The story behind We Three Kings In Matthew 2:1 the scriptures tell us that Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King, behold there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. Also Verse 11 tells us, And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshiped him, and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh. KJV. Wheres the story? In none of the scriptures does it say there were three kings or that there were only three wise men. There could have been many more. Some religions say twelve. Fact is there were three that presented gifts, all of which had a very deep meaning. First there was gold, the most precious metal of all metals in that day. This was symbolic of His reigh on earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Second was the gift of frankincense, which was symbolic of His priestly ministry here on earth. and myrrh was symbolic of our redemption through His suffering and death. We also note that the wise men have always been pictured as riding camels. There is no description in the Scriptures as to how they arrived. They could have come by animal or they could have walked. We also dont know how long the trip took. It was the shepherds who found Jesus in a manger. The wise men found a young child, not an infant, and they went to Marys house not a manger (Matthew 2:11). It does not matter how many wise men came, or how long it took to find Jesus. What is important is that they followed the star, and Gods leadership and gave the symbolic gifts. The Christmas carol, We Three Kings is one of the most popular carols ever written. It was written by Rev. John Henry Hopkins Jr. He was born on Oct. 28, 1820 in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. His heart was set on going to law school, but after receiving his degree from the University of Vermont, (AB-1839 and MA-1845), He felt led of the Holy Spirit to enter the ministry. He entered the General Theological Seminary and graduated in 1850.After he graduated, he took a job as the Seminarys first music teacher from 1855 till 1857. He was also the editor of the Church Journal from 1853-1868. He served as a deacon in 1850 and was priest in 1872. Then he became rector of Trinity Church in Plattsburg, New York, and later served as rector of Christ Church in Williamsport, Pa. It was in 1857, while teaching music at the Seminary that Rev. Hopkins wrote the hymn, We Three Kings for a Christmas pageant that was presented at the Seminary that Christmas. He probably wrote the hymn with his nieces and nephews in mind. Since, he traveled from New York to Vermont every Christmas,where his father, John H. Hopkins. Sr., was the long time Episcopal Bishop for the State of Vermont. He always had a surprise for the youngsters at Christmas, and this year was no different. As usual, bachelor Uncle Henry did not disappoint the children. The family always had a dramatization of Matthew chapter 2, and the entire Christmas Story. The hymn was sung by the family for the next two years, and was so popular with family and friends that by 1863 it had been published by Rev. Hopkins in his first collection of Carols, Hymns, and Songs. It was reprinted in 1865 with illustrations. The original title of the hymn was Three Kings of Orient. It was probably these illustrations that pictured only three wise men on camels. Little did John Hopkins know the theological implications of his hymn when he wrote both words and music. The success of his book, Carols, Hymns, and Other Songs, became one of the most popular books on music, and Rev. Hopkins became a household name. Rev. Hopkins carved his niche in history with this Hymn. (content from gaffneyledger/…/2007-11-…/lifestyles/039.html)
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 15:06:32 +0000
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