tightly behind her, then turned to face the men and asked, “Why are you come here?” His voice betrayed his nervousness, and he drew in a deep breath, that he might calm himself.
The old man spoke first. “I am Melchior,” he said. His voice was dry, parched-sounding. He pointed to the black man. “And this is Balthasar.”
The black man put his hands together under his chin and bowed. In one of his earlobes, a ruby sparkled. He spoke in a low voice and with an accent Joseph could not identify. “I bring you greetings and salutations.”
Joseph said nothing. The old man pointed to the younger man. “This one is Gaspar.”
“We have traveled long to see you!” Gaspar said. “We are come to see the child born unto your wife, for he is the King of the Jews!”
“Who has told you this?” Joseph asked irritably. Again these strange assertions!
Melchior raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly. “We are acquainted with exiled Jewish priests who live among us, and we know well of the prophecy: the birth of the Christ child. We have followed the star.”
Gaspar spoke again. “It is the messianic star!” He pointed to the sky. “Look, you can see it hovering there. On the night of your child’s birth, Jupiter, which represents kingship of the world, and Saturn, which is associated with Palestine, came close together in the constellation Pisces. This accounted for that most unusual brilliance. And when such an event occurs, it signals the birth of someone great.”
“We traveled first to Jerusalem,” said Melchior. “There we asked the people, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews?’ We told them that we had seen his star in the east and had followed it, that we might find the babe and worship him.”
Balthasar continued, “Hearing of this, Herod called for his chief priests and his scribes, asking where this child was to be born. They told him of this same prophecy, that from Bethlehem in Judea would come a ruler who would be shepherd to the people of Israel.”
Gaspar spoke more quietly now. “Herod called to meet with us secretly so that he might learn the time the star had appeared. When we told him, he bid us find the child and report back to him, that he might come to worship him as well. But we are come to tell you grave news!” He ceased talking when the black man turned to look reproachfully at him.
“You must be frightened by our appearance,” Balthasar told Joseph, “and more so by our eager companion’s revelations. But we are here only to pay our respects to the Christ child, and to offer gifts.”
“But how do you come to believe all this of the infant?” Joseph asked. “By what means do you arrive at this fantastic conclusion?”
Balthasar answered him. “As we have explained, it is the prophecy, which is well known to many. Moreover, we are skilled in dream interpretation and at divining both the past and the future. Gaspar is also an astronomer and a mathematician.”
“Herod means to kill your son,” Gaspar said, and this time he was not rebuked.
Joseph looked into their faces, one at a time. “Come inside,” he said.
THEY FOUND MARY just inside the door, holding Jesus. When the wise men saw the baby, they fell to their knees. Bewildered, Mary looked to Joseph.
“They are wise men,” he told her.
She nodded, her eyes wide.
Inside the house, Joseph could smell the visitors; mixed in with the scent of camels and the dust of travel was an exotic fragrance, like a rare perfume. The men exuded a kind of power but also a great gentleness—even the loud one, Gaspar.
The men rose, and Balthasar pulled from his robe a velvet sack. He opened it and spilled out onto the earthen floor many pieces of gold. “That you may have enough for your journey, for you must escape from here.”
Mary stepped back, startled, but Joseph felt rooted to the spot.
Melchior showed them his offering of frankincense, and Gaspar his of myrrh.
“Myrrh!” Mary said,
The old man spoke first. “I am Melchior,” he said. His voice was dry, parched-sounding. He pointed to the black man. “And this is Balthasar.”
The black man put his hands together under his chin and bowed. In one of his earlobes, a ruby sparkled. He spoke in a low voice and with an accent Joseph could not identify. “I bring you greetings and salutations.”
Joseph said nothing. The old man pointed to the younger man. “This one is Gaspar.”
“We have traveled long to see you!” Gaspar said. “We are come to see the child born unto your wife, for he is the King of the Jews!”
“Who has told you this?” Joseph asked irritably. Again these strange assertions!
Melchior raised his eyebrows and nodded slowly. “We are acquainted with exiled Jewish priests who live among us, and we know well of the prophecy: the birth of the Christ child. We have followed the star.”
Gaspar spoke again. “It is the messianic star!” He pointed to the sky. “Look, you can see it hovering there. On the night of your child’s birth, Jupiter, which represents kingship of the world, and Saturn, which is associated with Palestine, came close together in the constellation Pisces. This accounted for that most unusual brilliance. And when such an event occurs, it signals the birth of someone great.”
“We traveled first to Jerusalem,” said Melchior. “There we asked the people, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews?’ We told them that we had seen his star in the east and had followed it, that we might find the babe and worship him.”
Balthasar continued, “Hearing of this, Herod called for his chief priests and his scribes, asking where this child was to be born. They told him of this same prophecy, that from Bethlehem in Judea would come a ruler who would be shepherd to the people of Israel.”
Gaspar spoke more quietly now. “Herod called to meet with us secretly so that he might learn the time the star had appeared. When we told him, he bid us find the child and report back to him, that he might come to worship him as well. But we are come to tell you grave news!” He ceased talking when the black man turned to look reproachfully at him.
“You must be frightened by our appearance,” Balthasar told Joseph, “and more so by our eager companion’s revelations. But we are here only to pay our respects to the Christ child, and to offer gifts.”
“But how do you come to believe all this of the infant?” Joseph asked. “By what means do you arrive at this fantastic conclusion?”
Balthasar answered him. “As we have explained, it is the prophecy, which is well known to many. Moreover, we are skilled in dream interpretation and at divining both the past and the future. Gaspar is also an astronomer and a mathematician.”
“Herod means to kill your son,” Gaspar said, and this time he was not rebuked.
Joseph looked into their faces, one at a time. “Come inside,” he said.
THEY FOUND MARY just inside the door, holding Jesus. When the wise men saw the baby, they fell to their knees. Bewildered, Mary looked to Joseph.
“They are wise men,” he told her.
She nodded, her eyes wide.
Inside the house, Joseph could smell the visitors; mixed in with the scent of camels and the dust of travel was an exotic fragrance, like a rare perfume. The men exuded a kind of power but also a great gentleness—even the loud one, Gaspar.
The men rose, and Balthasar pulled from his robe a velvet sack. He opened it and spilled out onto the earthen floor many pieces of gold. “That you may have enough for your journey, for you must escape from here.”
Mary stepped back, startled, but Joseph felt rooted to the spot.
Melchior showed them his offering of frankincense, and Gaspar his of myrrh.
“Myrrh!” Mary said,
Similar Books
