Tum.. IV". U. 1963 Pag 12-B
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fact and CDysteru of tli
How legends of Three Kings of Orient
entered the wondrous Christmas story
By HENRY VAN DYKE
T-HE itory of the Wie Men
A who came from the Eut to
pay their homage to the Holy
Child at Bethlehem has always
been a favorite theme of Christ
Ian art and legend. From the
second century the long, rich
train of representation! runa on
unbroken. We may aafely aay
that there la no subject in the
range of hiatory, a acred or pro
fane, which haa found ao many
or auch aplendid llluatratloni.
Side by aide with thia atream
of plcturea and carvinga runa the
kindred current of Imagination
apeaking to the ear Instead of to
the eye. Tradltiona and fablea,
myths and allegorlei, fragments
of hiatory and philosophy, poems
and plays and chronicles, gather
about the story in marvelous
abundance. It is like a trellis
overgrown with vines, so luxuri
ant, so fertile in leaves and blos
soms, that the outline of the sus
atalnlng structure is almost lost.
It would be easy for one who
looked at it carelessly to suppose
that the whole abrlc was flowery
and fictitious, with nothing sub
stantial about it.
On the other hand, it is no less
easy to mistake the growth of
fancy for the framework of his
tory, and accept the later legends
as If they belonged to the origi
nal narrative.
The story of the Magi, as it is
given by the evangelist Matthew,
ia astonishingly brief and una
dorned. He tells us without pre-
Nc
O one after Charles Dickens
wrote so many stirring
and memorable stores and
pieces about Christmas as
Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933),
clergyman, poet, essayist, au
thor, educator. The Other Wise
Alan and 7Vie First Chrutmne
Tree are among the Van Dyke
compositions to be found In
many anthologies.
The text given here is a
condensation of an essay, The
Adoration o the Magi, which
anticipated a dozen years hit
now better known The Other
Wise Man.
face that when Jesus was born
in Bethlehem certain foreigners
arrived at Jerusalem. He does
not tell us how many they were,
nor of what race, nor of what
station in life; although it is fair
.to Infer from the consideration
with which tney were received at
the court of Herod, and from the
fact that they carried treasure
boxes wiLh them, that they were
persons of great wealth and dis
tinction. The most important statement
In regard to them is that they
were Maglans, that Is to say, di
sciples of Zoroaster, and mem
bers of the sacred or priestly
order of Persia, which was then
widely scattered among the
Oriental nations, and Included
men of exalted rank. They came
from the East, a word which toe
the dwellers In Palestine could
hardly have any other meaning
than the ancient region of Chal
dea, lying beyond the Jordan and
the desert. Their explanation of
their Journey to Herod was that
they had seen an appearance in
the heavens (whether one star,
or many, or a comet, they did
not say) which led them to be
lieve that the King of the Jews
had been born, and they had
come to do reverence to Hfm.
HEROD was greatly troubled at
hearing this, and sent for the
chief priests and scribes to in
quire where the prophets had
foretold that the Messiah should
be born. They answered at once
that Bethlehem was the chosen
place. Then Herod, having asked
the Magi how long It was since
they first saw the appearance in
the sky, sent them away to Beth
lehem, promising that when they
found the young Christ he also
would come to do reverence to
Him.
On their journey they saw once ,
more the celestial Sign, and its
motion was such that it guided
them to the place where Jesus
was. Coming Into the house (for
Joseph had now found better
shelter than a stable), they saw
the young Child with Mary His
Mother, and prostrated them
selves before Him In worship.
Opening their treasure chests,
they presented U: Him gifts of
gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Then being warned in a dream
not to go back to Herod, they
took another road into their own
country.
IT was no wonder that the Christ
ians of Rome, painting up
on the walls of their underground
hiding - places and cemeteries
those rude but cheerful pictures,
like bright flowers blossoming in
the darkness, which expressed
the hope and Joy of their early
faith, fixed upon this story as one
of the first subjects of their art
It spoke to them of the universal
ity of their religion, of its swift
passage beyond the narrow limits
of the Jewish race, of Its coming
triumph over all lands and
thrones, of the glory and dignity
which touched the Christ even in
His cradle. For the chapel and for
the grave it had a word of prom
ise, glad, generous, and exultant.
In the hands of these first artists
the picture corresponded with the
simplicity of the gospel narrative.
It was little more than a sketch,
a vague outline without fixed
form or curious detail. The num
ber of the Magi varied from six
to two.
As we go on tracing the sub
ject through the long series of
representations in the fourth and
fifth and sixth centuries we find
its form becoming more fixed and
particular. New details are add
ed: an open book, to ahow that
the Magi were familiar with the
prophecy of Balaam; a star above
the Child to show the way in
which He was recognized; an old
man standing behind the chair
of Mary and pointing upward, to
represent Joseph or the prophet
Isaiah, or the Holy Ghost; the
heads of camels, to tell the story
of the Journey. The number of
the pilgrims is fixed at three, to
correspond with the number of
their gifts. At length the crowns
appear. Byzantine art shows us
the "three kings of Orient," stiff,
formal, glittering with gold and
Jewels, as they stride with equal
step to present their offerings to
the Madonna and Her Child, en
throned in state and guarded by
four archangels with star-tipped
sceptres.
Here we find ourselves in the
midst of the great stream of
legend, which takes Its rise in
the apocryphal gospel of St.
Thomas, and flows on through
sermons, and mysteries and
miracle plas, and poems and
chronicles until finally there is
hardly any conceivable question
which pious curiosity could ask
about Uie Magi for which the
pious fabulist had not an answer.
Some of these legends are very
beautiful, and some of them are
very grotesque.
If wf wish illustrations for the
story there is hardly a single
point of it for which we cannot
find some creation fantastic, or
splendid, or lovely, as the genius
of the artist and the spirit of his
age and country may have
moulded his work. You have only
to choose what you want, devout
feeling, or gorgeous color, or dra
matic intensity, marble or wood
carving, bronze or mosaic, fresco
or oil painting, and you shall
have it from the hand of a mas
ter. PERHAPS the most remarkable
and interesting of all pictures
of the Magi is Benozzo Gozzoll's
long fresco of the "Viaggio" in
the Rlccardl Palace at Florence.
Now this Benozzo was a man
most correct In his conduct, re
spected and beloved by his neigh
bors because of his amazing in
dustry and exemplary piety. But
he was filled with a great passion
of wonder and delight for all the
creatures of God. Everything that
was in the world seemed to him
curious and beautiful and worthy
to be painted, and as soon as he
began a picture he was carried
away with desire to show the ex
cellent things that he had seen
in the Heavens above and the
earth beneath, and the waters
under the earth.
So It was that when the Medici
sent for him to adorn the chapel
of their palace with a representa
tion of the Wise Men of the East,
this quick eyed, bald headed little
painter, working month after
t'Cmm0 SSI?
One of the Magi a detail In black and white from the great fresco by
Benozzo Gozzoli at the Riccardi Palace in Florence. That is the "wonder
ful and splendid" picture referred to in Henry Van Dyke's text below.
month after month by lamplight
(for there was no window in the
room), covered the entire walls
with the most wonderful and
splendid procession that ever was
seen. Prancing- steeds, stately
warriors, graceful pages, wrinkled
councilors, spearmen and hunts
men, footmen and horsemen,
sleek greyhounds, leaping stags,
spotted leopards, and keen-eyed
hawks, all go winding forever
through a landscape of rock and
river and valley, in which the
pines stand straight and solemn,
and the laurels show their glossy
leaves and the palms lift feath
ery heads against the sky. ,
Michael Faleologus, Emperor
of the East, dark, haughty, su
perb in his dress of green, and
gold, rides on with his face turn-
, ed upward and his right hand up
on his hip looking just as he did
when he rode through the streets
of Florence in 1439. The gray
beard Patriarch of Constantin-
. ople, the founders of the family
of Medici, . the painter himself
with his name on his cap, And a
place in the train. But the central
figure is beautiful young Lorenzo
de Medici, afterward called the
Magnificent.
What has all this to with
the story of the gospel'; Little
enough to be sure, if we take it
literally; but it was the best that
Benozzo knew of the pomp and
splendor of earth; and if the in
nocent old painter could only
have Drought it all In truth to
the feet of the Infant Christ,
Florence might have had a hap
pier history, and the dream of the
Emperor Pal eclogue might have
been fulfilled in the union of
East and West Christendom.
with many thanks for your loyalty
and patronage during the past year
1?
We are very happy indeed
to take this opportunity to tell
you how much we appreciate the
privilege and pleasure of serving
you. It's our sincere wish that Santa
brings you just what you're hoping
for and that life holds many
joyous occasions in store for you and all
those who are dearest to you.
RwSc&SkopJ
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Dick Hicks
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