Helgisagan um f\u00e6\u00f0ingu Jes\u00fa er \u00e1 \u00feessa lei\u00f0: \u00c1g\u00fastus keisari vill taka manntal og J\u00f3sef og Mar\u00eda \u00feurfa \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 fer\u00f0ast til Betlehem til a\u00f0 l\u00e1ta skr\u00e1setja sig. \u00dear sem ekki er pl\u00e1ss fyrir \u00feau \u00ed gistih\u00fasi hafast \u00feau vi\u00f0 \u00ed fj\u00e1rh\u00fasi og \u00fear ver\u00f0ur Mar\u00eda l\u00e9ttari. Engill birtist hir\u00f0um \u00fati \u00ed haga og segir \u00feeim a\u00f0 frelsari s\u00e9 f\u00e6ddur \u00ed l\u00edki reifabarns \u00ed j\u00f6tu og \u00feeir fara og segja J\u00f3sef og Mar\u00edu fr\u00e1 s\u00fdninni. \u00der\u00edr vitringar (e\u00f0a konungar) koma \u00far austri og fylgja stj\u00f6rnu hins n\u00fdf\u00e6dda konungs sem sta\u00f0n\u00e6mist yfir fj\u00e1rh\u00fasinu. \u00deeir f\u00e6ra barninu gjafir; gull, reykelsi og myrru.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00deetta \u00e1, samkv\u00e6mt helgis\u00f6gunni sem vi\u00f0 \u00f6ll \u00feekkjum, a\u00f0 hafa gerst \u00e1 j\u00f3lan\u00f3tt. En hva\u00f0 ger\u00f0ist \u00e1 j\u00f3ladag? S\u00fa saga er \u00f6llu lj\u00f3tari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Helgisagan er br\u00e6dd saman \u00far fr\u00e1s\u00f6gnum Matteusar og L\u00fakasar af d\u00f6gunum \u00ed kringum f\u00e6\u00f0ingu Jes\u00fa. L\u00fakas minnist ekki \u00e1 vitringa. Matteus minnist ekkert \u00e1 manntal og \u00fatsk\u00fdrir ekki hversvegna Mar\u00eda og J\u00f3sef voru st\u00f6dd \u00ed Betlehem \u00feegar barni\u00f0 f\u00e6ddist. Hvorki L\u00fakas n\u00e9 Matteus halda \u00fev\u00ed fram a\u00f0 Jes\u00fas hafi f\u00e6\u00f0st \u00ed desember. Hvorugur \u00feeirra minnist \u00e1 konunga en samkv\u00e6mt Wikiped\u00edu er l\u00edklegast a\u00f0 konungahugmyndin s\u00e9 fr\u00e1 Jesaja sp\u00e1manni (vers 60:6). \u00dea\u00f0 er ekki lj\u00f3st af \u00edslensku \u00fe\u00fd\u00f0ingunni a\u00f0 \u00fear s\u00e9 \u00e1tt vi\u00f0 konunga en hva\u00f0an sem konungarnir eru upprunnir er \u00fea\u00f0 allavega ekki \u00far gu\u00f0spj\u00f6llum N\u00fdja testamentisins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matteus minnist heldur ekkert \u00e1 \u00fea\u00f0 hversu margir vitringarnir voru. M\u00f6gulega hafa menn \u00e1lykta\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 \u00fat fr\u00e1 \u00feremur tegundum gjafa. Ekkert m\u00e6lir \u00fe\u00f3 gegn \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 margir hafi m\u00e6tt me\u00f0 samskonar gj\u00f6f e\u00f0a a\u00f0 \u00feeir hafi slegi\u00f0 saman. L\u00edklegasta sk\u00fdringin \u00e1 fj\u00f6lda vitringa er s\u00fa a\u00f0 \u00fer\u00edr er heil\u00f6g tala og \u00fev\u00ed vi\u00f0eigandi a\u00f0 hafa vitringana \u00ferj\u00e1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Helgisagan sambr\u00e6dda er betri en fr\u00e1sagnir gu\u00f0spjallamannanna. B\u00e6\u00f0i fyllri og fegurri og meiri \u00e6vint\u00fdralj\u00f3mi yfir henni. En hva\u00f0 svo? Framhaldi\u00f0 er ekki s\u00e9rlega j\u00f3lalegt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00dea\u00f0 er nokku\u00f0 \u00f3lj\u00f3st hven\u00e6r vitringarnir eiga a\u00f0 hafa komi\u00f0 til Betlehem. Matteus er ekki sk\u00fdr um \u00fea\u00f0 hvort barni\u00f0 var f\u00e6tt \u00feegar \u00feeir komu til Jer\u00fasalem en \u00feeir \u00e1ttu fyrst fund me\u00f0 Her\u00f3desi svo \u00fea\u00f0 vir\u00f0ist e\u00f0lilegri t\u00falkun a\u00f0 barni\u00f0 hafi \u00fe\u00e1 \u00feegar veri\u00f0 f\u00e6tt. Matteus segir semsagt ekki a\u00f0 vitringarnir hafi komi\u00f0 \u00e1 j\u00f3lan\u00f3tt. Fr\u00e1s\u00f6gn Matteusar gefur \u00fe\u00f3 til kynna a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 geti ekki hafa li\u00f0i\u00f0 mj\u00f6g langur t\u00edmi fr\u00e1 f\u00e6\u00f0ingu Jes\u00fa og fram a\u00f0 heims\u00f3kn vitringanna. Hvorttveggja er tala\u00f0 um hinn „n\u00fdf\u00e6dda konung“ en auk \u00feess voru J\u00f3sef og Mar\u00eda enn st\u00f6dd \u00ed Betlehem og \u00feau geta varla hafa veri\u00f0 m\u00e1nu\u00f0um saman fr\u00e1 heimili s\u00ednu \u00ed Nasaret. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matteus heldur \u00fev\u00ed svo a\u00f0 fram a\u00f0 daginn eftir a\u00f0 vitringarnir kv\u00f6ddu hafi J\u00f3sef og Mar\u00eda fl\u00fai\u00f0 til Egyptalands. Engill mun hafa vitrast J\u00f3sef \u00ed draumi og sagt honum fr\u00e1 \u00e1formum Her\u00f3desar um a\u00f0 drepa barni\u00f0. Jes\u00fas litli hefur \u00fev\u00ed varla veri\u00f0 laus vi\u00f0 naflast\u00fafinn \u00feegar hann og foreldrar hans ur\u00f0u fl\u00f3ttamenn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
S\u00e1 hluti j\u00f3las\u00f6gunnar sem greinir fr\u00e1 fl\u00f3ttanum til Egyptalands er ekki n\u00e6rri eins j\u00f3lalegur og fj\u00e1rh\u00fass-senan me\u00f0 barninu \u00ed j\u00f6tunni. Ef vi\u00f0 t\u00f6kum mi\u00f0 af helgis\u00f6gunni, sem gerir r\u00e1\u00f0 fyrir komu vitringanna til Betlehem strax \u00e1 j\u00f3lan\u00f3tt, \u00fe\u00e1 var\u00f0 Jes\u00fabarni\u00f0 fl\u00f3ttama\u00f0ur strax \u00e1 fyrsta degi l\u00edf s\u00edns, \u00e1 j\u00f3ladag. \u00c6 s\u00ed\u00f0an hafa kristnir menn, r\u00e9tt eins og flestir a\u00f0rir, hraki\u00f0 fr\u00e1 s\u00e9r fl\u00f3ttamenn e\u00f0a svipt \u00fe\u00e1 frelsi s\u00ednu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Helgis\u00f6gur eru ekki sagnfr\u00e6\u00f0i. Dregi\u00f0 hefur veri\u00f0 \u00ed efa a\u00f0 nokkurt manntal hafi veri\u00f0 teki\u00f0 \u00ed J\u00fadeu \u00e1 \u00feessum t\u00edma. Enn \u00f3sennilegra er a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 hafi veri\u00f0 gert me\u00f0 \u00feeim h\u00e1lfvitalega h\u00e6tti a\u00f0 senda heimsbygg\u00f0ina alla \u00e1 fer\u00f0alag. L\u00edklega \u00fej\u00f3na\u00f0i \u00fea\u00f0 a\u00f0 sta\u00f0setja J\u00f3sef og Mar\u00edu \u00ed Betlehem \u00feeim tilgangi a\u00f0 rekja \u00e6tt Jes\u00fa til Dav\u00ed\u00f0s konungs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sennilega voru J\u00f3sef og Mar\u00eda ekki a\u00f0 leita a\u00f0 h\u00f3teli. L\u00edklegra er a\u00f0 sagan af f\u00e6\u00f0ingu \u00ed fj\u00e1rh\u00fasi v\u00edsi til \u00feess a\u00f0 \u00edb\u00fa\u00f0arh\u00fasn\u00e6\u00f0i og gripah\u00fas voru samtengd og ekki tilt\u00f6kum\u00e1l \u00fe\u00f3tt f\u00f3lk sv\u00e6fi \u00ed sama r\u00fdmi og b\u00faf\u00e9na\u00f0ur ef „gistih\u00fasi\u00f0“ (\u00fe.e. svefnherbergi\u00f0) var fullt. Ekkert s\u00e9rstakt bendir til a\u00f0 \u00feessir atbur\u00f0ir hafi \u00e1tt s\u00e9r sta\u00f0 \u00ed desember, ef \u00e1 anna\u00f0 bor\u00f0 er fluguf\u00f3tur fyrir \u00feeim. Kannski var aldrei neitt barn lagt \u00ed j\u00f6tu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00dea\u00f0 skiptir ekki \u00f6llu hvort gestirnir b\u00f6nku\u00f0u upp \u00e1 \u00e1 j\u00f3lan\u00f3tt e\u00f0a s\u00ed\u00f0ar. \u00dea\u00f0 skiptir ekki m\u00e1li hvort meintir atbur\u00f0ir ur\u00f0u \u00ed desember e\u00f0a hvort h\u00e1t\u00ed\u00f0 er haldin \u00ed desember til minningar um eitthva\u00f0 sem g\u00e6ti hafa gerst \u00ed \u00e1g\u00fast e\u00f0a ma\u00ed. \u00dea\u00f0 skiptir heldur ekki m\u00e1li hvort fj\u00f6lskyldan hraktist \u00e1 fl\u00f3tta \u00e1 j\u00f3ladag e\u00f0a \u00e1 \u00ferett\u00e1ndandum. \u00dea\u00f0 skiptir ekki einu sinni m\u00e1li hvort sagan er sprottin af raunverulegum atbur\u00f0um e\u00f0a ekki. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
En \u00fea\u00f0 skiptir m\u00e1li a\u00f0 millj\u00f3nir manna sem tr\u00faa \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 frelsari \u00feeirra hafi fyrstu \u00e6vi\u00e1r s\u00edn alist upp \u00e1 fl\u00f3tta fr\u00e1 ofs\u00f3knum telji sig ekki hafa skyldur vi\u00f0 f\u00f3lk sem ney\u00f0ist til a\u00f0 fl\u00fdja heimkynni s\u00edn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Myndin er eftir Eug\u00e8ne Girardet (1853-1907)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n
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