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Professor Idzi Panic — a retired academic associated with the University of Silesia, primarily focused on medieval history and the region of Silesia. He dedicated many years to studying the Shroud of Turin, culminating in the monograph The Mystery of the Shroud (Avalon, 2010). He is also the author of the book Between Nazareth and Golgotha published in 2024. Addressing the topics in this book, he emphasizes that he approaches them as a historian rather than a theologian—something he explicitly states he is not. The following text is excerpted from that very publication. Let us delve into selected fragments of it.
(…) Only Saint Matthew mentions both the travelers and the strange star in his Gospel. (…) Another Evangelist, Luke, also narrates the circumstances of the birth of the Son of God, but he focuses on entirely different events. The remaining Evangelists remain silent on the matter. (…)
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.’ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen in the East went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.”
The opening of Matthew’s text raises no questions: the King Herod mentioned here was a historical figure. (…) He lived between 72 and 4 BCE. For the Jews, he was an outsider, received with resentment. (…) During the Roman civil war that broke out shortly after the assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar, he sided with one of Caesar’s prominent generals, Mark Antony, only to humble himself before the victorious Octavian Augustus after Antony’s defeat. As a reward, following various political upheavals, he was made king of Judea in 37 BCE by Augustus, whom he remained loyal to until the end of his days. (…) As a result, he aligned himself with the occupiers who effectively ruled the Holy Land. This alone (…) made him an enemy in the eyes of the Jews. (…)
Let us now move to another part of this Gospel text: “behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?’” The latter part of this passage is so astonishing it seems almost absurd: the wise men arrive in Jerusalem and openly inquire where the newborn King of the Jews is. The absurdity of their question lies in the fact that royal children are born in palaces. (…) King Herod was the ruler of Judea. Thus, the mysterious visitors should have gone straight to Herod’s palace or at least inquired about its location! Unless they were referring to a descendant of a king previously overthrown by Herod, who would then be a usurper. (…) Without a doubt, in such a situation, the mysterious visitors should have acted with utmost discretion and secrecy. The absurdity of the situation is heightened by the fact that the wise men conducted their search openly—one might say publicly; and the pinnacle of absurdity is that they later directed the same question about the newborn King to Herod himself! By doing so, they condemned both the newborn King and themselves to death. (…)
Herod (…) had repeatedly shown that he had no mercy for anyone who threatened his rule: any perceived or actual threat ended in the death of the person involved—even if it was one of Herod’s closest relatives, such as his wives, sons, or many others. (…)
Herod’s reaction, as well as that of “all Jerusalem,” also warrants astonishment. Herod once again demonstrated his typical cunning. After all, these visitors represented no one, nor did they claim to. On the contrary, by announcing to the ruler that they had seen his star in the East and [therefore] had come to worship him, they effectively consigned themselves to nonexistence. Herod could have immediately ordered his guards to kill the visitors. No one would have missed them, searched for them, or mourned them. (…)
Herod found one significant clue in the visitors’ inquiry: the mention of a star. This changed everything. It indicated that the visitors were no ordinary people. They were knowledgeable about the stars. As such, they must have been scholars, wise men. (…)
To be continued.
