Out of curiosity, where did you get the names Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar? The wisemen aren't named (or numbered) in my Bible. I found this in Britannica, though:
"Eastern tradition sets the number of Magi at 12, but Western tradition sets their number at three, probably based on the three gifts of “gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11) presented to the infant."
These names appear in Western Christian folklore going back at least as far as the 5th century and probably earlier. Eastern Christian traditions attach different names to the characters.
The date for the magi seems a little bit off. Most historians estimate the birth of Jesus to have been c. 4 BC, based on modern analysis of the historical timeline. The visit of the magi is estimated to have been up to about 2 years later. In any case, most likely in a year we now describe as "BC."
Good call. Growing up, I always heard that the birth was either 4 or 7 BC, and that the magi showed up about 2 years later, which is why Herod ordered the death of all boys who were "two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men." (Matthew 2:16 KJV)
People tend to think of the wise men being present at the birth of Christ. Had that been the case, Herod only would have ordered the death of newborns.
At any rate, it probably wasn't 1 AD. Herod died in 4 BC and, thus, couldn't have received the magi in 1 AD. (And, historically speaking, there is no contemporary record of the Massacre of the Innocents occurring at all.)
Well if we are going by the real facts of the life of the hypothetical historical Jesus, then there more than likely were no Magi, and no star, and no manger, and he was probably born somewhere else other than Bethlehem. The clue references Christian tradition, and according to popular mainstream Christian tradition (Christian scholars probably disagree), Christ was born in 1 A.D.
Is Jetpunk slowly moving towards Incorporating Palestine into it's List of Countries? Recent Developments such as featuring the Palestine "Country" Quiz among others indicate so.
It depends on the mode of transport. If he met them while walking to St Ives, they were probably heading the other way, but if he met them on the train to St Ives they were probably going to St Ives too.
I first read this in my Mother Goose book in the 1950s. Momma Goose had some good riddles. My favorite was "Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess all went together to seek a bird's nest. They found a nest with five eggs in, they all took one and left four in." The answer was there was only one girl, Elizabeth, and the other names were her nicknames.
It is a disputed area that is being ruled by a terrorist group. All of it is owned by Israel, but it is mostly populated by "Palestinians" which are ethnic arabs that are Israeli. "Palestine" won't survive a year without the land that God gave to the Israelites as The Promised Land. If Israel really wanted to, they could completely self destruct the parts of Israel that are considered Palestine. I can see how people say that Palestine is an independent country. I will respect your opinion if you respect mine. Have a great day.
Te Anau is not named after Queen Victoria though, and it's not well-known enough to be on the quiz. Also, it says nothing about being near Milford Sound, just that people pass through it while going there.
I was always told as a child that the riddle is about the Cambridgeshire one, although how my Dad knew this I don't know. He did go to boarding school nearby so maybe he was just biased!
Never heard of Kalamata or cabo San lucas. That doesn't mean I got all the others though (and I feel asleep halfway through, so we'll never know if I would have gotten the last few)
"Eastern tradition sets the number of Magi at 12, but Western tradition sets their number at three, probably based on the three gifts of “gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11) presented to the infant."
People tend to think of the wise men being present at the birth of Christ. Had that been the case, Herod only would have ordered the death of newborns.
At any rate, it probably wasn't 1 AD. Herod died in 4 BC and, thus, couldn't have received the magi in 1 AD. (And, historically speaking, there is no contemporary record of the Massacre of the Innocents occurring at all.)
He was circumcised on the 1st of January 1AD
The 3 Wise Men arrived on the 12th Day of Christmas, which would be the 6th of January, 1AD
Every wife had seven sacks, every sack had seven cats, every cat had seven kitts.
Kitts, cats, sacks, wives, how many were going to St. Ives?
Answer: Queenstown
Me: .............goddamnit