Tertia Pars
80. The Manifestation of Christ's Birth: Angels, the Star, and the Order of Revelation (ST III, Q.36, aa.5–7)
Class of 2010-02-25
https://berquistcourse.com/course/theology/13-tertia-pars/080-the-manifestation-of-christs-birth-angels-the-star-and-the/

[0:00] In the Name of the Father and the Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. God our enlightenment. Guardian angels strengthen the lights of our minds, order and illumine our images, and arouse us to consider more correctly. Saint Thomas Aquinas, angelic doctor. Pray for us. And help us to understand all that you've written. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. In case you haven't heard, I have another grandchild. Oh. Born this morning here.

[0:33] In Texas or Kansas. Texas, Texas. My son and his wife. So. At seven. I think at seven. Yeah, yeah. Little girl. Claire Marie Maria. Got a brand new. Very lovely. Everything going well. Nine months. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Went quickly because she called about six o'clock. She's going, "Nice, brother." He threw together a call. The baby was born. Went quickly. When

[1:04] my brother Mark's child was born on the California State Freeway, you know, with with the patrolman, they didn't make it. So I always joked about. Point out where it was, you know, when those traffic guys. That's a landmark. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there should be a mark there, you know, say so it was born. Well, they put markers where somebody dies, not where somebody's born. Yeah. Yeah.

[1:31] I don't think so much. Down. El Paso, but there's snow in Texas a lot, but none in El Paso. It's a high elevation, you know. El Paso is four four thousand feet. Yeah, maybe it gets snow after every year. We're talking about the baby, you know. Okay. So, question thirty-six, article five: Whether the birth of Christ ought to be manifested through the angels and through a star.

[2:00] To the fifth, one goes forward. Thus, it seems that it ought not to be made known through the angels the birth of Christ. For the angels are spiritual substances. That means what? Immaterial substances, huh? Bodyless substances. According to that of the Psalm, 103, who makes his angels spirits? But the birth of Christ was according to the flesh, not by a what? Not according to a spiritual substance.

[2:40] Therefore, not not to be shown or manifested through the what angels. We argued that the angels can't what exercise priesthood, right? Priesthood's got to have this mixture of the spirit and the body, right? To be conformed to Christ in sacraments and so.

[3:04] Moreover, greater is the affinity of the just to the angels than to any others, according to that of Psalm, that the angel of the Lord came in the circle of those fearing God, right? And he helped them to escape, I guess.

[3:25] But to the just, to namely Simeon and Anna, the birth of Christ was not made known to the angels. Therefore, neither to the pastors or the shepherds, ought to be manifested or made known to the angels.

[3:48] Moreover, I know this is going to the star business. So it's two arguments against angels, and now maybe it's going to be two arguments against the star, right? Moreover, it seems that neither to the magi ought to it have been made known through a star, for this would seem to be the occasion of error, according to those who thought that the stars dominated the births of what men.

[4:16] And but the occasions of sinners should be taken away from men huh. Therefore, it's not suitable that through a star the birth of Christ be made known.

[4:32] So Shakespeare, has many references to the stars. You know how they influence things down here, right? At least the characters in the plays think that they do, and so.

[4:44] Yeah, terrible things happen. For moreover, a sign ought to be certain, huh? In order that through it something might be made known. But a star does not seem to be a certain sign of the birth of Christ. Therefore, unsuitably was the birth of Christ made known through a star. You know, you can't associate this unusual celestial phenomenon with the birth of Christ. But against all this is what is said in Deuteronomy chapter thirty-two: the works of God are what perfect.

[5:24] But such a making known was a divine work. Ergo, it's a syllogism, I guess. Therefore, through suitable signs was it done. Now, I answer: It should be said that just as the making known by syllogism comes about through those things which are more known to the one to which

[5:53] something ought to be made known, right? So also the making known which is through signs. Ought to come about to those things which are familiar to those to whom they are what made known. But it is manifest

[6:12] that to just men is familiar, you might say, right, and accustomed to be taught by the inward instinct of the what Holy Spirit. huh There's an inward instinct there, huh. Without the demonstration of what sensible signs, to wit, through the spirit of what prophecies.

[6:43] But others who are given over to bodily things, they are brought to sensible things, to understandable things. Now the Jews were accustomed to get divine answers, or of course responding to their questions through angels, right? Through whom also they received the law, according to that of the Acts chapter seven. You have what received the law in the disposition of the what angels, and let's not emphasize very much in modern classes the role of the angels there in the in the disposing of the law, right?

[7:30] But Gentiles, huh, and most of all the astronomers, huh, Doesn't mean astrologists necessarily in the modern sense, are accustomed to what Regard the course of these stars, right?

[7:48] And therefore, to the just persons, to wit, to Simeon and Anna, was made known the nativity of Christ through the interior instinct of the Holy Spirit. Let's see, he's going to answer that objection, right? According to that of Luke chapter two, he had received a what response or answer from the Holy Spirit, huh? That he would not see death before he would see the Christ of the Lord, the anointed one, the Lord.

[8:23] But to the pastors or the shepherds, rather, and the Magi, as they were given over or dedicated to bodily things, given to those, the nativity of Christ was made known through sensible or visible apparitions. And because this birth was not purely earthly, but in some way celestial, therefore through celestial signs, the birth of Christ was revealed to both of them.

[9:03] As Augustine says in his sermon on the Epiphany, the angels what inhabit the heavens, and the stars what adorn them, and by both therefore the heavens narrate the glory of what God.

[9:26] But reasonably to the shepherds, as it were to Jews, among whom frequently were made the apparitions of the angels, there was revealed the nativity of Christ through the angels, right? Just like to Zachary, right? Even to Mary, right? She's. Angels, yeah. Yeah, Joseph.

[9:50] But to the Magi, accustomed to the considerations of celestial bodies, it was made known through the sign of a star. Because, as Chrysostom says, through things that were customary to them, right, the Lord wished to call them, right, as it were, condescending to them.

[10:16] Even when Scripture God puts on our language. Yeah. Yeah. Mary does the same thing She uses the language of wherever she appears you know In other words she spoke in a certain language here That's what I was like. Does she appear too in the in the color or at least if one looks she looks like it yeah appears yeah the one I was like St John of Arc when that one judge her first trial I think it was there was a judge he was from Limousin which is somewhere I guess is it northern France somewhere she was from a little further south or something she was kind of a country girl and he asked her kind of smart aleck he said said oh so does

[11:09] this lady that appears to you or these voices do they speak French and she said yeah better than you. There is, however, another reason, because as Gregory says now, huh, to the Jews, as it were, to those using reason, right, a reasonable animal, that is to say, an angel, ought to what preach him.

[11:48] To the Gentiles, huh, who use, who do not know how to use reason, right, to know God, not through what voice, vocal sounds, speech, but through signs, they are what blessed.

[12:10] And just as the Lord, a speaking, the preachers announced the Gentiles, right, speaking. So to the one, not yet what speaking, the mute elements preach. You mean when before Christ could speak, yeah, that that mute elements didn't they just they were they were just signs, words speaking. Okay, so just as the Lord, I think so, who was not yet speaking, that's my understanding. I don't know what he says.

[12:42] That's incredible. And as our Lord, when he was able to speak, was announced by heralds who spoke. So before he could speak, it was manifested by speechless elements.

[13:06] So that's the second reason he gives. There's also another reason that's the third reason he gives, because as Augustine says, in the Sermon on the Epiphany, that to Abraham, right,

[13:23] unnumbered was the promised succession, not by the seed of flesh, but by the fecundity of faith, right, to be generated. And therefore, it is compared to the multitude of the stars, that he might hope for celestial offspring, huh? And therefore, the Gentiles, designated in the stars, are aroused by the rising of a new star, that they might come to Christ, to whom they would be made the seed of Abraham.

[13:57] Subtle, yeah. But Thomas, is not too original here, is he? One reason he draws from Chrysostom, one from Augustine, and one from Gregory, huh? Not very original. No, but what does Cajetan say about the Summa? He so venerated the fathers of the Church that he seems to have inherited the mind of them all. I was reading. Let me just give you this thing from Ezekiel Kim later.

[14:28] I was reading this thing from Bernard Clairvaux, and this is from the Homilies and Praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But remember how Thomas spoke about, you know, is Christ one son or two sons? Look at that. Okay, listen to this little passage here from

[14:52] Saint Bernard talking about the enunciation. This means you are to conceive, but by the Holy Spirit, not by man. You will therefore conceive the power of the Most High, the Son of God. Therefore, the Holy to be born of you will be called the Son of God. This means he who comes in the bosom of the Father into your womb will not only overshadow you, he will even take to himself something of your substance.

[15:20] He was already the Son of God, begotten of the Father before ages, will henceforth be acknowledged to be your son as well. In this way, the son born of God will be yours, and the child born of you will be God's. In such a way that there be not two sons, however, but only one. And although he has one nature of you, another of God, yet you will not each have your own son, but he will be the one son of you both.

[15:55] What a plagiarist Thomas was, huh? What do you usually get? So we just learned of Saint John Vianney, a martyr of ours. When he was preaching, he thought it was. I like the way Father Rutler said. He said, "The treasury of the church, meaning the writings of the fathers, it's meant to be plundered." He says. So he's just copying his copies of the preachers and all other people.

[16:19] Yeah, he wasn't trying to be original. This guy seems to only speak using scripture. You know, almost everything seems to be. He puts it all to. Joseph, what is he talking about? Father, because he tells us the story about who tells us the story about how Aquinas was asked to preach like Saint Bernard. Yeah, that was that was from Francis de Sales. I mentioned it the other day.

[16:44] It's in the Treatise of the Law of God. Saint Thomas was dying, and the Cistercians asked him where at the monastery where he was dying. Give us a common here on the candle, like Saint Bernard did. He says, "Well, give me Bernard's perfection, and I'll give you a commentary. Yeah, that's right.

[17:07] Now the first thing about. Yeah. To the first, therefore, it should be said that that needs to be made known, which is of itself or by itself occult, a hidden. Not, however, that which of itself is manifest.

[17:31] Now his flesh, who was to be born, was what. Manifest, but his divinity was what hidden. And therefore, suitably is made known his birth through the angels, who are the ministers of God. Whence also with. Clarity, huh? The angel appeared, that he might show that the one who was. Born to be born, was the splendor of the fatherly glory. Right. The total glory. Okay, we'll let you get away with that, Thomas.

[18:10] So it's. Interesting, huh? Cuique lati vates solidaeitas. I didn't like it. To the second, it should be said that the just do not need the visible appearance of the angels. That's what he saw in the body of it. How he appeared to what I mean, how Simeon and Anna were moved by the instinct of the Holy Spirit. But to them is enough the inward instinct of the Holy Spirit, on account of their what perfection.

[18:52] Okay, you know, is that this instinct? Is that what he uses for the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Or have you seen this word elsewhere with Saint Thomas? What's kind of interesting, you know. Uses that, huh? But reminds me a little bit of the point he makes with the metaphors. The scripture uses metaphors, and the objection saying, "Well, that's what the poet uses metaphors." But metaphors are used by the poet for exactly opposite reason that they're used by scripture.

[19:28] Because in scripture, you're dealing with something that's above our mind, so the metaphor is kind of trying to bring it down to our level, right? But in the case of the fiction, right,

[19:43] you're taking something that is kind of below reason, and therefore trying to bring it up and give it more what meaning, right, huh? So you take the greatest work of Greek fiction, there is is the Iliad, right? And they say, "Well, there might have been."Pirate weight or something, you know, that was behind this, you know. But when when Homer gets through with it, it's a what? It seems to be the whole meaning of human life, huh?

[20:09] And the struggle of human life, and as Job says, our life on earth is a warfare and so on, right? And so it seems to have much more meaning, huh? And you see in Mozart's operas too, you know, he'll take a very mundane thing and puts it into an hour, you know, and all of a sudden it seems to have what? More meaning, right? Huh? And sometimes I come over and I was listening to Mozart and I start babbling about about this piece of music of Mozart and the story.

[20:36] My old teacher would say, "Duane, you think it has more meaning than it does have?" But Mozart kind of you know teases you that way, right? It seems to be saying more, right? He seems he's just playing the emotions, but he's giving the emotions more meaning than the emotions have in reality. Sometimes I compare it to to what a great portrait painter does, you know, like Titian or something like that, right?

[21:03] With one expression of a man's face, you get the whole character of that man, right? So that one expression of that man in the painting has more meaning than any one expression of a man in real life, huh? And when you think of you know a friend that you have, and well, you have many images of that friend and he's smiling and he's reacting to different things and the way he looked at the time he did this, right?

[21:28] But no one what expression that friend's face seems to capture the whole character of your friend, does it? You know, not that people don't like pictures themselves because they don't capture what they, you know, they're a full character, you know, or I look kind of stupid in the thing or whatever it is. And but the portrait painter in one expression, right, seems to capture the whole what character of this man, huh?

[21:55] And but even you know when when Aristotle pointed out that the plot in a tragedy or in a in an epic should have a beginning, middle, and end, right? Should have this order, right? So you're giving something more intelligibility than what? Yeah, see, well, if I look back upon my day today, I did this, I did that, you know. I took the the bottles out, you picked out this thing, and then I got a little bit of physics and said some prayers, and you know, and and don't they don't fit together into any any coherent whole, do they?

[22:41] In an orange, you know, and you know what's that got to do with with Alexius from the metaphysics and you know and and for the garbage out or something, you know, for the the trash for the pickup on Thursday. So. But in in a great play, you know, it forms a beginning, middle, and end, right? So it has an order, and you know, order is what reason looks for before and after, right?

[23:08] So it has intelligibility. It has more, more intelligibility than. Sort of like that when our next door neighbor was killed suddenly one Monday morning, car accident, and I remember because I went by their house a day or two later, and I saw her. She had some like flip flops that she would wear out in the yard, and I saw them there at the door, and I thought, "Gee whiz, " you know.

[23:32] I thought she she she her soul came out of her body like her feet came out of her shoes, and I'm just thinking And so I put more I put a lot of meaning in those shoes just sitting there. than she know she just took them off going in the house like anybody else would, you know. But I saw this meaning in that gesture, which is kind of what a novelist or some fiction writer would do.

[23:52] All just a mundane thing would have all kind of meaning. So I think when you say instinct, there you still don't like that, right? Because it can be regarded to somebody as below reason, right? Like this because instinct uh the animal, right? Who does reasonable things without knowing them, right? And then you say being led by the Holy Spirit, who's above us, right? And has more reason for what he does than we could ever have, and yet, you know, Thomas says, you know, when he's answering that objection about metaphors, he says, "Well, what's common to the poet and to the to the writer of Scripture is that he's dealing with something beyond our mind, but one case below our mind, the other thing above it,

[24:38] huh? " My old friend Jim Francis used to say, "You know, girls love to be told that you don't understand them. " We don't

[24:52] realize that, you know. He said, "I don't understand God. " That that's a covenant to God, right? Yeah. Okay. Now the third objection, right? Now the third objection? These are two objections now about the star. To the third, should be said that the star which made known the birth of Christ, huh? Took away, huh? Subtracted, huh? Every occasion of error, right? I'm interested. You should say that, huh?

[25:43] For as Augustine says against Faust, huh? That none of the what astronomers, right? So constituted things, right? That the fate of men being born under the stars was such that one of the stars, some man being born, left its own what order of its circuit, right? And to the one who was born, that they would assert that it went there, right?

[26:20] Just as happened about the star, which demonstrated the nativity of Christ, and therefore through this is not confirmed the error of those who think that the

[26:34] sort of man, you know, what happens to them, is bound to the order of the stars, right? But they did not believe that the order of the stars are able to be changed towards the birth of what of men. no. They're saying, the stars determine what happens to us. We don't determine what the stars do, right? In this case, the birth of Christ is determined that's what the star is doing, right?

[26:58] It's going to leave its place and get out of order and and run over to where Christ is. Likewise, also Chrysostom says, huh? Nor is this the work of what astronomy, huh? There we get the word astronomy, right?

[27:21] That from the stars to know those who are born, right, huh? But rather, what they do is from the hour of birth they preach what future things, right? But the Magi did not know the time of the what birth, so that taking from it their beginning, they would know from the motion of the stars future things, but rather the what reverse, huh?

[27:57] Okay, now what about this not being a certain sign of the nativity of Christ, huh? That third objection is more against the possibility of error, right, in thinking that the stars are unduly influential. Maybe has some influence, I guess, so.

[28:24] To the fourth, then it ought to be said that as Chrysostom makes known, huh? Refers to in certain apocryphal writings, right? It is read that a certain race or nation in the what extreme east, next to the ocean, right, huh? Had a certain scripture from the name of from Seth, one of the sons. About the star and the gifts to be offered of this sorta, which nation diligently observed the rise of this star,

[29:10] putting down what? Yeah, who on certain times devoutly ascend to the mountain, in which afterwards they saw in it child and upon it the likeness of the cross.

[29:38] Yeah, where Christen reports that, so we have to take it somewhat seriously. Or it should be said that, as is said in the book on the questions of the New and Old Testament, this is Augustine, I guess. The the magi, those magi, followed the tradition of Balaam, who said that there will Arise, a star from what, Jacob? And they have a reference here to Numbers twenty-four, seventeen.

[30:09] When seeing a star outside the order of the world, they understood this to be what, the one which Balaam prophesized as a future sign of the King of the Jews.

[30:26] Or it should be said that, as Augustine says in the sermon of the fifth, the same two guys. He's quoting again, right? Yeah, he'd be considered a plagiarist, right? Yeah, original. Yeah, that from the angels, huh? By some what, warning revelation, the magi heard that the star what signified Christ's born, and they had some kind of illumination.

[30:59] And it is probable that from the what, the good, when in adoring Christ, the salvation of them is what, Sought Or, as Leo Papa says in the sermon about the epiphany, that apart from that species, which what,

[31:29] obtutum. What does it say? Besides the outward form, which aroused the attention of their corporal, corporal, real eyes, a more brilliant ray enlightened their minds with the light of faith. Yeah, their mind is enlightened, right? As well as the exterior star. Yeah both to the mind and the light That's kind of appropriate too, how that they should be led by both spiritual illumination and by the by the star that is sensible, right?

[32:06] It's like our sacraments, you know, have both. Yeah, it's interesting because I just downloaded some pictures of this artist, Brodie Barth, who's an interesting lady, and she has two images of the several images of the three wise men. Yeah. And one of them, she shows it's like a procession. You got the three kings, and you have an angel marching in front, of it, and the angel's holding up the star on like a pole.

[32:31] And so the angel's leading them, but they're looking at the star. And then there's another image that she has of the three wise men looking at a star, and the infant Christ is in the star. So there's two different images there. It's kind of interesting. So she she kind of verifies with both of the what one of the things that Christ himself says.

[32:56] Okay. No, St. Thomas doesn't say one of those is correct and the others are not correct, right? He's saying various ways in which they could be what helped by something, by some illumination of some sort of their mind in addition to the vision of the star itself, right?

[33:27] Article six, to the sixth. One goes forward thus. It seems that in an unsuitable order, the nativity of Christ was made what known. For to those first ought to be made known the birth of Christ, who were what nearer to Christ, huh, and who more desired Christ, huh, according to that that he comes before, right, to those who desire him, right, and he shows himself before to them.

[34:11] But the just were most near to Christ through faith, and they most of all desired his what coming. Whence it is said Luke two about Simeon that he was a man just and what devout timoratus, fear, expecting the redemption of what Israel. Therefore, before ought to have been made known the nativity of Christ to Simeon, then to the what pastors and the magi, huh.

[34:50] Moreover, the magi were the first fruits, you might say, the Gentiles to believe in Christ, huh. But first, the fullness of the Jews, I mean the Gentiles, will come to faith, and afterwards all Israel will become what saved, as is said in Romans nine.

[35:12] Therefore, first one ought to make known the nativity of Christ. ought first to be made known to the magi, then to the what. pastors and the Jews, Yeah.

[35:24] Remember, my brother Richard first pointed out this text. Not not in objection, but just because he was reading the Romans, you know, and the idea that the Jews at the end would come back, right, and home to Israel salvus fiat. Moreover, in, Matthew two it is said that Herod killed all the boys who were in Bethlehem, and in all its environs, huh, from what two and below was it?

[35:54] According to the time that he had what, the Magi's. and therefore it seems that through two years after the birth of Christ he came to Christ, yeah. It. Is unsuitably therefore that after so long a time, the what nativity was made known to the Gentiles of Christ.

[36:25] But against this is what is said in Daniel chapter two verse twenty one. He changes times and ages, right. And therefore, the time of the making known of the birth of Christ seems to be disposed in a suitable order, right? He's a master of time, right? Or the C. S. Lewis says, "Well, you got time. Time has got you." But time doesn't have God, right? God has time, right?

[36:58] Well, Thomas is going to say about all this. Looking before and after, obviously. The answer should be said that the birth of Christ first was made known to the shepherds, huh? On the day of the what birth of Christ, as is said in Luke chapter two, there were shepherds in the same region, vigilant, awake, and guarding, right?

[37:29] The vigils of the night or their flock, and that they might what learn of this. The angels that left from them, left them, I guess, up into heaven. They spoke to each other. Let's go over to Bethlehem, and they came what?

[37:52] Secondly, however the Magi came to Christ, huh? On the tertia decima, the thirteenth day of his nativity, in which day we celebrate the feast of what? Epiphany. Is. It two weeks after then to Christmas. Yeah, the 12th day. Yeah. Christmas. which we uh called Christmas is.

[38:18] If one year revolving, or even two years, they had arrived, they would not have found him in Bethlehem, right? Because it is written in Luke two that after they perfected all things according to the law of the Lord, offering to it the son, the boy Jesus, in the temple, they came back to Galilee, in their own city, to it Nazareth. So he doesn't accept that, right? Maybe they were traveling, you know.

[38:48] But third was made known to the just in the what temple? temple. That means what Simeon and Hannah. In the 40th day from the what? As is had in Luke two twenty two. So that's the order Thomas says de facto, and now he's going to give the reason for this order, right? And the reason for this order is that through the shepherds are signified the apostles and others believing from the Jews, to whom first is made known the faith of Christ, among whom there were not many powerful nor many what nobles, huh?

[39:34] Secondly, faith of Christ comes to the fullness of Gentiles, which is prefigured through the what Magi, huh? Third, Harvard comes to the what fullness of the Jews, and that's that reference, I guess, in Romans, right? Which is prefigured through the just, right? Hence, also in the temple of the Jews, Christ was made known to them.

[40:03] What a man! Just seeing the reply to the objections at these, all these points that Thomas is discussing in a kind of formal way are already in the Church Fathers being discussed and thought about.

[40:29] Okay, now let's look at the first objection here. He had to show himself to those who are nearest to him, right? To the first, therefore, it should be said

[40:46] that as the apostle says, Romans nine, Israel, in following the law of justice, did not arrive in the what law of justice, huh? But the Gentiles who did not seek justice, commonly speaking, came before the Jews or arrived before the Jews in the justice of faith, right? And in this figure, Simeon, who expects the consolation of Israel, last knew what Christ born, right?

[41:23] And there preceded him the Magi and the pastors, who did not solicitously expect the birth of Christ. The Jews obviously more expected the coming of Christ than others, but they are going to be the last to fully accept him.

[41:53] It's interesting that that the sign there, Thomas is maintaining, is more importantly, no, than their being just, huh? Because they're representing, in a sense, the the last to be in, although they're the first themselves, you might say, in their life to be. In terms of the generality. Yeah.

[42:20] Now the second objection is about the fullness, right? He says, "Well, to second should be said that although the fullness of the Jew of the Gentiles first or before came into the faith, and the fullness of the Jews, nevertheless the first fruits of the Jews came before in faith the first fruits of the Gentiles, and therefore to the pastors first is made known that the the birth of Christ and the Magi."

[43:00] The second one is about the two the two years, right? To the third, it should be said that about the appearance of the star which appeared to the Magi's, there is a twofold opinion. Chrysostom says upon Matthew. And Augustine in his sermon on the Epiphany, right? Falsely ascribed to Christ Okay. So my my note down there says

[43:51] among the what incomplete works in Matthew, how many two? It says not. Opus imperfect in Matthew falsely ascribed to Christus. Okay, might not be this one says. I'm going to say sermon. Suppose. I think an abbreviation. S U P P O S. Period. Yeah. It's supposed to be Christus. Yeah. That's all this edition. For he says the star appeared to the magi's. Through what two years period before the birth of Christ, right?

[44:32] And then first meditating and preparing themselves for the what trip, right? From the most remote parts of the East, right? They came to Christ on the thirteenth day from his what birth, huh? Whence Herod, immediately after the recess or the departure of the magi, seeing himself deceived by them, right, commanded that the boys from two and below be killed, right. Doubting, lest Christ then was born when the star appeared, according as he had what heard from the magi, right.

[45:16] So he's the one that got this all followed up on the two years, right? When the two years were before or after the birth, right, of Christ, now, but question looking before and after, right? They thought it was after, and And surely wasn't too good looking. before. and after.

[45:40] This the hair that cut off the head of no? No this isn't so is it This is this is the father and the. This is which one? One's hair Ant- Antipas. I can't. This is. we're I'm not sure. Okay. Because the son didn't only get part of the kingdom, didn't he, or something. Right. Yeah. Yeah. That was. Tetrarch or something. That was Herod. Fourth of the. Yeah.

[46:06] That was the one that cut off John the Baptist. Yeah, that was the son of the one. Yes, and then the other one is the one in the Acts of the Apostles. I was going to say he couldn't look before he couldn't look before and after either, you know, because he didn't know what she's gonna ask him. What's gonna come after he his stupid promise, right? Yeah.

[46:31] Others say that the star appeared first when Christ was born, right? And at once the magi having seen the star, right, they made most long journey in what, thirteen days? Partly by divine power, and then by divine. Yeah, partly by the velocity of the dromedary.

[46:54] Whip fast! Whip those candles! Whip them! And this, I say, if they came from the furthest parts of the east, right? But some said they came from a near region, right? Whence um, they were of Balaam, right, whose teaching they were successors of. They are said to have come from the east because that land is to the east of that part of the land of the Jews, right?

[47:26] And according to this, Herod, not at once the magi receding, but after what Two years. killed the boys, or because it is said that he went accused of wrong, yeah, He was accused of something, yeah,

[47:44] or agitated by the fears of some dangers, right? From the cure of killing the boys, he finally desisted. or for a while he desisted. For the time for the time being, desisted from his anxiety to slay the child. Oh. Yeah, I heard that. one. Or because he was able to believe, could have believed that the magi deceived by the vision of false vision of the star, right?

[48:18] Afterwards, were not able to find what the one whom they thought was born, right? And that they were therefore embarrassed to return to him and say, "I couldn't find them, right?" As Augustine says in the book on the consent, harmony of the Gospels Harmony of the gospels, yeah. And therefore, not only

[48:41] those two did he kill, but also those below, because, as Augustine says in his certain sermon on innocence, he feared lest the boy to whom the star served, right, would transform his own what appearance. Older or younger. Yeah. I never heard it. Herod was a strange guy.

[49:03] Yeah. Now, another another article on the star here. So, to the seventh one goes forth. Thus, it seems that the star which appeared to the Magi was one of the celestial stars, huh?

[49:45] For Augustine says in a certain sermon on the Epiphany. Uh. While he was hanging from the breast. Breast, and he was wrapped in what the vial rags. Rags, yeah. All at once, they knew what from heaven, and this was a celestial star which what appeared to the Magi, right? What's it translate there Novum de caelo sidus effulsit. That seems to be like a new star, doesn't it?

[50:32] Yeah. He's trying to say, at this point, there's one of the ones already there, right? Yeah. Can I translate that correctly? Yeah. While God yet clings to the breast and suffers himself to be wrapped in humble swaddling clothes, suddenly a new star shines forth in the

[51:00] heaven. Seems like the objection going against what he's supposed to. Yeah, both one in the heaven. Yeah. Okay. More of Augustine says in a certain sermon on the Epiphany. Angels to the pastors, right? A star to the Magi shows Christ, huh? To both speaks the language, the tongue of what the heavens, because the tongues of the prophets have ceased.

[51:31] But the angels appearing to the shepherds were truly of the heavenly angels. Therefore, the star appearing to the Magi was truly one of the stars, heavenly stars.

[51:50] Moreover, the stars which are not in the heaven but in the air are said to be stella cometa, huh? Comets, you call them, I guess, huh? Which do not appear in the births of kings, but more are the signs of the death of them, right? And therefore. And that star designates the birth of a king. Whence the magi say, whence is born the one who is the what king of the Jews?

[52:24] For we have seen his star in the Orient. Therefore, it seems it was one of the celestial stars rather than something below the heavenly stars, right?

[52:37] But against this, what Augustine says in the book against Faust, not from those stars which, from the beginning of creatures, right, kept their what course under the law of the Creator, but by what for the new birth of a virgin, or giving birth of a virgin, a new star what period, huh? Interesting with that word

[53:12] comate, stellar comate. It means long hair. Yeah, that's what the comets look like. It's long hair. I saw the presentation at the local observatory. William Haley's comet. That's one of the things they bring up. Maybe it was Haley's comet that the magi saw.

[53:42] The answer should be said that, as Chrysostom says upon Matthew, that that star which appeared to the magi, right, was not one of the celestial stars, huh? And this is manifest to what in many ways, huh?

[54:03] First, because no what other stars went that way or something. Yeah. approaches from the same order. For this star, what was born from the? But the east. From north to south. From north to south, so. Yeah. There being the relative positions of Persia. Hmm.

[54:31] Why Judea lies what next to Persia, whence the what magi came? Second, it appears from the time, for not only did it appear at night, but also in the middle of the day, which is not of the power of the star, or even of the moon. I'm nice to the moon sometimes. Yeah, not very bright though. Thomas, you're not observing enough, Thomas. Stays inside being cold

[55:15] too much. Yeah. Third, because sometimes it appears, and sometimes it is what hidden. For when they entered Jerusalem, it hid itself, right? Then when they left Herod, it showed itself. Said something about Herod, huh?

[55:43] Fourth, because it did not have a continual motion. But when it was necessary for the magi's to go, it went. Huh? Whenever it was necessary to stand, it stood. Right. Just as about the column of the cloud that was in the what desert, huh? It kind of the desert and moved along, right? And stopped eleven in the day and night. That's interesting. Our liturgy compares Christ's descent into the dead, and it's like the cloud that led the Jews.

[56:30] It was this shining cloud that went down. Um. Five, because not remaining above, right? It showed the giving birth, I guess, of the Virgin. But going down, descending, right? It did this. It came over there and came down, I guess, over it.

[56:46] That's what we used to put that wonder star we had. I told you, above the you had above the crib, you know. We called it crib, and we called the crash. But yeah, because that's what it said. This has been quoted. Yeah, it it stood over the place where the child was.

[57:05] It had to come down pretty much to designate that particular place. Yeah. Well, which is clear that the word the magi's saying we've seen a star in the east, right? It should not thus be understood as it were what.

[57:25] Them being placed in the east, right? The star appeared existing in the land of what Judah, right? But because they saw it existing in the east, right, and then it proceeded before them, right, all the way to what Judea, right? Although by some this is left in doubt, huh? And my text refers to Remigius there, right? It was quoted, I think, in the Catena Aurea huh? Yeah.

[58:02] Yeah. I looked him up one time, but I'd forgotten who he was. But he was like a monk. Okay. It would not be able to distinctly demonstrate the house unless it were what, yeah. And as he himself said, this does not seem to be what proper to the star, but of a certain what, rational power. Whence it seems that this star was of a what, Invisible power.

[58:42] yeah, transformed into such what appearance. Whence some say, this is reference to a work of Augustine the De mirabilibus, marvelous things of scripture. Whence some say that as the Holy Spirit descended upon the baptism of the Lord, the baptized Lord, in the what species of a dove, so it he appeared to the Magi in the species of a star, right. Others say that the angel who appeared to the pastors in a human what form appeared to the magi in the form of a what star.

[59:35] More probably, Thomas says, Probabilio, so it's not altogether certain. Is it that that star was what de novo creata, created newly, right? Not in heaven, right? But in the air near the earth, right? Which was moved according to the will of what God.

[1:00:00] Whence Leo Papa says in the sermon Epiphany to the three magi in the region of the East, right, a star of new clarity appeared, huh? Which, being more illustrious and more beautiful than the other stars, right, turned

[1:00:25] the what towards itself the eyes and the souls of those seeing it, right? That is not uh you understood that one Isn't that idle,

[1:00:41] what so uncustomary they saw, right? So that they understood at once that such an unwanted event could not be devoid of purpose. Ad caelum, right? He says to the first, it should be said that caelum in sacred scripture sometimes is said to be the air, right? According to that, of the birds of the air, right? But the volucres caeli, right? And the fish of the what sea?

[1:01:17] Well, about the angels appearing to one and the stars to the other. To the second should be said that the celestial angels, from their office, right, from their duty, have to come down to us, right? Sent in what service? But the celestial stars do not change their own what. Yeah. Whence there is not a similar what reason? Is it huh I mean it's it's customary for the angels to come down from heaven to speak to us in some way, right?

[1:02:06] But it doesn't belong to the stars to come down. Whence not a similar ratio? To the third, should be said that just as a star did not follow the motion of the heavenly stars, right? So neither of the what the hairy stars, right? It's your translation, Father.

[1:02:40] Which neither from the day what in the day appear, nor do they change their ordered what choice. But nevertheless, not altogether is absent the signification of comets, right?

[1:03:00] Because the celestial kingdom of Christ threatens us and consumes all the kingdoms of the earth, and in itself stands forever, as says Daniel too.

[1:03:20] Shakespeare has his references to the comets, right? You know, foretelling you know the what downfall, the death of kings, and transformations in the kingdom, and so on. So,

[1:03:35] some meaning there.