Synopses & Reviews
Each Christmas, adults and children alike delight at the story of the kings from the East who followed the star to Bethlehem to offer gifts to the newborn Christ. While this familiar tale is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, another little-known version later emerged that claimed to be the eyewitness account of the wise men. This ancient manuscript has lain hidden for centuries in the vaults of the Vatican Library, but through the determined persistence of a young scholar, Brent Landau, this astonishing discovery has been translated into English for the very first time as the
Revelation of the Magi.
Everything we know about the wise men is based on only a few verses from the Bible. With the Revelation of the Magi, we can now read the story from the Magi's perspective. Readers will learn of the Magi's prophecies of God's incarnation from the beginning of time, their startling visitation in the form of a star, the teachings they receive from the baby Jesus, and the wise men's joyous return to their homeland to spread the good news.
This ancient version of the Christmas story is guaranteed to astonish and delight. It will also raise larger questions of the significance and meaning of Christ's birth, and the mission to spread the good news to every corner of the globe. All the drama and intrigue of the brief description of Jesus's birth in the Bible is filled out in greater, more colorful detail, offering for the first time the complete story of these beloved characters.
Review
“The fascinating story of the Wise Men from the East who came to see baby Jesus is presented, for the first time in English, in a remarkable new version based on an ancient Syriac text, and the result is a tale that is astonishing, delightful, and theologically sophisticated.” Marvin Meyer, author of Gospels of Mary
Review
“Unread for centuries, the Revelation of the Magi retells the Biblical story of three wise men who visited Jesus at his birth, expanding their minor role into an epic tale. In a new, lucid translation, Landau offers English readers a chance to hear this remarkable story for the first time.” Karen L. King, author of the Secret Revelation of John
Review
“This lovely text, skillfully translated and accompanied by expert commentary shows that early Christians approached the Christmas story with refreshing creativity. Landau is to be congratulated for bringing this important and unexpectedly influential work to light.” Jennifer Knust, author of Unprotected Texts
Review
“Revelation of the Magi should be of interest to not only biblical scholars but also students of the Christian story who want to know more about these elusive fellows.” Booklist
Review
“Of the many recently discovered earliest Christian documents, Revelation of the Magi is by far the most fascinating. Landaus presentationbright and sharp as a gemstoneemphasizes the unique challenge and radical depth of this ancient texts theology.” John Dominic Crossan, author of Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography and The Greatest Prayer
Review
“For all of [The Wise Mens] popularity, the mysterious travelers from the East ... appear in only one short passage in the New Testament. Now, a first-ever English translation and detailed analysis of a little-known eighth-century text uncovers a far more substantial version of the wise men story.” USA Today
Review
“Landau shows, with skill and authority, how the “Revelation” contains a valuable message of tolerance that is needed as much today as in the years of its composition.” Los Angeles Times (online)
Review
“This year a number of Christmas stockings will no doubt be stuffed with a copy of a beautiful little book, Revelation of the Magi. ...Quite luminous and wonderful... Like incense, the pages radiate divine grace, mercy, and love. They seem infused with light, glory, majesty, epiphany, and joy.” Day 1.org
Synopsis
“Astonishing, delightful, and theologically sophisticated.” —Marvin Meyer, Griset Professor of Religious Studies, Chapman UniversityTheologian Brent Landau presents the ancient account of Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, the three “wise men” who journeyed to Bethlehem to greet the birth of Jesus. The Revelation of the Magi offers the first-ever English translation of an ancient Syriac manuscript written in the second to third century after the birth of Christ and safeguarded for generations in the Vatican Library. Following in the footsteps of Elaine Pagels and her exploration of the Gnostic Gospels, including the controversial Gospel of Judas, Landau delivers an invaluable source of information to a world interested in learning more about the Nativity and the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
About the Author
Brent Landau received his Th.D. from Harvard University and is an expert in ancient biblical languages and literature. He currently teaches in the Religious Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma and lives with his wife in Norman, Oklahoma.