The Story of the Other Wise Man | Page 3

gold-mines of Ophir?"
There was a murmur of assent among the listeners.
"The stars," said Tigranes, "are the thoughts of the Eternal. They are
numberless. But the thoughts of man can be counted, like the years of
his life. The wisdom of the Magi is the greatest of all wisdoms on earth,
because it knows its own ignorance. And that is the secret of power.
We keep men always looking and waiting for a new sunrise. But we
ourselves know that the darkness is equal to the light, and that the
conflict between them will never be ended."
"That does not satisfy me," answered Artaban, "for, if the waiting must
be endless, if there could be no fulfilment of it, then it would not be
wisdom to look and wait. We should become like those new teachers of
the Greeks, who say that there is no truth, and that the only wise men
are those who spend their lives in discovering and exposing the lies that
have been believed in the world. But the new sunrise will certainly
dawn in the appointed time. Do not our own books tell us that this will
come to pass, and that men will see the brightness of a great light?"
"That is true," said the voice of Abgarus; "every faithful disciple of
Zoroaster knows the prophecy of the Avesta and carries the word in his

heart. 'In that day Sosiosh the Victorious shall arise out of the number
of the prophets in the east country. Around him shall shine a mighty
brightness, and he shall make life everlasting, incorruptible, and
immortal, and the dead shall rise again.'"
"This is a dark saying," said Tigranes, "and it may be that we shall
never understand it. It is better to consider the things that are near at
hand, and to increase the influence of the Magi in their own country,
rather than to look for one who may be a stranger, and to whom we
must resign our power."
The others seemed to approve these words. There was a silent feeling
of agreement manifest among them; their looks responded with that
indefinable expression which always follows when a speaker has
uttered the thought that has been slumbering in the hearts of his
listeners. But Artaban turned to Abgarus with a glow on his face, and
said:
"My father, I have kept this prophecy in the secret place of my soul.
Religion without a great hope would be like an altar without a living
fire. And now the flame has burned more brightly, and by the light of it
I have read other words which also have come from the fountain of
Truth, and speak yet more clearly of the rising of the Victorious One in
his brightness."
He drew from the breast of his tunic two small rolls of fine linen, with
writing upon them, and unfolded them carefully upon his knee.
"In the years that are lost in the past, long before our fathers came into
the land of Babylon, there were wise men in Chaldea, from whom the
first of the Magi learned the secret of the heavens. And of these Balaam
the son of Beor was one of the mightiest. Hear the words of his
prophecy: 'There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall
arise out of Israel.'"
The lips of Tigranes drew downward with contempt, as he said:
"Judah was a captive by the waters of Babylon, and the sons of Jacob

were in bondage to our kings. The tribes of Israel are scattered through
the mountains like lost sheep, and from the remnant that dwells in
Judea under the yoke of Rome neither star nor sceptre shall arise."
"And yet," answered Artaban, "it was the Hebrew Daniel, the mighty
searcher of dreams, the counsellor of kings, the wise Belteshazzar, who
was most honoured and beloved of our great King Cyrus. A prophet of
sure things and a reader of the thoughts of God, Daniel proved himself
to our people. And these are the words that he wrote." (Artaban read
from the second roll:) "'Know, therefore, and understand that from the
going forth of the commandment to restore Jerusalem, unto the
Anointed One, the Prince, the time shall be seven and threescore and
two weeks.'"
"But, my son," said Abgarus, doubtfully, "these are mystical numbers.
Who can interpret them, or who can find the key that shall unlock their
meaning?"
Artaban answered: "It has been shown to me and to my three
companions among the Magi--Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. We
have searched the ancient tablets of Chaldea and computed the time. It
falls in this year. We have studied the sky, and in the spring of the year
we saw two of the greatest stars draw near together in