--------Kept me engaged and interested--------
Judith Miller | Bluemont, VA USA | 08/13/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This film used both biblical and historical documents in order to uncover information concerning the Magi who visited Jesus at his birth. Step by step, the Bible passages were given, and tied into the history of the world at that time. In Babylonia, astrologers were very interested in the skies and followed the movement of the celestial stars and planets. Many of the ancient people believed that the alignment of the stars and planets could foretell the future. Astronomy and astrology were interwoven in their beliefs.
At one point, as these venerable wise men were studying the sky, they saw a different star and remembered an old prophesy that said when a new star was observed in the sky, a King of the Jews would be born in Galilee. According to the Bible, three wise men made the long journey to Judea to pay homage to Jesus, the baby king.
The Mystery of The Three Kings helped me to understand the various stories of the Magi and where they may have come from. While I did not agree with every assumption that was made, I kept an open mind and found the film to be intriguing.
I've always loved the story of the Three Kings and in the Christian tradition we take the gifting of presents from their story as they presented Jesus with the original Christmas gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Also, in the old carol, the twelfth day of Christmas is the day of the Epiphany, celebrated as the day that the Three Kings arrived in Bethlehem.
Judith Miller
"