ther: Let us go over to Bethlehem . . .
and they came with haste." Second in order were the Magi, who came to
Christ on the thirteenth day after His birth, on which day is kept
the feast of the Epiphany. For if they had come after a year, or even
two years, they would not have found Him in Bethlehem, since it is
written (Luke 2:39) that "after they had performed all things
according to the law of the Lord"--that is to say, after they had
offered up the Child Jesus in the Temple--"they returned into
Galilee, to their city"--namely, "Nazareth." In the third place, it
was made known in the Temple to the righteous on the fortieth day
after His birth, as related by Luke (2:22).

The reason of this order is that the shepherds represent the apostles
and other believers of the Jews, to whom the faith of Christ was made
known first; among whom there were "not many mighty, not many noble,"
as we read 1 Cor. 1:26. Secondly, the faith of Christ came to the
"fulness of the Gentiles"; and this is foreshadowed in the Magi.
Thirdly it came to the fulness of the Jews, which is foreshadowed in
the righteous. Wherefore also Christ was manifested to them in the
Jewish Temple.

Reply Obj. 1: As the Apostle says (Rom. 9:30, 31): "Israel, by
following after the law of justice, is not come unto the law of
justice": but the Gentiles, "who followed not after justice,"
forestalled the generality of the Jews in the justice which is of
faith. As a figure of this, Simeon, "who was waiting for the
consolation of Israel," was the last to know Christ born: and he was
preceded by the Magi and the shepherds, who did not await the coming
of Christ with such longing.

Reply Obj. 2: Although the "fulness of the Gentiles came in" unto
faith before the fulness of the Jews, yet the first-fruits of the
Jews preceded the first-fruits of the Gentiles in faith. For this
reason the birth of Christ was made known to the shepherds before the
Magi.

Reply Obj. 3: There are two opinions about the apparition of the star
seen by the Magi. For Chrysostom (Hom. ii in Matth. [*Opus Imperf. in
Matth., falsely ascribed to Chrysostom]), and Augustine in a sermon
on the Epiphany (cxxxi, cxxxii), say that the star was seen by the
Magi during the two years that preceded the birth of Christ: and
then, having first considered the matter and prepared themselves for
the journey, they came from the farthest east to Christ, arriving on
the thirteenth day after His birth. Wherefor