TODAY IS THE FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY, WHEN THE 3 WISE KINGS FOUND THE NEWBORN JESUS AND ADORED HIM

THE WISE KINGS REPRESENTED WORLDLY POWER AND INTELLIGENCE. YET THEY PROSTRATED THEMSELVES IN FRONT OF A BABY OF AN IMPOVERISHED FAMILY IN A STABLE. THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING GREATER THAN THEIR POWERS

THEY BROUGHT GIFTS OF GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH REPRESENTING 3 ASPECTS OF JESUS

GOLD IS ETERNAL WORLDLY POWER

FRANKINCENSE (OR NOBLE INCENSE) IS THE RESIN OF A NORTH-AFRICAN TREE

INCENSE REPRESENTS JESUS’ DEITY, THAT DIVINE SPIRIT THAT IS ALL AROUND US LIKE PERFUME IN THE AIR

MYRRH IS AN OIL OR RESIN DERIVED FROM A TREE AND WAS USED IN MEDICINE AND EMBALMING. IT REPRESENTS JESUS’ HUMAN MORTALITY

IN THIS PAINTING BY THE NEAPOLITAN ROCCOCO ARTIST CORRADO GIAQUINTI THE MAGUS CASPAR (IN THE RED CAPE) IS OFFERING THE FRANKINCENSE. IN THE 20TH CENTURY THIS PAINTING BELONGED TO AN ITALIAN JEWISH COLLECTOR LIVING IN PARIS. HE DIED IN 1940 JUST BEFORE PARIS FELL TO THE NAZIS. HIS COLLECTION WAS AUCTIONED IN 1941 ACCORDING TO NAZI-OCCUPATION LAWS. IN 1999 THE COLLECTOR’S HEIRS HAD THE AUCTION DECLARED NULL. THE PAINTING IS CURRENTLY IN THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BOSTON, USA