Epiphany: The World's First Interfaith Worship Service

THE EXAMINER
By Steve Palm-Houser, Unitarian Universalism Examiner

Roman Catholics and Protestants celebrate Epiphany today—a holiday which commemorates the visit of the three wise men to the infant Jesus. In Western Christian tradition, Epiphany occurs on January 6, the day after Twelfth Night, the 12th Day of Christmas. In the New Testament, Matthew is the only Gospel that includes the story of the magi. Why was it included? Probably one reason was to establish Jesus’ credentials, which was a big concern of the author of Matthew. Just as the author traces Jesus’ genealogy back to King David in the first chapter of the Gospel, he also links Jesus to the magi, who were priests of Zoroastrianism, the oldest and most respected religion in the Middle East during Jesus’ time. Though modern scholars dispute its legitimacy, the genealogy was intended to give Jesus “cred” in Judaism, the religion he grew up in. The worship of the magi gave Jesus “cred” in the arena of world religions. [link]