mahabali

PRESTOR JOHN, THE KALABHRAS AND MAHABALI ; WHAT IS ONAM ALL ABOUT? M. M. NINAN
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original Greek text of the Gospel of Matthew. Greek magos itself is derived from
Old Persian maguŝ from the Avestan magâunô, i.e., the religious caste into
which Zoroaster was born. The term refers to the priestly caste of
Zoroastrianism As part of their religion, these priests paid particular attention to
the stars and gained an international reputation for astrology, which was at that
time highly regarded as a science. Their religious practices and use of astrology
caused derivatives of the term Magi to be applied to the occult in general and
led to the English term magic. Historically Science developed from the
magicians who experimented with matter and energy to do magical results.
Hence
the King James Version translates Magi as wise men, the same
translation is applied to the wise men led by Daniel of earlier Hebrew Scriptures
(Daniel 2:48). The first biblical mention of Magi is Jer 39:3
“And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate,
even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer,
Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.“
Rab-Mag actually refers to chief Magi.
Daniel was the head of the Magicians. Daniel 2:48: "Then the king made Daniel
a great man, and gave him many gifts,
and made him ruler of the whole
province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men
[Hebrew/Aramaic = Magi] of Babylon."
We know that Daniel’s speciality was
interpreting dreams. A spiritual scientist who also became a powerful ruler. The
title remained with the dispersed tribes of Israel who excelled in their sciences
which among others included reading the stars – astrology and interpreting
dreams and telling the future.
The same word is given as sorcerer and sorcery when describing "Elymas the
sorcerer" in Acts 13:6–11, and Simon Magus, considered a heretic by the early
Church, in Acts 8:9–13. Though today we have a great distaste with the words
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