The Riddle of the Three

 

The Riddle of the Three: Astronomical Symbolism, Sacred Gifts, and the Abrahamic Triad

Abstract

The riddle of the Three Wise Men in the Gospel of Matthew has long been interpreted literally, historically, or allegorically. Yet the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh may encode a deeper cosmic and prophetic structure: an astral symbolism mapped onto the three great outer planets visible to ancient astronomers—Saturn, Jupiter, and Neptune/Uranus. This triadic pattern further mirrors the three pillars of the Abrahamic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—emerging across history. By examining the ephemeris for the decades around the year zero AD, and reading the narrative as astronomical allegory rather than mere hagiography, the Magi can be understood as celestial emissaries foreshadowing the economic, spiritual, and eschatological destinies of the Near East and beyond.

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1. The Ephemeris of the Age: The Sky Around Year Zero

The decades surrounding the notional birth of Christ (c. 10 BCE–10 CE) were marked by extraordinary planetary configurations involving the gas giants. Ancient Mesopotamian, Persian, and Hellenistic astrologers were deeply invested in the motions of Jupiter and Saturn, which symbolized kingship and law/order respectively. While Neptune and Uranus were unknown to the naked eye, the cosmological principle of “hidden gods” (the unseen but real) can map them onto the esoteric dimension of the riddle.

• Jupiter: the kingly star, linked with divine right and spiritual anointing.

• Saturn: the god of law, boundaries, limitation, and material wealth.

• Neptune/Uranus: the transpersonal horizon, unseen but transformative, associated with collective upheaval, mysticism, and the unseen future.

The Magi, being astrologer-priests, would have interpreted such alignments as signs of epochal change.

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2. The Three Gifts as Planetary Symbols

The Gospel gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—are not arbitrary luxuries but encoded symbols:

• Gold – Saturn – Israel/Judaism

Gold represents wealth, banks, and moneylenders. In biblical tradition, Israel is repeatedly entangled with material law, covenant, and temple economy. Saturn, planet of restriction and accumulation, resonates with this inheritance. The Jewish people, as Saturnian stewards, preserve the gold of continuity and covenant, but also bear the weight of exile, finance, and boundary-keeping.

• Frankincense – Jupiter – Christ/Christianity

Frankincense, rising smoke of priestly offering, symbolizes divine kingship. Jupiter, the expansive king of planets, embodies both the birth of the Messiah and the universalizing impulse of Christianity. Just as frankincense connects earth to heaven, Christianity bridges the local God of Israel with the cosmos, proclaiming Yeshua as Christ, anointed king of all.

• Myrrh – Uranus/Neptune – Islam

Myrrh, bitter resin for embalming and healing, is the gift of mortality, suffering, and destiny. In the Gospel, it foreshadows Christ’s death, but in a larger Abrahamic framework, it symbolizes the completion of revelation. Islam arises centuries later, yet it positions itself not as a break but as the seal of prophecy, preserving Abrahamic tradition while proclaiming its finality.

Here, Uranus/Neptune provides the astronomical parallel: a planet invisible to the ancients, yet real and exerting influence. Islam, too, was hidden beyond the horizon of the first century, unseen by the Magi or the early Church, yet latent within history. Just as myrrh preserves the body while announcing death, Islam embalms and transforms the Abrahamic faiths, both conserving their essence and redirecting their destiny.

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3. The Abrahamic Triad as a Celestial Map

Seen in this light, the Magi’s three gifts encode a prophecy:

• Judaism (Saturn/Gold): Rooted in law, covenant, and material continuity.

• Christianity (Jupiter/Frankincense): Expansion of divine kingship, mediation of heaven and earth.

• Islam (Neptune/Myrrh): The unseen fulfillment, eschatological completion, and sealing of prophecy.

Each corresponds to an astronomical “king” in the sky:

• Saturn: Law, gold, limits.

• Jupiter: Kingship, worship, universalism.

• Neptune/Uranus: Mystery, transformation, death-rebirth.

Thus the Gospel story encodes the unfolding of history itself, mapped onto the heavens.

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4. The Riddle of the Three

The Magi, whether Persian astrologers or mythic archetypes, were not simply men following a star, but cosmic messengers presenting humanity with a riddle: the destiny of Abraham’s children written in the night sky.

The riddle runs thus:

• The gold of Israel (Saturn) preserves the past.

• The frankincense of Christ (Jupiter) bridges heaven and earth.

• The myrrh of Islam (Neptune) seals history with the fragrance of destiny.

The three together form a triadic whole: matter, spirit, and mystery; past, present, and future; covenant, messiah, and seal.

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Conclusion

The story of the Magi is not only a quaint nativity tale but a cosmic allegory. By mapping gold, frankincense, and myrrh onto Saturn, Jupiter, and Neptune/Uranus, and further onto Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, we see a profound prophetic structure: the Abrahamic triad itself was foreshadowed in the heavens around Year Zero. The riddle of the three is a riddle of history, faith, and destiny—an encoded message from the stars, urging humanity to read its story not only in scripture but in the firmament itself.

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Index of Sources

• Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. Doubleday, 1993.

• Kepler, Johannes. De Stella Nova in Pede Serpentarii (On the New Star in the Foot of the Serpent). Prague, 1606.

• Kugel, James L. Traditions of the Bible: A Guide to the Bible as It Was at the Start of the Common Era. Harvard University Press, 1998.

• Molnar, Michael R. The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi. Rutgers University Press, 1999.

• North, John David. The Ambassadors’ Secret: Holbein and the World of the Renaissance. Hambledon and London, 2002.

• Pingree, David. From Astral Omens to Astrology: From Babylon to Bīkāner. Variorum, 1997.

• Rappaport, Benjamin. Frankincense and Myrrh: A Study of the Arabian Incense Trade. ArchaeoPress, 2002.

• Vermes, Geza. The Changing Faces of Jesus. Penguin, 2001.