Description
Book SynopsisMatthew's Gospel reveals little about the three wealthy visitors said to have presented gifts to the infant Jesus. Yet hundreds of generations of Christians have embellished that image of the Three Kings or Magi for a myriad of social and political as well as spiritual purposes. Here Richard Trexler closely examines how this story has been interpre
Trade Review"Richard Trexler's exhaustive study of the Magi through the centuries is a sociological exploration of the diverse functions that the Magi perform in many different cultural worlds. Painstakingly, he has followed up a host of references to the Magi in art and literature, plays and folk traditions, from the early Church through Constantine to the Middle Ages and the early modern period... "--Theology
Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction3Ch. 1The Star Arrives9Ch. 2The True Light Shines in the Darkness44Ch. 3The Pageant of the "Two" Kings76Ch. 4El Dorado124Ch. 5The Ancien Regime of the Magi158Ch. 6Return by Another Way187Conclusion206Notes211Bibliography255Index271
