What religion did the Wise Men from the East practise?
Upvote:1
From Mat. 2:1,2,7 we can gather that they were astrologers (or "magi"), looking for omens in/among the stars. Just as astrology does nowadays, producing the horoscopes that many (have) put their faith in.
One of the foremost references to such people in the Hebrew Scriptures can be found in Daniel 2:27, that relates the failure of the wise men, conjurers, magic-practicing priests or astrologers of Babylon to relate and interpret the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had. So these "wise men" from the East might actually have been from that region or a group of people that originated there.
In the Law of Moses, there are a references to such people, forbidding their practices:
"You must not look for omens or practice magic." ~Leviticus 19:26
"As for the person who turns to the spirit mediums and the fortune-tellers so as to commit spiritual prostitution with them, I will certainly turn against that person and cut him off from his people." ~Leviticus 20:6
"Any man or woman who acts as a spirit medium or is a fortune-teller should be put to death without fail." ~Leviticus 20:27
"There should not be found in you (...) anyone practicing magic, anyone who looks for omens (...) ~Deuteronomy 18:9-13
From the above it is clear that the true God has a hatred against such practices and people who get involved with them. It would therefore not be logical that any of such people would be used for any of his purposes, when (as mentioned in Deuteronomy 18), the Canaanites were driven out because of such "detestable" practices. Also refer to the account of Balak and Balaam in Numbers 22-24. In addition, if these men had been used for what they thought they were doing, they would have been led to Bethlehem, not to Jerusalem, which came with such terrible consequences.
So in conclusion, these men were certainly not practicing a religion that was in any way compatible with the religion that the Jews were practicing, but may have had Babylonian roots instead, or possibly Canaanite ancestors.
I hope this helps.
More post
- 📝 How is "their angels always behold the Father in heaven" a warning?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for the belief that people must have children?
- 📝 What do Reformed Baptists think about a Christian refusing to be baptised?
- 📝 Why was the gift of the Holy Ghost not operative during Christ's mortal ministry according to LDS doctrine?
- 📝 Why is "Battle Hymn of the Republic" considered to be a patriotic hymn in the United States?
- 📝 Why would God create a world in which there are so many ways to sin and thus be condemned?
- 📝 Is baptism a form of exorcism, or is that just a Hollywood myth?
- 📝 How is the Son begotten?
- 📝 Why is vengeance for the Lord?
- 📝 Matthew 26:24, is God Omnibenevolent?
- 📝 What is the Book of Mormon story of Christmas?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis against polygamy in the New Covenant?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for Synergism?
- 📝 Good Urdu Translations of the Bible from the Masoretic and one of the Textus Receptuses, or just either?
- 📝 How do restorationist Christian churches cooperate with mainstream Christian churches?
- 📝 Help interpreting a Christian allusion in Willa Cather's 'One of Ours'
- 📝 When was Job alive?
- 📝 Why is the Song of Solomon in bible?
- 📝 In what sense was Mary born without original sin in Roman Catholic dogma?
- 📝 How do Calvinists interpret 1 John 2:2 in light of Limited Atonement?
- 📝 Is Jesus talking about supererogatory merit in Matt 5:38-48? i.e. earning a reward rather than sin
- 📝 What is an overview of different denominations' beliefs about how Jesus Christ performed miracles? (By the Holy Spirit or by something else?)
- 📝 According to the Eastern Orthodox, in what sense did the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) give birth to Christ's divinity?
- 📝 How to receive the gift of tongues according to the New Testament?
- 📝 Bible and dual meanings of words
- 📝 What is the doctrinal significance of repetition between the Gospels?
- 📝 Things that are common exclusively for Protestants and Oriental Orthodoxy
- 📝 When does the fall of Lucifer from God occur?
- 📝 What’s so liberal about the NRSV?
- 📝 What should be a Christian attitude to the Church of Satan?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What religion did the Wise Men from the East practise?
- 📝 What is the basis for the belief that the wise men did not arrive in Bethlehem until several months after the birth of Jesus?
- 📝 Does Catholicism teach that the Wise Men from the East in fact, Jews settled in a far away place?
- 📝 What did Jesus mean when He said “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me”
- 📝 What did Paul mean when he called Jesus the "firstborn from the dead"?
- 📝 What evidence is there from scripture for why Daniel did not eat the King's food?
- 📝 What does the LDS church teach about what men and women did or do in the pre-existence?
- 📝 What priesthood did the line of Adam from Seth to Melchizedek and Noah hold in LDS/Mormon teaching?
- 📝 How did the wise men (Magi) know the country where the new king was born?
- 📝 Did Jesus visit the temple before the wise men came?
- 📝 What did St. John Chrysostom mean by saying there is no difference between what is demanded from the monastics and the laity?
- 📝 What did Christian authors of the 7th - 15th centuries say about the Muslim claim of Gospels being direct revelations from God?
- 📝 Where did the idea of deacon's benches come from and what are they for?
- 📝 Based on what verse did Luther know that no sin can separate the believers from God?
- 📝 What did Paul believe about 1 Corinthians 10:4 with regards to the teaching about bread from heaven, spiritual food?
- 📝 From a Fundamentalist standpoint, what does the phrase "Inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God" mean?
- 📝 According to those holding that Lazarus was literally raised from the dead, why did Matthew, Mark, and Luke not mention it?
- 📝 What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law but did not abolish it?
- 📝 What were the Nephilim, and what role did they play in the Bible beyond just being mentioned?
- 📝 What caused the shift from "Faith Of Christ" to "Faith In Christ" in modern translations?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for withholding communion from believers who are unbaptized?
- 📝 What is the argument and Biblical basis that it is possible to know God from nature?
- 📝 What effect did the Reformation have inside the Catholic Church?
- 📝 "Let this cup pass from me" - What is the cup?
- 📝 When did the angel archetype change from masculine to feminine?
- 📝 What is the significance of water from Jesus' side?
- 📝 What is the religion of the Midian people?
- 📝 What effect did the 1897 decree regarding the Johannine Comma have on Catholic scholarship?
- 📝 Why did Paul say "I am pure from the blood of all men"?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis or precedent for restricting women from serving in war?
