The word Epiphany comes from the Greek word for “manifestation”.  From the earliest centuries Catholics in the East applied this word to the events in the life of Christ in which His glory and Divinity were made manifest to the world.  The three primary Epiphanies observed in the Orient were: the appearance and following of the star by the Magi, which revealed the Kingship of Christ; His baptism by St. John in the Jordan, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove and a voice from Heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;”  and the miracle at the marriage feast of Cana, when Jesus changed water into wine and whereby His disciples believed in Him.

    A festival commemorating these Epiphanies was being held by the Church in the East as early as the 4th century, generally on January 6.  Christ’s Nativity was also celebrated (but not emphasized) on this day in the East, as were other manifestations, such as His Transfiguration on the mountain and His raising of the dead Lazarus.  By the time the feast came to be observed by Catholics in the West, the Nativity was already being observed there on December 25.  As time went on, the visit of the Magi came to be the primary event celebrated on the Feast of the Epiphany.  On the post-Vatican II liturgical calendar, the Epiphany has been transferred from January 6 to the 2nd Sunday after Christmas.

    This window depicts the adoration of Jesus by the Magi, or “wise men”, who followed a great star to Bethlehem.  The Gospel of Matthew, in which this event is recorded, does not mention the number of Magi.  Early artistic representations of the scene featured anywhere from two to twelve of them.  By the 8th century it had become tradition that there were three wise men, most likely based on the three gifts that St. Matthew wrote of.  It also became widely believed that they were kings, in fulfillment of the prophecy: “the kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute” {Psalm 72:10}.  In 735, St. Bede the Venerable recorded that the three Magi were named Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchior.  He also wrote that they were of different ages and races.  It became a tradition that they were from the three known continents of that time, and were of the three stages of a man’s life.

    This tradition, adhered to by the craftsmen of the window here, is as follows: Gaspar, depicted in old age, is King of Tarsus and is considered European;  Melchior is mature or middle-aged, and is the Ruler of Arabia and Nubia in Asia;  Balthasar is a young man, and is the “Moorish” (African) Prince of Seba.  We can clearly see the different skin tones and features of the Magi depicted here, a message that Christ came for all the world, all races and nations.  Psalm 72:11 prophesied that “All kings shall pay him homage, all nations shall serve him.”  His reign over all the Earth is represented by the orb in the Holy Infant’s hand.  On the ground lies a golden scepter, a sign of power carried by kings and emperors.  One of the Magi has laid it down in deference to the King of kings.  It is also a reminder of Balaam’s prophecy, “There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall spring up from Israel” {Numbers 24:17}.

    The Magi bring their gifts to the Christ, who is Himself the greatest gift ever given to the world.  Gaspar presents a chest of gold, a proper tribute to bring a newborn King.  Melchior holds a thurible (or censer) of frankincense, the smoke of which rises like the prayers and praise of the faithful.  This substance, made from the gum of a shrub found in Arabia and India, was used in some cultures to give worship to gods and deified emperors.  Here it gives worship to the divinity of Jesus.  Balthasar presents the Child, Who is destined to die as a Sacrifice for the sins of mankind, the most somber of the three gifts: myrhh, used for embalming the dead.

     Jesus is not in the manger, but sits on His Mother’s lap.  Despite the popular custom of placing figurines of the wise men in crib scenes, the Scriptures indicate the Holy Family was no longer in the stable: “...entering into the house, they found the Child with Mary His mother” {Matthew 2:11}.  This window seems to accurately portray this, as Jesus, Mary and Joseph sit in front of what appears to be a house of stone.  Also, a carpet is beneath their feet.  According totheologians, this visit may have occurred a year or more after the birth of Christ, sometime after His Presentation in the Temple but before the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt and eventual return to Nazareth.
Before going to Bethlehem, the Magi had presented themselves to Herod the Great to inquire about the newborn King of the Jews, setting that ruler into a panic.  After their adoration of Jesus, the Magi were told in their sleep not to report back to Herod, as he had requested.  St. Joseph was then told by an angel to take the Child and His Mother into Egypt.  This saved Jesus from the slaughter of male babies ordered by Herod in an attempt to kill the Child he feared was a rival to his throne (the Feast of the Holy Innocents, on December 28, honors these little martyrs, who died not only for Christ, but instead of Him).  It has been suggested that Joseph may have sold the Magi’s valuable gifts in order to pay for his family’s journey into Egypt.  Another tradition holds that Mary kept the myrhh, and that Christ’s crucified Body was anointed with the very myrhh that the wise men had brought Him as a babe 30 years before.

    The Magi are believed to have been astrologers, not kings.  However, because astrologers were often in the employ of kings, the Magi may well have been sent to Christ’s manger by their royal masters.  In any case, they certainly recognized in the appearance of the miraculous star a Divine sign that an important birth was taking place.  Although they were from the Gentile world and were not yet converted, they had some premonition of the possibility of salvation in this Jewish born King.  According to St. Leo the Great {Pope: 440-461; feast: November 10}, their visit represents the full number of nations taking their place in the family of the Patriarchs, making them worthy to share in the heritage of God’s chosen people, Israel.

    Of their fate, one legend says that St. Thomas the Apostle met the Magi on one of his missionary journeys and told them what had become of the Child they had seen decades before.  They were converted to the Christian faith, the story continues, and were ordained to the priesthood, eventually becoming Bishops.  Tradition says that they died in India, and were later reburied in Arabia.  St. Helen discovered their relics in the 4th century and took them to Constantinople.  An Eastern Roman Emperor presented them to the Archbishop of Milan in the 5th century.  When Emperor Frederick Barbarossa captured Milan in 1163, he sent the relics to his own capitol of Cologne, Germany, where they remain today.

    While in most of Europe children received gifts on the Feast of St. Nicholas, and later on Christmas, youngsters in Spain and parts of Russia and Italy did not receive gifts until the Feast of the Epiphany.  In these lands it was not St. Nicholas, but rather the Magi, bearers of gifts for the Christ Child, who brought presents to children.  Sadly, this tradition is being rapidly replaced by the secular American Santa Claus.