2013-01-05 12:29:39

Epiphany: the wise men in art


(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…

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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…








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