MAOIO
530
BfAOUABSOHI
not likely that, in virtue of this Messianic prophesy,
the Magi would look forward to a very special star of
the firmament as a sign of the Messias. It is likely,
however, that the Magi were familiar with the great
Messianic prophesies. Many Jews did not return from
exile with Nwiemias. When Christ was bom, there
was undoubtedly a Hebrew population in Babvlon,
and probably one in Persia. At any rate, the Hebrew
tradition survived in Persia. Moreover, Virgil, Hor-
ace. Tacitus (Hist., V, xiii), and Suetonius (Vespas.,
iv) bear witness that, at the time of the birth of Christ,
there was throughout the Roman Empire a general
unrest and expectation of a Golden Age and a great
deliverer. We may readily admit that the Magi were
1^ by such hebraistic and gentile influences to look
forward to a Messias who should soon come. But
there must have been some special Divine revelation
whereby they knew that " his star ** meant the birth of
a king, that this new-bom king was verv God, and that
they should be led by "his star" to the place of the
God-King's birth (St. Leo, Serai, xxxiv, "In Epi-
phan."IV,3).
The advent of the Magi caused a great stir in Jem- salem; everybody, even King Herod, heard their quest fv. 3). Herod and his priests should have been glad- dened at the news; the^ were saddened. It is a striking fact that the priests showed the Magi the way^ but would not go that way themselves. The Mac now followed the star some six miles southward to Bethlehem, "and entering into the house [e/j t^p olxlawlf they found the child" (v. 11). There is no reason to suppose, with some of the Fathers (St. Aug., Sertn. cc, "In Epiphan.", I, 2), that the Child was still in the stable. The Magi adored hrpoffeicOpriaap) the Child as God, and offered Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The giving of gifts was in keeping with Ori- ental custom. The purpose of the gold is clear; the Child was poor. We do not know the purpose of the other gifts. The Magi probably meant no symbolism. The Fathera have found manifold and multiform syrn- bolic meanings in the three gifts; it is not clear that any of these meanings are inspired (cf . Knabenbauer, "inMatth.", 1892).
We are certain that the Magi were told in sleep not to return to Herod and that " they went back another way into their country " (v. 12) . This other way may have been a way to the Jordan such as to avoid Jeru- salem and Jericno; or a roundabout way south through Beersheba, then east to the neat hi^way (now the Mecca route) in the land of Moab and beyond the Dead Sea. It is said that after their return home, ihe Magi were baptized by St. Thomas and wrought much for the spread of the Faith in Christ. The story is traceable to an Arian writer of not earlier than the sixth century, whose work is printed, as " Opus imper- fectum in Matthseum " among the writings of St. Cnry- sostom (P.G., LVI, 644). This author admits that he is drawing upon the apocryphal Book of Seth, and writes much about the Magi that is clearly legendary. The cathedral of Cologne contains what are claimed to be the remains of the Magi; these, it is said, were dis- covered in Persia, brought to Constantinople by St. Helena, transferred to Milan in the fifth century and to Cologne in 1163 (Acta SS., I, 323).
Standard Commentariea on St Matthew; Laoranoe, La rtli- ffion des Per sea in Rev. Bibl., 1004; Curci. Lexioni aopra iquattro •mnqeli (Florence, 1874), Fouard, La vie de ^. S.J.-C., I, 88 (Pans — ), De Broolie, Coura d'histoire des cuUea non-ckrft. (Parifl. 1881); Bezold, Die Schatthole (Leipn«, 1883).
Walter Drum. Magic. See Occult Arts.
Magin Oatal&, b. at Montblanch, Catalonia, Spain, 29 or 30 January, 1761; d. at Santa Clara, California, 22 Nov., 1830. He received the habit of St. Francis at Barcelona on 4 April, 1777, and was ordained priest probably in 1785. After obtaining permission to de- vote himself to the missions in America, he sailed
from Cadiz in October, 1786, and joined the famous
missionary college of San Fernando in the City of
Mexico.
In 1793 he acted as chaplain on a Spanish ship which plied between Mexico and Nootka Soimd (Van- couver). In the following year he was sent to the Indian mission of Santa Clara, California, where in company with Father Jos^ Viader he laboured most zealously until his death. All through his missionary life Fatner Catald suffered intensely from inflamma- tory rheumatism, so that in his bust years he could neither walk nor stand unassisted. He nevertheless visited the sick, and preached in Indian and Spanish while seated in a chair at the altar-rail. Despite his infirmities he oteeryed the rule strictly, used the dis- cipline and penitential girdle, tasted nothing till noon, and then and in the evening would eat omy a gruel of com and milk. He never used meat, fish, eggs, or wine. The venerable missionary was famed far and wide for his miracles and prophecies, as well as for his virtues. In 1884 Archbishop J. S. Alemany of San Francisco instituted the process of his beatification. Tins, in 1908-9, was followed by the process de non cuUu pxjiblico.
ESnoblhardt, TIu Holy Man of Santa Clara (San Francisoo* 1009); Santa Clara Miaaion Records.
Zephtbin EInoelhardt.
Magisterium of the Ohurch. See Church; In' falubility; Pope.
Magistris, Simone de, b. in 1728: d. 6 October, 1802; a priest of the Oratorio di S. Filippo Neri, at Rome, wnom Pius VI created titular Bishop of C^rene and provost of the Congregation for the correction of the liturgical books of Oriental Rites. He was very well ver^ in Oriental lan^ua^, and often received from Clement XIV and Pius Vl commissions of re- search on points of ecclesiastical antiquity. He was more especiidly devoted to the*8tudy of the Sacred Scriptures, and among his publications on that sub- ject are (1) Daniel secundum Septuaginta ex tetra- plis Origenis nunc primum editus" (Rome, 1772), from the sole codex in the Chigi library, accompanied by five diseertations (one of them on the chronolo^ of Daniel), by the commentary of St. Hippolytus, oy a comparison between the version of the Septuagint and that of Theodotion, a few pieces from the Book of Esther, in Chaldean, a fragment of Papias on the canon of the Sacred Scripture, etc. (2) ^Acta Mar- tyrum ad Ostia Tiberina" (Rome, 1795). (3) "S. Dionysii Alexandrini episcopi . . . opera (Rome. 1796), with a learned mtroduction on the life and writings of the saint. (4) "Gli atti di cinque martin della ODrea", with a notice on the origin of the Faith in that country (Rome, 1801), etc.
U. Benigni.
Magliabechi, Antonio, Italian scholar and libra- rian, b. 29 Oct., 1633, at Florence; d. there, 4 July, 1714. He was the son of Marco Magliabechi , burgher, and Ginevra Baldorietta. He was apprenticed to a goldsmith, and worked in this capacity till his fortieth year. His real inclination was, however, from the be- ^ning towards study, and he was in the habit of buy- mg books out of his small resources and reading them at night. Michele Ermini, librarian to Cardinal de* Medici, recognizing his ability, taught him Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Magliabechi had an astonishing memory, and thus acquir^ an unusually large knowl- edge. In 1673 he became librarian to Grand Duke Cosimo III of Tuscany, thus attaining the ambition of his life.
He became the central figure of literary life in Florence, and scholars of every nation sought his acquaintance and corresponded with him. He was always ready to give a friendly answer to questions on scholarship, and was thus the unacknowledged collab-
