CBB Review: Three Kings, Ten Mysteries

Grzegorz Gorny reveals the hidden story behind the Epiphany in his new book Three Kings, Ten Mysteries: The Secrets of Christmas and Epiphany. Anyone with a keen observation is well aware that the story of the Magi is only briefly touched upon in the Scripture. The story of the Three Kings is based upon a single reference in the second chapter of the book of Matthew. Their appearance is brief yet filled with symbolism.  However, this briefly covered event in the New Testament often leads people to wonder, did it happen?

To explain and detail the story of the three kings, Gorny presents the following ten mysteries:

1. The Phantom Apostle: This chapter deals with the mysterious apostle Matthew. Referred to as the “phantom apostle” because we know little about Matthew other than he was a tax collector called by Christ. His appearances in scripture after his calling are few.

2. The Gospel’s Veracity: An interesting chapter, focusing on the validity of the Gospels themselves.

3. Messianic Prophecies: A compelling study on the Old Testament prophecies, their foretelling of the coming of a great Messiah, and what modern scholars have discovered.

4. Magi or Kings?: Who were these mysterious three men? Was their own three? Where exactly did they come from? This chapter address that and more.

5. The Magi’s Homeland: This chapter takes a look into where exactly did the Magi come from. As Matthew states, the wise men came from the East. The mystery in that is that East meant different areas for different locales.

6. Jesus’ Birth Date: A fascinating chapter due in part to Pope Benedict XVI’s comment is the third volume of his Jesus of Nazareth series a few years ago.

7. Signs in the Sky: Was a star in the sky enough to pique the wise men’s curiosity and lead them to the Messiah? The chapter also looks into whether any other astronomical anomalies have occurred with such great significance.

8. Bethlehem’s Secrets: A particularly interesting chapter that takes a deep-dive look at the town of Bethlehem.

9. The Case of King Herod: Herod by far is one of the more diabolical characters in the New Testament. This chapter provides a laundry list of Herod’s crimes to show just how cold-hearted he was.

10. The Oldest Feast: The Epiphany is one of the oldest feast days of the church. This chapter explains why and its history.

This compelling read comes in at 167 pages. However, that is not complete reading material. A large portion of the book is filled with some beautiful photos of Holy Land sites and relics. This is a great addition to the book and adds a sense of closeness to the topic allowing readers to be transported through time to the birthplace of Jesus. Whether we call them the three kings, the Magi or the three wise men our exposure to them used to be limited to a few short verses. Grzegorz Gorny has drawn the curtains of history back from the mystery of the Magi in a compelling read.

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