Not By Works

BECAUSE most of this info comes from HISTORY BOOKS, so how many theologians study History Books as well as the BIBLE?

I have heard this from Dr. John MacArthur, Jr., as well as a few other conservative evangelicals too.

Does that make you a resident now instead of a tourist my friend!?🤣

An interesting story, and well thought out answer!

it was not well thought out just facts sir!

Not really, my good friend. I am just passing through on this earthly plane and will not be coming back this way again.

Have a g'day mate.

Very well still good!

The word MAGI is CORRECT.

NASB uses it 5 times in 4 verses. Mat. 2:1, Mat. 2:7, Mat. 2:12, Mat. 2:16

NIV uses it 4 times in 3 verses. Mat. 2:1, Mat. 2:7, Mat. 2:16

Centenary Translation uses it 5 times in 4 verses. Mat. 2:1, Mat. 2:7, Mat. 2:9, Mat. 2:16

Darby's Translation uses it 4 times in 3 verses. Mat. 2:1, Mat. 2:7, Mat. 2:16

Mace N.T. uses it 4 times in 3 verses. Mat. 2:1, Mat. 2:7, Mat. 2:16

Weymouth N.T. uses it 4 times in 3 verses. Mat. 2:1, Mat. 2:7, Mat. 2:16

Two Versions of the Spanish Bible uses the similar word - magos


Holman Christian Standard Bible - HCSB Bullet Notes

The English word "magi" is based on a Persian word.


Quoting other Sources:

Magi

[mey-jahy]
ExamplesWord Origin
See more synonyms for Magi on Thesaurus.com
plural noun, singular Ma·gus [mey-guh s] /ˈmeɪ gəs/

1. ( sometimes lowercase ) the wise men, generally assumed to be three in number, who paid homage to the infant Jesus. Matt. 2:1–12.Compare Balthazar(def 1), Caspar(def 1), Melchior(def 1).
2. ( sometimes lowercase ) the class of Zoroastrian priests in ancient Media and Persia, reputed to possess supernatural powers.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/magi



magi (n.)
c. 1200, "skilled magicians, astrologers," from Latin magi, plural of magus "magician, learned magician," from Greek magos, a word used for the Persian learned and priestly class as portrayed in the Bible (said by ancient historians to have been originally the name of a Median tribe), from Old Persian magush "magician" (see magic). Also, in Christian history, the "wise men" who, according to Matthew, came from the east to Jerusalem to do homage to the newborn Christ (late 14c.). Related: Magian.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/magi

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My turn to ask TWO questions:


HOW COME YOUR THEOLOGIANS DID NOT PICK UP ON THESE FACTS?

HOW MANY OTHER MISTAKES AND OVERSIGHTS HAVE THEY MADE?


I had no problem using the Computer to Find these comments.

MORE on the MAGI:

Here is an Ancient Historian that mentions the MAGI in his writting:

Quote:
Herodotus mentions Median Magi as a Median tribe providing priests for both the Medes and the Persians. They had a "priestly caste" which passed their functions from father to son. They played a significant role in the court of the Median king Astyages who had in his court certain Medians as "advisers, dream interpreters, and soothsayers".

Classical historians "unanimously" regarded the Magi as priests of the Zoroastrian faith.

http://www.crystalinks.com/media.html End Quote.


Quote:

• The sixth tribe were the Magi...They were a hereditary caste of priests of the Zurvanism religion that evolved out of Zoroastrianism. The name Magi implies a link with the Sumerians, who called their language Emegir, over time becoming simplified to Magi. Hungarian tradition also traces pre-European Magyar (Hungarian) ancestry back to the Magi. In time, the Sumerian-influenced religion of the Magi was suppressed in favour of a more purely Iranian form of Zoroastrianism, itself evolved from its somewhat dualist beginnings into the monotheistic faith that it is today (also known as Parsi-ism).

http://www.michaeltsarion.com/history-of-the-medes.html End Quote.


Quote:

Most historians feel that a majority of the Iranians of today are descended from ... However, the first mention of Medes does not go beyond 835BC when they appear in the .... its name were exclusively chosen from a Median tribe of the same name. The actual Persian name of the Magi seems to have been Magupat which ...

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Iranian_History/The_Medes_and_the_Early_Achaemenids End Quote.



Quote:
The ancient Magi were a hereditary priesthood of the Medes credited with profound and extraordinary religious knowledge. After some Magi, who had been attached to the Median court, proved to be expert in the interpretation of dreams, Darius the Great established them over the state religion of Persia.

https://www.geni.com/projects/Zoroastrianism-Magi/13185 End Quote.



I ASK AGAIN: I am not having any problem finding references in Historical Documents about the Tribe of MAGI from the time of the Medean Kingdom onward to the time of Christ.

How come your theologians do not know this History?

Perhaps you need a whole new set of Theologians.

I love history........especially the history of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome.......

Magi -
μάγος, -ου, ὁ, (Hebr. מַג, plur. מָגִים; a word of Indo-Germanic origin; cf. Gesenius, Thes. 2 p. 766; J. G. Müller in Herzog viii. p. 678; [Vaniček, Fremdwörter, s. v.; but the word is now regarded by many as of Babylonian origin; see Schrader, Keilinschriften u. s. w. 2te Aufl. p. 417 sqq.]); fr. Soph. and Hdt. down; Sept. Dan. 2:2 and several times in Theodot. ad Dan. for אַשָּׁף; a magus; the name given by the Babylonians (Chaldæans), Medes, Persians, and others, to the wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, augurs, soothsayers, sorcerers etc.; cf. Win. RWB. s. v.; J. G. Müller in Herzog l. c. pp. 675–685; Holtzmann in Schenkel iv. p. 84 sq.; [BB.DD. s. v. Magi]. In the N. T. the name is given
1. to the oriental wise men (astrologers) who, having discovered by the rising of a remarkable star [see ἀστήρ, and cf. Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah, i: 209 sqq.] that the Messiah had just been born, came to Jerusalem to worship him: Mt. 2:1, 7, 16.
2. to false prophets and sorcerers: Acts 13:6, 8, cf. 8:9, 11.*
Μαγώγ, ὁ, see Γώγ.
Μαδιάμ, ἡ, (Hebr. מִדְיָן [i.e. ‘strife’]), Midian [in A. V. (ed. 1611) N. T. Madian], prop. name of the territory of the Midianites in Arabia; it took its name from Midian, son of Abraham and Keturah (Gen. 25:1 sq.): Acts 7:29.*

When the day comes when you yourself stop sinning, then I'll take you seriously.

If they were knowledgeable catholics you didn't tell them anything they don't already know.
But so many are not....
The only part of your witness they should not have agreed with is your stance on OSAS,,,,but that must be forgiven anyone who believes it...it's your belief in Jesus and His saving grace that is all-important and which you hold dear.

The above is for @VincentG ...
I just want to say that you keep repeating that some type of "salvific soup" has no power to save.

Would you agree that even if someone has incorrect doctrine they are still saved?
IOW, is it someone's doctrine that saves them or is it Jesus that saves them and their belief in Him?

Are you not aware that the history of that time must be studied together with the bible in order to understand what the bible is saying?

Do you think someone 2,000 years from now would understand what "hang tight" means if they did NOT also study our history??

LOL
I don't own any theologians.

If YOU had no problem using the computer to find these comments...
Do you suppose theologians know LESS than you or more than you?

They don't need the computer.

Oh for goodness sake VCO.
Must you always be rightj?
I didn't say you're wrong .... I said we can't be SURE.
Don't have a cow.

Hi I didn't say anything on this particular topic, but I just dropped in to say that rest assured: I am right on that topic too.