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 Listen to Excess Baggage for
23 December 2006
THE MAGI - GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, MYRRH
No-one knows exactly where they came from, how long they took to get there, whether they were kings or not, nor even how many there were, but we do know that they arrived in Bethlehem.
The Magi, as outlined in the Gospel of St Matthew, are surely some of the most famous travellers in Western history. Little is known about the reality behind the myths of the wise men from the east.
Sandi Toksvig is joined by Dr Helen Bond, Senior Lecturer in New Testament Language, Literature and Theology at Edinburgh University, Juliet Highet, photographer and author of a new book entitled ‘Frankincense: Oman’s gift to the world’, Andrew Dalby, linguist and historian and Richard Herrington, a mineral exploration geologist and co author of Gold, to explore the story of the Magi and their precious gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh and discover the connection between the little baby Jesus and the Queen of Sheba.
Presented by Sandi Toksvig
This week's guests:
Dr Helen Bondis a Senior Lecturer in New Testament Language, Literature and Theology at Edinburgh University. She is a New Testament historian interested in most aspects of the social, cultural and religious context of Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity and also specializes in Women in the New Testament, Jewish and Roman world of the first century, Historical Jesus studies, Josephus - a 1st century Jewish historian.
Juliet Highet is a photographer who has lived and travelled in Africa and India as well as the Middle East especially Jordan. She writes on antiquities and art for magazines in the Middle East. Until a few years ago, Juliet knew little about frankincense.
On a photographic trip to Oman and to the area in the south of the country next to Yemen, Juliet’s guide got out a knife and proceeded to strip away the bark of a scrubby little tree in the desert. A few pearly white drops of resin appeared where he had made the cut and an amazing strong aroma filled the air. This was frankincense. That moment inspired her search to discover the history of Frankincense.
Frankincense: Oman's Gift to the World
Publisher: Prestel Verlag
ISBN: 3791336959
Andrew Dalbyis a linguist and historian. The languages in his repertoire include Sanskrit, Pali, French, Latin, Greek, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, German, and Burmese. Andrew lives in France, where he grows fruit, makes cider, and writes. His books on food history include DangerousTastes: the story of spices. He has also contributed the chapter on myrrh to the Oxford Companion to Food.
Dangerous Tastes: the story of spices
Publisher: British Museum Press
ISBN: 071412771X
Oxford Companion to Food
Publisher: Oxford University Press; 2Rev Ed edition
ISBN: 0192806815
Richard Herringtonstarted out as a mineral exploration geologist identifying sources of minerals for the Canadian government, especially gold in Southern Europe, Italy and turkey. He is now a researcher into the origins of mineral deposits at the Natural History Museum. He has co-authored the Natural History Museum book Gold.
Gold
by Bob Symes, Richard Herrington, Chris Stanley
Publisher: The Natural History Museum
ISBN: 056509141
MUSIC:
Track (5): From Far Away We Come
CD: Amahl and the night visitors
Composer: Gian Carlo Menotti
Performers: Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Label: That’s Entertainment CDTER / 1124
Track (3): We Three Kings
CD: A Choral Christmas
Composer: traditional – Arranger: P. Edwards
Performers: English Chorale with Baroque Brass of London
Label: VIP CDVIP / 168
Track (21): Solomon
CD: Georg Friedrich Handel – Overturen – Overtures
Composer: Handel
Performers: Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields; Kenneth Sillito
Label: CAPRICCIO 10 / 420The BBC cannot be held responsible for
the content of external sites | | | | | | PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES | | | | |  Sandi Toksvig:
The daughter of a foreign correspondent, Sandi has been travelling all her life more info | | |
 John McCarthy is a widely travelled journalist and presenter with a particular interest in the Middle East. | |
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