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Matthew

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Chapter 2

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem 2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”⁠ 3 When King Herod heard this he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.⁠ 5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “for it is written this way by the prophet: 6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are in no way least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”⁠ 7 Then Herod privately summoned the wise men and determined from them when the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and look carefully for the child. When you find him, inform me so that I can go and worship him as well.” 9 After listening to the king they left, and once again the star they saw when it rose led them until it stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star they shouted joyfully. 11 As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back by another route to their own country.⁠ 13 After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to look for the child to kill him.” 14 Then he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and went to Egypt. 15 He stayed there until Herod died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”⁠ 16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged.⁠ He sent men to kill all the children in Bethlehem and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under,⁠ according to the time he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: 18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud wailing, Rachel weeping for her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they were gone.”⁠ 19 After Herod had died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up and took the child and his mother and returned to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream, he went to the regions of Galilee. 23 He came to a town called Nazareth and lived there. Then what had been spoken by the prophets was fulfilled, that Jesus would be called a Nazarene.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Matthew 2:2 and Protoevangelium of James 21

New Testament · Early Christian

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Summary

The Protoevangelium of James draws the magi story directly from Matthew, preserving the star, the gifts, and Herod’s deception. It moves the scene to a cave, merging Matthew’s wise men with Luke’s manger into the nativity image.

Passages

Matthew 2:2

New Testament
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem 2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “for it is written this way by the prophet:
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

Protoevangelium of James 21

Early Christian · Gospel of James
21 Joseph was preparing to travel to Judea, but there was a great commotion in Bethlehem because some wise men (Magi) had arrived, asking, “Where is the one born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed and sent officers to speak with the Magi. He also summoned the priests and questioned them, asking, “What does the scripture say about the Christ? Where is He to be born?” They replied, “In Bethlehem of Judea, as it is written.” After sending the priests away, Herod questioned the Magi further, asking, “What sign did you see concerning this newborn king?” The Magi answered, “We saw a large star shining so brightly among the others that it obscured their light, and we knew from this that a king had been born to Israel. That’s why we came to worship him.” Herod said, “Go and search for him, and if you find him, let me know so that I can go and worship him too.” The Magi then left. The star they had seen in the east reappeared and guided them until it stopped over the cave. When they entered, they found the child with His mother Mary. They opened their bags and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Afterward, having been warned by an angel not to go into Judea, they went back to their country by a different road.
150–200 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Protoevangelium of James

References

“... Protoevangelium of James 21:2 says that the uproar is caused by three wise men who are looking for a “child who has been born King of the Jews.” They explain that they “saw his star… and have come to worship him.” Protoevangelium of James 21:2 shows parallels in Matthew 2:1-2. Indeed, the parallels are identical in sequence and the wording is almost verbatim. Matthew accounts for the wise men, but adds that they “from the East came to Jerusalem.” Additionally, Matthew and our author both report verbatim that the magi “saw his star in the East.” This weaving is most evident after the description of the enrollment. When Joseph and Mary are preparing to head into Bethlehem of Judea as they are in Luke 2:4, our author describes an uproar that arises in Bethlehem initiated by the arrival of the wise men. Since there are no parallels to this uproar either in Matthew or Luke, likely this addition is an invention by our author. The details of the wise men, including their questioning of the location of the child, observance of his star, and their desire to worship him in our narrative, are taken directly from Matthew 2:1-2 ...”
Lily Vuong, Accessing the Virgin: Gender and Purity in the Protoevangelium of James (McMaster University, 2010), 338.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Matthew 2:2 and Protoevangelium of James 21

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