(Vatican Radio) Who were the three wise men who visited Bethlehem and what role have
they played in Christian art throughout the ages? Tracey McClure talks to art historian,
Elisabeth Lev to find out…
Listen:
While the
Eastern Orthodox are preparing to celebrate Christmas on January seventh according
to the old Julian calendar, Western Christians are getting ready to celebrate the
Epiphany on January 6th . It is on this day, the twelfth after Christmas on the Gregorian
calendar, that the Catholic Church remembers the visit of the three Magi – or wise
men who arrived at the stable in Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn Christ Child.
In some Catholic dioceses around the world, the Epiphany is celebrated on the Sunday
after the first Saturday in January.
In Greek, Epiphany means “the appearance,
miraculous phenomenon” – for Christians, like the star of Bethlehem, it is the shining
forth of God’s revelation in Jesus Christ. But just how is the Epiphany depicted
in Christian art here in Italy – where some of the world’s first Christians lived,
from the time of the apostle peter?
Art historian Elisabeth Lev says the
three wise men are among some of the oldest Christian images to be found by archeologists…