1. Catholic Word of the Day: Epiphany
The word has been used in Catholic worship and spirituality as early as 361 AD and comes from the Greek word epiphainein, which means “reveal.” Even though it wasn’t used in a Christian context until the 300s, we see the name “Ephiphanes” used in the Old Testament, but not by the most savory of character.
2. Mysteries of the Magi – Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World
In this episode, Catholic Answers apologist, Jimmy Akin, explores the many questions surrounding these mysterious biblical figures.
3. Only 3 Magi? Why not 12?
In the pseudepigraphal Revelation of the Magi, an important text in Syrian Orthodox Christianity, there are actually 12 Magi who visit the Christ Child. While the text is ancient, it was never intended to be a purely historical account of the birth of Jesus or the Epiphany as the original story is presented in Matthew. However, it has some interesting spiritual and literary insight that has proven valuable in an ancient Christian community for over 1,000 years. You can read an interesting article and introduction to Revelation of the Magi here.
4. Leonardo Da Vinci unfinished “gift of the Magi”
Leonardo Da Vinco began, but never finished, a painting about the Magi for a group of Augustinian monks to use as an altarpiece. You can check out a description here.
5. NEED MORE? There are tons of great articles about the Epiphany right here on Epic Pew, including:
- 5 Lessons all Catholics Must Learn from the Magi this Epiphany
- Epiphany-themed read-alouds for the kids
- A Witch and the Three Kings for Epiphany?
Check out previous Catholic Five! posts here and don’t forget to subscribe to receive a new Catholic Five! every day!