{"id":3858,"date":"2025-01-05T22:36:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-05T22:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/?p=3858"},"modified":"2025-01-05T22:36:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-05T22:36:04","slug":"a-meditation-for-epiphany-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/?p=3858","title":{"rendered":"A Meditation for Epiphany 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>This week I am once again publishing a bit early. January 6 is Epiphany, which is traditionally the celebration of the coming of the Wise Men to see Jesus. As the notes at the bottom of the poem note, I’ve been working for on this poem for some time. I’ve even published it before. Nevertheless, I think it has a message given through the voice of Quirinius. It gives voice to the fatalism of an older, cynical, and world weary public servant of an empire faced with inevitable decline.<\/p>\n

When Quirinius Was Governor of Syria<\/strong><\/p>\n

A bright day for traveling, but foreboding warns\u2014
\nThe transit of Magi may be a vile omen.
\nI sent them on to Herod, confident his fear and paranoia
\nWill unravel the mystery of a messianic child-king.<\/p>\n

Octavian: Friendship did not send me here
\nTo oversee an unpopular tax at your empire\u2019s edge,
\nWith Varus barely competent and Herod \u201cthe Great,\u201d
\nYour lap dog perched upon his throne by a razor\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n

With no legitimate claim to rule, only convenient friendship,
\nForce of arms and a conniving mind, devious and twisted,
\nA man lacking any genuine principles or honor,
\nHerod rules because he flatters Rome and enlists our aid.<\/p>\n

We can trust Herod no further than our leash extends:
\nThe Arabian revolt and his actions then shows
\nHe will honor us, then another, then us again
\nIf it serves some dark purpose or strategy.<\/p>\n

Nicholas of Alexandria defended his most recent
\nScheme\u2014and if death does not interfere,
\nThere will be another duplicity, another scheme,
\nIntrigue upon intrigue until he lives no more.<\/p>\n

Worse, his \u201cpeople\u201d loath and hate him for his blood
\nIs only half Jewish, and that half open to question.
\nTherefore, this visit of Wise Men sparks my fear
\nThat to overthrow this usurper may be Heaven\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

(Not that this would be too cruel a fate\u2014
\nThat this Idumean upstart, a vassal king
\nWho treats his pigs better than wives or children
\nShould be replaced is not too terrible a thing.)<\/p>\n

I warned our \u201cfriend\u201d and \u201cking\u201d by a secret message,
\nSent with the Star Followers from Chaldea far to the east,
\nKnowing full well Herod\u2019s madness and cruelty
\nWill cause the death of at least one small and helpless child.<\/p>\n

These Median wanderers and their speculation
\nConcerning a Jewish King born in Palestine,
\nhome to Rome\u2019s most stiff-necked subjects,
\nAssures death when Herod hears their reading of the stars.<\/p>\n

Someday, I fear, Herod\u2019s \u201cfriendship\u201d notwithstanding,
\nWe will raze their temple, disbursing Jews as an example
\nOf our powers of domination and willingness to us \u00a0it
\n(These Jews, with their One God and disdain for other Gods)<\/p>\n

Octavian: I watch these Wise Men fade into the autumn sun
\nAs I watch my life fade into that autumn that leads
\nAll men to another world, deep below where Hades
\nRules. We are but slaves and shadows of the night.<\/p>\n

My heart is desperate within me and wishes it were not so,
\nBut I see no light beyond this darkness we inhabit.
\nHow could any Olympian light follow this life of maintaining
\nA violent empire doomed to fall \u00a0(when we cannot know).<\/p>\n

My career, our friendship, this empire Rome created
\nAnd I serve, is founded on power, deceit, and force of arms.
\nI am honored for my defeat of the Homonadenses\u2014
\nA victory no one will recall within a generation of my death.<\/p>\n

I have served as commander, governor, tutor, counselor,
\nFriend of Augustus Caesar and loyal servant of Rome,
\nAll this is but a spider\u2019s web of violence and shrewdness
\nMy glory and honor will last no longer than my life.<\/p>\n

All this for you, Octavian, Augustus, “Son of Caesar” (that
\nChild of ambition that broke our Republic and left
\nUs with this \u201cempire,\u201d vast, unstable, and expensive–
\nIt dooms our ancient character through riches and war.<\/p>\n

Old friend, we are not the powers we think we are,
\nOnly servants of silent powers and principalities of the air,
\nPowers we believe we control but which, in fact,
\nControl us and our destinies, and wish us death in the end.<\/p>\n

No, I cannot deliver this to you, old friend;
\nIt would be my certain death now and not tomorrow.
\nYet, how I wish I might write to you this word of my heart
\nThat together we might find our way out of history\u2019s trap.<\/p>\n

Now, they are gone, these pilgrims, gone to seek a God\/Man,
\nThis anointed Messiah for which the Jews so anxiously wait.
\nWould it be, I wonder, such a bad thing if this King of Kings
\nDid arrive and we all gave up our pride and bowed down?<\/p>\n

Gone our wars, gone intrigue, gone the lies of diplomacy\u2014
\nAll that I have spent my life doing and achieving
\nSwallowed up in a victory of a Prince of Peace:
\nFoolishness, of course, but if true, then what?<\/p>\n

(Written by Chris Scruggs)<\/p>\n

Note: I suppose this poem may have been inspired by some memory of T. S. Eliot\u2019s poem, \u201cJourney of the Magi.\u201d It began in a November day of 1991 as I sat in the Union Theological Seminary library studying for final exams. It was cold and the leaves were swirling outside. Suddenly, I was overcome with the transience of empires. The first lines were written that day. Years later, I worked on it again in Brownsville, Tennessee, recognizing that it needed much work. Recently, inspired by a friend, I began again. That day in Richmond, I researched the figure Quirinius, who Luke says was governor of Syria, when Jesus was born (Luke 2:1). Now, I work on it from time to time in San Antonio.<\/p>\n

Pubilius Sulpicius Quirinius (51 B.C.- 21 A.D.) was a friend of Caesar Augustus. Born of an aristocratic family, he was a good administrator and daring military leader. Luke has been questioned as to the veracity of his account because Quirinius did not actually become governor until 6 A.D. However, he held official posts in the region from 10 B.C. until about 7 B.C., which puts him in the region at or about the time of Jesus\u2019 birth. He was an excellent soldier, capable administrator, and friend of Caesar. Census\u2019 were taken about every fourteen years, and scholars believe that one might have been taken in the year 8 B.C.\u2014a time when Quirinius was present. His role during this period was probably that of an extraordinary legetate with Quinctilius Varus as the Governor, who was not as capable as Quirinius. Varus appears in the poem as a figure Quirinius does not think capable. Quirinius ended his political career during the reign of Tiberius and died a trusted advisor and friend to Caesar. I have completely made up the notion that the Wise Men met him in Syria, though the trade routes might have taken them in that way. I have also made up the notion that by this time, Quirinius was a world-weary servant who knows only too well the vagaries of history.<\/p>\n

Herod the Great (74 B.C.-4 B.C.) was a friend of Octavian and the Roman government, to whom he owed his power. He was capable, brilliant, ambitious, and over time, cruel and mad. The title \u201cGreat\u201d comes from his great building projects, which included the Second Temple, Caesarea Maritima, Masada, and Herodium, where he died. Herod was of both Jewish and Idumean descent. Because of this, he had no real claim to the Jewish throne and was hated by the Jews. He was viewed as a half-breed. His cruelty and murder of his wife, mother-in-law, and three sons caused Augustus to famously say, \u201cIt is better to be a pig in Herod\u2019s household than a son.\u201d Although Herod was a client king of Rome and generally loyal, he was not above minor challenges to Rome\u2019s authority. One of these minor disloyalties is referenced in the poem.<\/p>\n

The Magi were probably historically of Median origin. Babylon and the region of Chaldea were famous for its wise men. The Medes were a warlike people, but after their conquest by the Persians, the ceased to have military power, they turned to scholarship and wisdom. Thus, the term \u201cWise Men\u201d is not entirely without foundation. These Magi studied the stars and believed in the powers of their astrology. They were sought after as advisors.<\/p>\n

As Rome grew, it became increasingly unstable militarily and economically. The empire founded by Julius Caesar and solidified by Augustus Caesar ended the Roman Republic and the virtues of the early Roman State. It\u2019s stable years did not last for long, and by 64 A.D. when Nero allowed the burning of Rome, it was on a long slide towards is fall, which is ordinarily placed around 410 A.D.<\/p>\n

All this has been on my mind because Christmas and Epiphany are my favorite times of the year, and the American Empire resembles the Roman Empire in many ways \u2014a republic founded on simple virtues corrupted by wealth and power.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Beginning next week, I will write a series of blogs on the Powers and Principalities, which have a purpose for both the last of the Arthur Stone novels and my work on political theology. In the next few weeks, I will publish Illumined \u00a0by WIsdom and Love<\/em>, a philosophical work.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025, G. Christopher Scruggs, All Rights Reserved<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week I am once again publishing a bit early. January 6 is Epiphany, which is traditionally the celebration of the coming of the Wise Men to see Jesus. As the notes at the bottom of the poem note, I’ve been working for on this poem for some time. I’ve even published it before. Nevertheless, … Continue reading A Meditation for Epiphany 2025<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4CzBH-10e","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3858"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3858\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3868,"href":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3858\/revisions\/3868"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gchristopherscruggs.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}