Friday, January 7, 2011
Story on Salt Lake City NBC Station
In conjunction with the celebration of Epiphany on January 6th, the NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City did a very nice piece on the book. I was especially glad that the reporter sought me out, since there are some very clear affinities between the theology/christology of the Latter Day Saint Church and the Revelation of the Magi.
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Wonderful--I'm excited to read your book. I often wonder how many thousands of ancient manuscripts buried in old libraries and in the Vatican there really are, untranslated, and what they could reveal to us and add to our knowledge with the cannon of scriptures we now have. But gradually the earth is giving up it's hidden treasures and eventually all will be restored, in God's own time.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the religions of the world all have wonderful truths, but through eons of time, have diversified and lost much of what Christ tried to establish on the earth. But when he comes again, all truth will be revealed and restored again, and it will just be "His" church, the Kingdom of God on the earth as it should be.
I'm curious: How you were able to get your hands on this document and receive permission to translate it? Was it under the ownership of the Vatican?
Hi, Brent,
ReplyDeleteThanks for making this fascinating bit of history available to the public. I have a couple of questions. First, in footnote 71 you say that "Silent prayer was rather uncommon in ancient religions and often viewed with some suspicion..." Reading Bernard McGinn and other scholars of your stature, I haven't gotten that impression. Can you please direct me to sources that could help me learn more about that? Second, on p. 94, you mention Antonio de la Calancha's noting of "similarities between Andean traditional religion and Christianity." I've tried to find English translations of his "Corónica Moralizada...en el Peru," with no success. My Spanish isn't up to reading it, but do you know of any sources in English that quote or at least comment on Calancha's ideas? What about other writers, ancient or modern, with similar observations? All this is for a section of a book I'm writing about contemplative prayer, or possibly a later book about Christ as revealed in non-Christian religion and mythology. Thanks.
Gary Hassig, Colorado Springs, coloradical-writing@hotmail.com
Dear Brent,
ReplyDeleteI had been so intrigued by your book since I saw your interview last Christmas time on Nightline. I finally got the book and have just finished reading it tonight. All I can say is WOW. It's incredible. Thank you for bringing Revelation of the Magi to English light. I am sure you have heard before of the similarities and symbolism to many LDS beliefs. As an ordinary LDS mom, it was very exciting to read. I also appreciated your commentaries and footnotes. Keep up the good work. I look forward to reading your complete dissertation.
Sincerely,
Bridges (aka: Queen of Calm)
I just picked up a copy of The Revelation of the Magi at the library and I am super excited to read it. I am working on a manuscript for a novel involving the Magi and the teenage Jesus. I am excited to read a historical document that chronicles the Magi and adds a different perspective as well as new information about them that is not in Bible. (That's why I am writing the story that I am working on, it's not in the Bible and has a blank slate for the imagination.) Thank you for adding this publication to the mainstream so that people like me can further feed their interest in the Magi and their mysterious relationship to the person that became Jesus. -Rachael Sheridan resheridanspace.blogspot.com, rachaelsheridan.com
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this book today for the second time and will read it again and again. I believe it to be divinely inspired. Christmastime is a bittersweet time. God humbled Himself and took human form as a baby; His mission to die for our sins and save the world is reinforced in this little book. I am grateful to Brent Landau for translating this marvelous work.
ReplyDeleteDear Dr Landau,
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you might be able to help me at all?
I'm working for BBC Religion and Ethics, and currently I’m researching a Radio 2 program about astronomy and the Christmas Story, based specifically around the Magi and the ‘star’ they followed.
It will be a live interactive event from the Planetarium at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. Hardeep Singh Kohli, with the Public Astronomer, Marek Kukula, recreate the cosmos as it would have been seen 2000 years ago to unravel the mystery behind the most famous star gazers in history - the Three Wise Men. On a virtual journey, they talk to historical astronomers, art historians from the National Gallery, Vatican officials and end up enlisting help from NASA, the Bishop of Cologne and the BBC's Iran correspondent.
The planetarium and its projections of the ancient skies form the central base of this programme onto which a rich tapestry of clips and live guests track the course of the Star of Bethlehem and reveal the dramatic and perilous journey these Wise Men would have made. The audience will follow 'the Star' and the shifting heavens with a specially created app, synchronised with the programme to update as the story and the night-time sky develops.
I'd like to speak with you about possibly contributing. Is there a good time for me to ring you?
If you are not interested, perhaps you can suggest someone who might be able to help?
I look forward to speaking with you soon.
All the best,
Nija Dalal
Researcher/Assistant Producer
BBC Radio 4
1st Floor Dock House
MediaCity UK
Salford
M50 2LH
Tel: 07712 872 449
E-mail: Nija.Dalal[at]bbc[dot]co[dot]uk