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. (Matthew 2:2)

Today we observe the Feast of the Epiphany. The term is from a Greek word that means to manifest or show forth. Epiphany had its origins in the Eastern Christian Churches, and was originally a general celebration of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

It included the commemoration of: his birth; the visit of the Magi, or "Wise Men" from Persia (Magi being Persian priests), all of Jesus' childhood events, up to and including his baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist; and even the miracle at the Wedding of Cana in Galilee. However, it seems fairly clear that in the East the Baptism of Christ was the event predominantly commemorated.

By the year 534 the Western Church had separated out the celebration of the Nativity of Christ into the feast of Christmas, setting its date as December 25, while retaining January 6 as a commemoration of the coming of the Magi, or wise men.

Since that time Western Christians have traditionally emphasized the "Revelation to the Gentiles" mentioned in Luke, where the term Gentile means all non-Jewish peoples. The Biblical Magi, who thus represent the non-Jewish peoples of the world, paid homage to the infant Jesus in stark contrast to Herod the Great (King of Judea) who sought to kill him. However, in this event there is also a revelation to the Children of Israel. Saint John Chrysostom identified the significance of the meeting between the Magi and Herod's court: "The star had been hidden from them so that, on finding themselves without their guide, they would have no alternative but to consult the Jews. In this way the birth of Jesus would be made known to all." Perhaps the best known hymn for the Epiphany is "We Three Kings of Orient Are."

Some professional musicians and liturgists of today look down upon it as being too simple, but there is nothing that really rivals it in putting forth the basic teaching of the meaning of the visit of the wise men to the Christ Child. In many ways this hymn is like a catechism that is meant to teach us basic things about Jesus Christ and the purpose of the Incarnation.

The author of the words and music was the Rev. John Henry Hopkins, Jr., the son of the well known early bishop of the same name. He wrote it for a Christmas pageant at the General Theological Seminary in New York City in 1857.

"We Three Kings of Orient are; Bearing gifts we traverse afar, Field and fountain, moor and mountain, following yonder star."

The song identifies the biblical "Magi" as kings. In reality they were Gentiles, probably from Persia, which we know today as Iran, and they were knowledgeable in the study of what we today call astronomy. It is suggested by the Church Fathers that they might have known about Balaam's prophecy of the Star of Jacob that is referred to in Numbers 24:17. "I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth." The Bible does tell us how many there were, but tradition has pictured three of them because of the three gifts they brought. The important point for us is that this was the first time Gentiles, non Jews, people like us, were given a manifestation or showing forth of Jesus. In other words, they sensed that He came not only as the Jewish Messiah, but to redeem all who would receive Him

Star of wonder, star of light, Star with royal beauty bright westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to they perfect light.

The chorus continually reminds us that it was a star that led these Gentiles to this Jewish child. We are reminded of Balaam's prediction, "A star will come out of Jacob." It also reminds us that this birth was not the normal kind of birth. Somehow this Jewish child was the perfect light.

We do not know from Scripture the nature of the star, although modern astronomers suggest the possibility that a conjunction of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in 6 BC would have been the brightest object in the sky and would have been visible for weeks, appearing to move westward and grow brighter. So in what year what year was Christ born? Wasn't he born in year 1 A.D?

Dionysius Exiguus (whose name means "Dennis the Short") was a monk who lived in Rome from about 470 to 544 A.D. In the sixth century he computed the date of Christ's birth, and estimated the year of the Nativity and designated it year 1 A.D. He also declared that Jesus' birth date was December 25 of that year. The year immediately before this was the year 1 B.C. Whether from mathematical ignorance or design, he did not include a year zero. This complicates the calculation of the dates of the birth of Christ. Christmas of the year 2 A.D. was the first anniversary of Christ's birth, according to Dionysius' calculations; similarly, the second anniversary of that birth fell in the year 3 A.D. taking this forward a few centuries, we find that the 2000^th anniversary of Christ's birth would have fallen on December 25, 2001.

To complicate matters further still, it seems that Dionysius' made an error in his calculations. Herod the Great, who the Bible says was alive at the time of Christ's birth, died in the year 4 B.C., based on the reports of the historian Josephus. According to the Gospel of Matthew, when Herod was unable to trick the wise men into leading him to the Child, he ordered the slaughter of all the male babies in Bethlehem. Since Herod's command (which is not attested outside the Gospels, but is consistent with his historical character) was to kill all babies under age 2, this event occurred no more than 2 years after Christ's birth. If we assume that this happened near the end of Herod's life (which seems likely), this puts Christ's birth in the 6 B.C. and the 2000^th anniversary of His birth would have been in 1994. All of this which makes the date of this unique light in the sky appearing to move from east to west very plausible.

Does this mean the star was not a miracle of God? The psalmist declares that the "heavens declare the glory of God." In this case it is not too much to believe that the same God who made the universe, and who planned from before the universe was even made to send his Son, used the handiwork of his creation to draw attention to the Incarnation. The planets and the stars paid homage to the new light of Christ.

In any event, the "star", the brightest light in the night sky, led the wise men, in turn, to a more "perfect light". St. John refers to Christ as "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

The second verse of the hymn begins:
Born a King on Bethlehem's plain Gold I bring to crown Him again, King forever, ceasing never, over us all to reign.

Exodus 15:18 proclaims: "The LORD shall reign forever and ever."

Isaiah 9:6-7 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever."

Revelation 11:15 declares "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."

The hymn then interprets the meanings of the gifts that were given. This particular interpretation was first made by the Church Father Origen who lived from 185 AD until 258 AD.

Gold was a gift for a King. The Magi came seeking the new King of the Jews. It is clear that they did not understand the full meaning of this event. Yet through the lens of the New Testament we see that gold, the most precious metal of the ancient world was a gift worthy of a king and Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

"Frankincense to offer have I; Incense owns a Deity nigh; prayer and praising, voices raising, Worshipping God on high."

The Bible frequently uses the image of incense to teach us about prayer. The psalmist compares the rising of incense to the lifting up of prayer. Revelation 5:8 states: "…and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints…"

"Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume Breathes a life of gathering gloom; sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying, sealed in the stone cold tomb."

Myrrh is a reddish-brown resin, the dried sap of the tree Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen, Somalia and the eastern parts of Ethiopia. It was a precious commodity in the ancient world. Myrrh had many uses, including being used in the making of wine. It was used up to the 15^th century as an embalming ointment and as an additive in penitential incenses used at funerals and cremations. Because of its scriptural roles as an anointing oil, myrrh is used in the preparation of chrism which is used by many churches, both Eastern and Western, and is a common ingredient in incense offered during Christian liturgical celebrations.

Psalm 45 mentions myrrh as a kingly fragrance in a passage interpreted by some as referring to the future Messiah: "Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia."

You might recall that in Mark 15:23 it is stated that while Christ was on the cross: "And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not."

Myrrh was used for other things but these are the uses that John Henry Hopkins alludes to in the hymn. Giving this gift to the child gives us a picture of the reason for his birth, his death on the cross for the sins of the world. This is summed up in the final verse:

"Glorious now, behold him arise, King and God, and Sacrifice. Heaven sings alleluia, alleluia the earth replies."

Heaven and earth both rejoice at the coming of Christ into the world. Angels, shepherds and wise men; heavenly beings, Jews and Gentiles all praise the new light shining forth, the star The hymn therefore is perfect for Epiphany because not only does it give us a visual image of the story of the Magi, but it also interprets the story as a full manifestation or epiphany of the coming Savior. Today we celebrate the fact that Jesus came to earth as our King, our God and our Sacrifice!

Glorious now behold Him Arise; King and God and sacrifice; Alleluia, Alleluia, Sounds through the earth and skies.

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.