twice in the Gospels (AV), viz. in Lk 12" and *", where the RV gives the same translation. By our use of the word we usually mean one entrusted with the duty and power of jjutting laws into force, but the Greek &px(di' (of which ' magistrate ' is the translation in the pas.sages before us) has a wider meaning, and may denote ruler, captain, chief, king. In the Gosjiels, apxw (as well as the similar word iryenuiv) occurs frequently, and will be referred to in the articles RuLK and RuLER.
In the first of the instances to be noticed here our Lord prepares His disciples for the persecutions that await them. One form of persecution will be arrest .and accusation Ijefore magistrates. In such an event, however, Cln'ist"s followers are not to concern themselves unduly al)Out their defence, for the Holy Ghost shall teach them in the same hour what they ought to say. Their presence before the magistrates and their utterance in such a situation will constitute a twofold testi- mony— a testimony against tlie unbelief and in- justice of their accusers, and perhaps also of the magistrates (Mk 13'^) — and a testimony to the truth of the gosjjel and to their own fidelity (Lk 2113) 'pijg Lord's prediction and promise were alike fulhlled. Persecutions did ensue, and no- thing is more remarkable than the dignity and wisdom of the words spoken by elisciples thus accused before magistrates, the Holy Ghost being a mouth and wisdom unto them (Lk 21'^ ; cf. Ac 413 cC al.).
Tiiis policy of submissively trusting to the Holy Ghost for defence is not to be taken as justifying Tolstoi's theory of non-resistance. But our Lord's counsel indicates that He looked upon existent magistracies as a part of the providential order, not to be overturned in any revolutionary way by His lirst disciples. Similarly, Clirist taught that, the political circumstances being what they were, tribute should be paid to Cresar, the supreme magistrate (Mt 22'-'). The capital instance of submission to the magistrate is Christ's own de- meanour before Pilate (styled irye/j.iJ)v in Mt 27-, Lk 3'). The stibject of the relation between Christ and the magistrate runs into questions of Church and State, the spiritual and the civil power, indi- vidual conscience and public law.