How Epiphany Refutes The Left’s Obsession With Race

On January 6, Christians around the world celebrate Epiphany, the Twelfth Day of Christmas. Traditionally in the West, this holiday commemorates the visit of the Three Wise Men to present their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh at the manger of Jesus Christ. While the spiritual impact of this holy day is far and away the most important aspect of the feast, it also contains an element that combats one of the most noxious elements of public discourse: an obsession with race and ethnic identity.

Initially, the holiday celebrated on January 6 commemorated the birth of Christ, as well as the visit of the Magi, Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, and Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Each of these events came to be celebrated separately by the fourth century. In the West, the holiday came to focus on the Magi. The Bible speaks about how a shining, resplendent star led three wise men from a far country to Bethlehem, to the cradle of Christ. Early Christians said this fulfilled the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “They shall bring gold and incense, and they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord” (Isaiah 60:6), as well as the intertestamental book of Tobit, “Many nations will come from afar to the name of the Lord God, bearing gifts in their hands, gifts for the King of heaven: (13:11 [13:14 in the Douay-Rheims version]).