but to Jerusalem in her latter-day glory. Thus, we fail to perceive any historical basis for a
legendary origin of St. Matthew's narrative, either in the Old Testament or, still less, in
Jewish tradition. And we are warranted in asking: If the account be not true, what rational
explanation can be given of its origin, since its invention would never have occurred to
any contemporary Jew?
31. Numb. xxiv. 17.
32. Strauss (Leben Jesu, i. pp. 224-249) finds a legendary basis for the Evangelic account
in Numb. xxiv. 17, and also appeals to the legendary stories of profane writers about stars
appearing at the birth of great men.
33. lx. 6 last clauses.
34. Keim (Jesu von Nazara, i. 2, p. 377) drops the appeal to legends of profane writers,
ascribes only a secondary influence to Numb. xxiv. 17, and lays the main stress of 'the
legend' on Is. lx. - with what success the reader may judge.
35. Can it be imagined that any person would invent such a 'legend' on the strength of Is.
lx. 6? On the other hand, if the event really took pla ce, it is easy to understand how
Christian symbolism would - though uncritically - have seen an adumbration of it in that
prophecy.
36. The 'multitude of camels and dromedaries,' the 'flocks of Kedar and the rams of
Nebaioth' (v. 7), and 'the isles,' and 'the ships of Tarshish' (v. 9).
But this is not all. There seems, indeed, no logical connection between this astrological
interpretation of the Magi, and any supposed practice of astrology among the Jews. Yet,
strange to say, writers have largely insisted on this.37 The charge is, to say the least,
grossly exaggerated. That Jewish - as other Eastern - impostors pretended to astrological
knowledge, and that such investigations may have been secretly carried on by certain
Jewish students, is readily admitted. But the language of disapproval in which these
pursuits are referred to - such as that knowledge of the Law is not found with
astrologers38 - and the emphatic statement, that he who learned even one thing from a
Mage deserved death, show what views were authoritatively held.39 40 Of course, the
Jews (or many of them), like most ancients, believed in the influence of the planets upon
the destiny of man.41 But it was a principle strongly expressed, and frequently illustrated
in the Talmud, that such planeta ry influence did not extend to Israel.42 It must be
admitted, that this was not always consistently carried out; and there were Rabbis who
computed a man's future from the constellation (the Mazzal), either of the day, or the
hour, under which he was born.43 It was supposed, that some persons had a star of their
own,44 and the (representative) stars of all proselytes were said to have been present at
Mount Sinai. Accordingly, they also, like Israel, had lost the defilement of the serpent
(sin).45 One Rabbi even had it, that success, wisdom, the duration of life, and a posterity,
depended upon the constellation. 46 Such views were carried out till they merged in a kind
of fatalism,47 or else in the idea of a 'natal affinity,' by which persons born under the sa me
constellation were thought to stand in sympathetic rapport .48 The further statement, that
conjunctions of the planets49 affected the products of the earth50 is scarcely astrological;