meaning can be of the fact that the Jews answered from scripture the inquiry of
92 SAINT A UGUSTINE - SERMONS are not in communion with the Eastern Church, where that star appeared. Let us, though, celebrate in the unity of the nations the manifestation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by which he picked the firstfruits of the nations.
It was then, you see, that the boy, before he knew how to say "father" or "mother," as had been prophesied about him, received the strength of Damascus and the spoils of Samaria.5 That is, before he could utter human words through human lips, he received the strength of Damascus—the thing, that is to say, which Damascus presumptuously relied on. That city, you see, when it was flourishing in worldly terms, had presumptuously relied on riches. But among riches the palm is given to gold, which the Magi offered to Christ as suppliants. As for the spoils of Samaria, that is what the people were who inhabited the place. That's because Samaria stands for idolatry. You see, that's where the people of Israel turned away from the Lord, and turned to the worship of idols.6 Now Christ was going to outmaneuver and vanquish the devil's empire throughout the whole world with a spiritual sword; and so as a child he extracted these first spoils from the dominion of idolatry, turning the Magi away from that pestilential superstition,7 and convert¬ ing them to the worship of himself. He couldn't yet speak with his tongue on earth, so he spoke from heaven with a star; and thus he demonstrated who he was, and where and for whose sake he had come, not with the voice of flesh, but by the power of the Word which had become flesh.8
This Word, you see, which in the beginning was God with God, and had already become flesh to dwell among us,9 had both come to us and yet was still remaining with the Father; while not deserting the angels up above, he was gathering humanity to himself, with the aid of angels, down below. He was both shining as Word with the unchangeable light of truth on the inhabitants of heaven, and lying in a manger because the lodging-house was crowded out. A star was pointed out by him in the sky,10 and in turn pointed him out to be worshiped on earth.
And yet this infant, so powerful, so great, as a tiny child fled to Egypt from the hostility of Herod in the arms of his parents. In this way, speaking to his members not yet by word of mouth but by deeds, he silently said, If they persecute you in one city, flee to another (Mt 10:23). He was wearing, after all, the mortal flesh in which he was representing us, in which in due course he was going to die for us. That is why he received from those Magi not only gold as a sign of honor, and frankincense as a sign of worship, but also myrrh as a sign of his future burial. In the tiny children whom Herod slew he also showed what sort of people were going to die for his name; how innocent they would be, and how humble. Why, he even indicated the number of precepts on which the whole law depends, and the prophets,11 in their being up to two years old.12
Don't the Jews show the Gentiles the Chri whom they decline to worship with the Gentilei
3. But now then, can there be anybody who is not curious to know what the meaning can be of the fact that the Jews answered from scripture the inquiry of