epredicting that kings would come doing homage and bringing gifts to Messiah. The legend of the three kings dates as far back as Origen, and is beautiful but base- less. It grew with time; by-and-by the kings were furnished with names. The legendary spirit loves definiteness. The gifts would be products of the givers’ country, or in high esteem and costly there. Hence the inference drawn by some that the Magi were from Arabia. Thus Grotius: ‘ Myrrha nonnisi in Arabia nascitur, nec thus nisi apud Jabaeos Arabum portionem: sed et auri- tera est felix Arabia”. Gold and incense
74
Il.
παιδίον μετὰ Μαρίας τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πεσόντες προσεκύνησαν Ἶ Cf. vi. 19° αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀνοίξαντες τοὺς ‘@noaupods αὐτῶν προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ
Heb
o Rev. xviii. εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν.
xii. 33. Sapa, χρυσὸν καὶ "λίβανον καὶ ᾿ σμύρναν.
12. καὶ χρηµατισθέντες
36 (00m kat’ ὄναρ μὴ * ἀνακάμψαι πρὸς Ἠρώδην, δι’ ἄλλης ὁδοῦ * ἀνεχώρησαν
13. ᾿Αναχωρησάντων δὲ αὐτῶν, ἰδού, ἄγγελος Κυρίου φαίνεται
wi. x. 6 κατ’ ὄναρ ! τῷ Ιωσήφ, λέγων, ''᾿Εγερθεὶς παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ
at. Heb. TY µητέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἂν
x4. 15.
rw. 4,22, εἴπω σοί: μέλλει γὰρ Ἡρώδης ζητεῖν τὸ παιδίον, τοῦ ἀπολέσαι
iv. 12; ix. Μάο
μασ.
14. Ὁ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς παρέλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν µητέρα
αὐτοῦ νυκτός. καὶ ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, 15. καὶ ην εκει έως
‘ B has κατ ovap εφανη as in i. 20 (W.H. margin).
(λίβανος) are mentioned in Isaiah Ix. 6 among the gifts to be brought to Israel in the good time coming. The fathers delighted in assigning to these gifts of the Magi mystic meanings: gold as to a king, incense as to God, myrrh as to one destined to die (ὧφ µέλλοντι γεύσα-
seh ete Grotius struck into a new line: gold = works of mercy ; incense = prayer; myrrh = purity—to the dis- gust of Fritzsche, who thought such mystic interpretations beneath so great a scholar.
Ver. 12. Their — errand ο. Magi, warned to keep out of Herod's way, return home by another road.—ypyparur- Gévres points to divine guidance given in a dream (κατ ὄναρ); responso accepto, Vulg. The passive, in the sense of a
divine oracle given, is found chiefly (Fritzsche after Casaubon).
“ee? Fame Ὁ, Was the oracle given in answer to a rayer for guidance? Opinions differ. t may be assumed here, as in the case of pre 4 (i. 20), that the Magi had anxious thoughts corresponding to the divine communication. Doubts had arisen in their minds about Herod's intentions. They had, doubtless, heard something of
his history and character, and his man- _
ner on reflection may have appeared suspicious. A skilful dissembler, yet not quite successful in concealing his hidden
urpose even from these guileless men.
ence a sense of need of guidance, if not a formal petition for it, may be taken for granted. Divine guidance comes only to prepared hearts. dream reflects the antecedent state of mind.— μὴ ἀνακάμψαι, not to turn back on their steps towards Jerus.and Herod. Fritzsche praises the felicity of this word as imp ying that to go by Jerusalem was a roundabout
for travellers from Bethlehem to the east. Apart from the question of fact, such a thought does not scem to be in the mind of the evangelist. He is thinking, not of the shortest road, but of avoiding Herod --ἀνεχώρησαν, they withdrew not only homewards, but away from Herod's neighbourhood. A word of frequent occurrence in our Gospel, four times in this chapter (vv. 13, 14, 22).
Vv. 13-23. Flight to Egypt, massacre in Bethlehem, return to Nazareth. These three stories have one aim. They indi- cate the omens which appear in =, nings—omina πα inesse solent (Ovid). The fortunes of Christianity foreshadowed in the experiences of the holy child: welcomed by Gentiles, evil entreated by Jews. ‘The real contents of these sections embody an ideal aim’ (Schanz).