HISTORY
HISTORY
About 6000 B.C. a Prophet arose among the Aryans in Bactria a man named Spitama Zarathustra. Near the River Oxus he had a vision of an Angel named Vohuman; the Son of Ahura Mazda (the Only Wise Lord). Vohuman taught Zarathustra the "Good Religion". Followers of the Good Religion became known as Mazdayasnis (Mazda-worshippers). The Greeks referred to Zarathustra as "Zoro-Astar" ("Brilliant Star"). The preaching of the Good Religion became known as the "Good News".
Among the Mazdayasnis were a caste of Mystics known as the Magavan ("Great Ones"). The Greeks called them the "Magoi" or "Magians". These were men with super-human mystical knowledge. They had the ability to interpret dreams. They also had powers of healing. They had powers of prophesy. They had the power to look into stones and "see" things. They could predict the future. they had the power to leave their physical bodies during trances and go to other locations, and even other dimensions. Kings sought the counsel of these "wise men". Sometimes a Magian would become a "King"; such as Melchizedek, king of Salem, in the time of Abraham (about 2000 B.C.)
The Magians spread out from Bactria into Persia, and from there into Babylon and Egypt and Palestine and even to Greece, and, some say, they were also the Augurs of ancient Rome and the Druids of ancient Briton. In India, they became known as the "Santos" (Holy Ones).
In ancient Egypt a "Wise Man" named Aye ("eye") taught the Pharoah Amenhotep III the "Good Religion". The Pharoah changed his name to "Anken-Aten" ("Aten Has Given Me Life"), the famous Pharoah who taught the existence of the One God ("Aten"); symbolized by the Light of the Sun.
Pharoah Ankhen-Aten build a "Garden of Aten" along the Nile, with four canals named after the Four-Great-Rivers the ancient Egyptians knew of (Tigris, Euphrates, Nile, and Indus) and a "Tree of Life" in the center. He and his wife Nefertiti had a daughter named "Khiyah" (similar to the Hebrew name for Eve which is "Khivah") who later married Aye, who was called "The Red One" ("Aw-Dawm" in Hebrew). But the priests of Amon rebelled, and cast out Aye and Khiyah from the Garden of Aten, and destroyed the Garden and temple compexes there.
The Jewish Prophet Daniel became the "Rad Mag" ("Head Magus") of Babylon, about 588 B.C., according to the Book of Daniel chapter 5. Daniel would rather face death than disobey His God. Yet, he accepted the position of Rab Mag without objection (see Daniel chapter 5). The "School of the Prophets" in ancient Israel was in fact a "school" of Jewish Magians.
King Herod believed that the Christ-child would become king, and he did not want this. So, he ordered all the male children from two years old and under to be killed in Bethlehem. This is known as "The Slaughter of the Innocents". But, an Angel warned Joseph in a dream to take Mary and Jesus and escape to Egypt.
The Gospels do not tell us what Joseph did in Egypt, but the Brotherhood knows that Joseph lived with a Brotherhood of Magians in Egypt, in Luxor; until Jesus was 12 years of age.
Jesus received His religious education from the Brotherhood at Luxor. Then Joseph and Mary returned to the Holy Land, stopping in Jerusalem at the Temple where Jesus astounded the Jewish priests and scribes with His knowledge.
The family continued on to Nazareth, where Jesus was then taught the trade of a tekton (carpenter and house-builder). He worked at this trade until the time He was thirty years of age. The very name of the village "Nazareth" means "Place of the Nazari". The term "Nazari" meant "Observers of the Secrets"; another term for the Magians.
Jesus referred to God as His "Father"; a term the Jews never used to refer to Jehovah. They referred to Him as "Adonai" ("Lord").
