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THE THREE KING'S GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH MADONNA AND THE INFANT JESUS TIIE BULLETIN, December 27, 1958—PAGE 1-B (Condensed and reprinted by permission from The Advocate Melbourne, Australia) A quarter of a century ago when American visitors to Aus tralia were quite rare, we were visited by a certain Thomas Ho gan of the United States who was also a poet. Since those days, I fancy, no one has heard much of Mr. Ho gan even in the homeland to which he returned and here in Australia we have heard nothing at all. Yet while he was visiting us, he coruscated beyond the SMITH’S SHCE REPAIR FOR FINE SHOE REPAIRING Daniel Village Augusta, Ga. MODERN POWER FARM EQUIPMENT Established 1904 WIRTZ & HERNLEN Dealers in Allis-Chalmers Power Farm Equipment Specializing in All Makes Farm Machinery Parts & Service 1767 Milledgeville Road Augusta, Georgia Phone RE. 6-5204 WE DELIVER MONTE SANO HARDWARE DUPONT PAINT — HARDWARE SPORTING GOODS 1428 Monte Sano Avenue Augusta, Georgia SeaionS CjreetingS FRANK GOLDBERG CO. LADIES' OUTFITTERS 724 Broad Street Augusta, Georgia JOHN W. DICKEY COMPANY REALTORS Real Estate — Insurance — Loans — F. H. A. Loans Dial PA. 2-1844, PA. 2-1845. PA. 2-8108 128 - 8th Street Augusta, Georgia Charles Ruben Paul Ruben BEST WISHES RUBEN’S DEPARTMENT STORE 914-16 BROAD ST. AUGUSTA, GA. Reasons Greetings SLUSHY BUILDERS 7 SUPPLIES, INC. 1009 BROAD ST. PHONE PA. 2-4477 AUGUSTA, GA. BEST WISHES 127 Seventh Street — New Branch Office — Walton Way at 15th Street usual with visitors and con tributed to Catholic papers quite a few poems that seemed to me to be the real thing. Thus this in its simplicity about my par ticular and present-day theme: Three Eastern Kings carne jour neying their Savior to behold, And one of them brought frankincense and one of them brought gold, But one of them hid bitter myrrh within his garments’ 'fold. Then he who brought the frankincense his Savior bowed before And he who came with yellow gold kneeled on the stable floor, But he who brought the bitter myrrh remained without 'the door. For frankincense they give to God in ancient land of Ur, And gold is for the crown of kings; but men must drink the myrrh: And he had brought the bitterness to offer unto her. Then she who knew the sword must come as Simeon foretold, In gentle accents bade him place the myrrh beside the gold—- “For in my Son, though God and King, the Son of Alan behold.” SYMBOLISM That poem still seems ad mirable to me except for the idea of drinking myrrh. When I first read it, it shone with an added splendor because that was the first time I really noticed the symbolism of Frankincense for Divine Worship, Gold for Kingship, and Myrrh for Suf fering (according to Thomas Hogan). Yet this symbolism is cen turies old in the Church, except that Myrrh is usually taken to refer to death and burial. Thus, about 1370, the Carmelite Prior, John of Hildesheim, published his Hisloria Trium Regum, and wrote: TREASURES AND GIFTS “Of all his treasures Melchoir brought out only the gold, Gas- par, incense and Balthassar the Ethiop, only myrrh: which he laid with the other gifts on the manger beside the Baby’s head. Right so did it happen thus, for by these three they showed forth in Christ His Divine Maj esty, His Kingly Power and His Human Mortality. For incense pertains to worship, gold to trib ute and myrrh to death and burial. And all these gifts we re-offer when by Faith, we af firm Him to be Very God, Very King and Very Man.” This Carmelite “History of the Three Kings” was, of course, not history at all, but folklore— in religious matters the medevi- al equivalent of the modern novel for the entertainment of the masses — wherein imagina tion played delightfully round about the things really in the Scriptures and embellished them. Who was the worse for it? Certainly not the writers nor the painters who revelled like An gelico, Gaddi and Bennozzi in the exotic glory of the eastern kings. To the painters the tall Negro they made of Balthassar was especially a gift for color, and contrast, and after all, are not the tallest people in the world today to be found still in Ethiopia? COMMONPLACE IDEA Well, there you have the sym bolism attached to gold, frank incense and myrrh emplicated by a poet of the fourth century, and the idea is also a common place with certain of the early Fathers of the Church. No doubt, save for the literal minded, it is implicit in Holy Scripture itself. Other things to be found in the Carmelite Prior’s book are the imputation of the three kings, of India (whereof His Araby formed part), a great deal about the star itself as it ap peared to them and, of course, their names. MYSTERIOUS WORDS Wherever the three names came from originally I havent’ the faintest idea, though the last king of Babylon from whom Daniel interpreted the mysteri ous words: Mens, mene, tekel, upharsin: could pass as a Balt hassar even though he doesn’t seem to have been of very good repute and by inference deserv ed his fate at the hands of the Medes and the Persians. John of Hildesheim’s three kings, on the other hand, were not only Magi but Christian saints by popular acclamation. For he told of them that when teS d^est 'lAJislit H. L. Green Company, Inc. SILVER’S BARTON HOUSE WRECKING CO. NEW AND USED LUMBER, SASHES, DOORS, BRICKS AND PLUMBING All Kinds of Building Material HOUSE MOVING 1229 D'Anlignac Si. Dial PArk 2-6662 ^Ylflaxwell dSrolherd CJurniture 933 BROAD STREET AUGUSTA, GEORGIA The above painting hangs in the National Gallery in London. It is from the school of Andrea Del Verrochio and is used as a full-page illustration in “The Catholic Bible in the St. Peter’s Edition” published by Hawthorn Books. St. Thomas the Apostle went to India to preach the gospel, he baptized the three and finally consecrated them bishops. They served Christ well for many years and departed this life, each over a hundred years old, in the same month and in the same year. Despite the long evity of bishops that doesn’t seem at all probable, although it must be added in John’s fa vor, that nowadays it is wide ly accepted that St. Thomas did in fact preach the Gospel in India — an event that sceptical centuries wouldn’t hear of. Modern archaeological re search has unearthed startling evidence in Southern India of quite an extensive intercourse between India and the lands of the Roman Empire in classical times. APPEAL TO PAINTERS In John’s account the star that announced the birth of Christ to the East was in the form of a cross surrounded by flashing rays and bearing in its centre the figure of a young child. This idea goes back to the Syrian theologian and poet of Our Lady St. Ephrem, of the Fourth Cen tury, and its appeal to painters is obvious. John of Hildesheim was, of course, of Germany; hence it is worthy of remark that the cel ebration of the Three Kings and their gifts has attached itself in a special way to the city of Cologne whose fine cathedral supposedly contained their rel ics. These were brought to Con stantinople by St. Helena, the mother of Constantinople the Emperor, and went from there to Milan whence they were tak en to Cologne in 1164 with great ceremony by Raynaldus, the Archbishop-designate. All told, there has always been something mythical and magical about the Magi, the manner of their calling to Beth lehem, and their gifts. If the shepherds from the fields have been especially dear to children and to farmers and the general ity of men, painters and poets have ever taken the Magi to their hearts. CARTER Electric Co., Inc. Specializing In Industrial Municipal Electric Installations C. E. CARTER, President 1503 HICKS STREET AUGUSTA, GEORGIA AUGUSTA HIDE COMPANY E. A. LAMAR, Proprietor Hides, Furs, Wool, Beeswax, Tallow, Scrap Iron, Metals, Rubber and Rags Office and Warehouse: 1433 Reynolds Street Augusta, Georgia Best Wishes MEREDITHS 737 BROAD STREET AUGUSTA, GA., / / ]errg Ch ris tm a S Waddey Office Supply, Inc. Eighth and Ellis Sts. Augusta, Georgia WALTON PRINTING COMPANY 117 Eighth St. Augusta, Ga. HENRY T. JONES, Prop. “We Print to Please” /Best VUiJ, teS FROM Lake View Pharmacy SUMERAU'S 1800 BROAD STREET AUGUSTA, GA. AUGUSTA'S ONLY 24-HOUR DRUG STORE — PHONE RE. 3-4495 — Carol at CLislm aS Carol your joy that the angels Stooped to talk to men! Carol your joy that peace, good wiil Echoed on hill and glen! Sing that the shepherds traveled To seek a Savior, far, That wise men were wise to understand The meaning of a star! Stable and stall and manger Cradling Infant King Have given you right to joy again, Have given you reason to sing! — Helen Harrington llicrnj Christmas W. E. RAINES CO. INCORPORATED Building Specialties and Supplies 10—12—14 SEVENTH STREET DIAL PA. 2-5553 AUGUSTA, GEORGIA Georgia-Carolina Warehouse and Compress Co. AUGUSTA, GEORGIA *V* * ~y u this festive season gets into full swing, we take pleasure in wishing you a full share of its joys and blessings. RICHMOND COUNTY BANK Augusta, Georgia