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The Other Wise Man

January 01, 1970

The Story of the Other Wise Man is a short novel or long short story by Henry van Dyke. It was initially published in 1895[1][2] and has been reprinted many times since then.

"The Other Wise Man"
Short story by Henry van Dyke Jr.
Book edition published by Harper & Brothers
Text available at Wikisource
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Inspirational fiction
Publication

Story edit

The story is an addition and expansion of the account of the Biblical Magi, recounted in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament.[3] It tells about a "fourth" wise man (accepting the tradition that the Magi numbered three), a priest of the Magi named Artaban, one of the Medes from Persia. Like the other Magi, he sees signs in the heavens proclaiming that a King has been born among the Jews. Like them, he sets out to see the newborn ruler, carrying treasures to give as gifts to the child - a sapphire, a ruby, and a "pearl of great price". However, he stops along the way to help a dying man, which makes him late to meet with the caravan of the other three wise men. Because he missed the caravan, and he can't cross the desert with only a horse, he is forced to sell one of his treasures in order to buy the camels and supplies necessary for the trip. He then commences his journey but arrives in Bethlehem too late to see the child, whose parents have fled to Egypt. He saves the life of a child at the price of another of his treasures.

He then travels to Egypt and to many other countries, searching for Jesus for many years and performing acts of charity along the way. After 33 years, Artaban is still a pilgrim, and a seeker after light. Artaban arrives in Jerusalem just in time for the crucifixion of Jesus. He spends his last treasure, the pearl, to ransom a young woman from being sold into slavery. He is then struck in the head by a falling roof tile and is about to die, having failed in his quest to find Jesus, but having done much good through charitable works. A voice tells him "Verily I say unto thee, Inasmuch as thou hast done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, thou hast done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)[4] He dies in a calm radiance of wonder and joy. His treasures were accepted, and the Other Wise Man found his King.

Other versions edit

  • The story has been dramatized as a play several times: by Pauline Phelps in 1951,[5] by Harold G. Sliker in 1952,[6] by Everett Radford in 1956,[7] and by M. Percy Crozier and Margaret Bruce in 1963,[8] among others.
  • A television adaptation of the story was presented on the Hallmark Hall of Fame show (starring Wesley Addy as Artaban) in 1953.[9] Televised versions of the story also appeared on Kraft Television Theatre in 1957 (starring Richard Kiley)[10] and on G.E. True Theater in 1960 (starring Harry Townes).[11] A full-length (73 minutes) television movie, titled The Fourth Wise Man, starring Martin Sheen, was broadcast on 30 March 1985.[12]
  • An animated version of the story was produced by Bonneville Communications in 1989.
  • An oratorio or liturgical opera based on the story was written by Susan Hulsman Bingham and premiered in 2000.[13]
  • A chamber opera was written by M. Ryan Taylor and premiered in 2006.[14]
  • An opera was written by Damjan Rakonjac with a libretto by David Wisehart and premiered in 2010.[15]
  • A simplified version of the tale, intended for children, was written by Robert Barrett in 2007.[16]
  • A painting of Artaban was made by Scottish artist Peter Howson for use by the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, as his 2013 official Christmas card.[17]
  • A novel by Edzard Schaper written in 1961: Der vierte König.[18]

Commentary edit

  • "I do not know where this little story came from--out of the air, perhaps. One thing is certain, it is not written in any other book, nor is it to be found among the ancient lore of the East. And yet I have never felt as if it were my own. It was a gift, and it seemed to me as if I knew the Giver." —Henry Van Dyke
  • "So beautiful and so true to what is best in our natures, and so full of the Christmas spirit, is this story of The Other Wise Man that it ought to find its way into every sheaf of Christmas gifts in the land."—Harper's New Monthly Magazine[19]
  • "What Van Dyke created was a story so simply and beautifully told that the reader is unaware that this recreation of the world our Lord knew is undergirded by prodigious research. It is an awesome tour de force."—Joe L. Wheeler, Christmas in My Heart[20]

Namesake edit

A large star sapphire, the Star of Artaban, was named for this story. It is currently found at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.[21]

References edit

  1. ^ Van Dyke, Henry (1896). The Story of the Other Wise Man. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers.
  2. ^ “The Story of the Other Wise Man” Rare Antique Religious Book c.1895 / Author: Henry Van Dyke (Religious Books) at InSpirit Antiques
  3. ^ Matthew 2: 1-12, King James version, biblegateway.com
  4. ^ "Matthew 25:40". King James Version. Bible Gateway. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  5. ^ Phelps, Pauline (1951). The Other Wise Man: A Play in One Act. Wetmore Declamation Bureau.
  6. ^ Sliker, Harold G. (1952). The Other Wise Man: A Dramatization of Henry Van Dyke's Short Story. Row, Peterson, and Company.
  7. ^ Radford, Everett G. (1956). The Other Wise Man: Pageant Play in Five Scenes. Theatre House.
  8. ^ Crozier, M. Percy; Bruce, Margaret (1963). The Other Wise Man: A Christmas Play in One Act. Oliver and Boyd.
  9. ^ "The Other Wise Man (1953)". IMDB. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  10. ^ "The Other Wise Man". Kraft Theatre. IMDB. December 25, 1957. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  11. ^ "The Other Wise Man". G.E. True Theater. IMDB. December 25, 1960. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  12. ^ "The Fourth Wise Man". syndicated TV feature-length movie. March 30, 1985.
  13. ^ Bingham, Susan Hulsman (2000). "Liturgical opera: The Other Wise Man". Children's and Liturgical Opera Company, LLC. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  14. ^ Taylor, M. Ryan (December 23, 2006). "The Other Wise Man". Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  15. ^ "The Other Wise Man". Opera America. Retrieved 16 June 2012.
  16. ^ Van Dyke, Henry; Barrett, Robert (October 1, 2007). The Other Wise Man. Ideals Publications. ISBN 978-0824955656.
  17. ^ "Peter Howson art features on Alex Salmond's Christmas card". BBC News. December 4, 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2013.
  18. ^ Edzard Schaper: Der vierte König. Ein Roman. Hegner, Köln 1961; Artemis und Winkler, Zürich 8. A. 1977, ISBN 3-7608-0964-2.
  19. ^ Alden, Henry Mills (December 1895 – May 1896). "Literary Notes". Harper's New Monthly Magazine. 92 (1): 3.
  20. ^ Wheeler, Joe L. (2007). Christmas in My Heart. Review and Herald Pub. Association. p. 12. ISBN 978-0828020299.
  21. ^ . internetstones.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-16. Retrieved 4 December 2015.

External links edit

  • Complete text of the story via Project Gutenberg


January 01, 1970
other, wise, story, other, wise, short, novel, long, short, story, henry, dyke, initially, published, 1895, been, reprinted, many, times, since, then, short, story, henry, dyke, book, edition, published, harper, brotherstext, available, wikisourcecountryunited. The Story of the Other Wise Man is a short novel or long short story by Henry van Dyke It was initially published in 1895 1 2 and has been reprinted many times since then The Other Wise Man Short story by Henry van Dyke Jr Book edition published by Harper amp BrothersText available at WikisourceCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishGenre s Inspirational fictionPublication Contents 1 Story 2 Other versions 3 Commentary 4 Namesake 5 References 6 External linksStory editThe story is an addition and expansion of the account of the Biblical Magi recounted in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament 3 It tells about a fourth wise man accepting the tradition that the Magi numbered three a priest of the Magi named Artaban one of the Medes from Persia Like the other Magi he sees signs in the heavens proclaiming that a King has been born among the Jews Like them he sets out to see the newborn ruler carrying treasures to give as gifts to the child a sapphire a ruby and a pearl of great price However he stops along the way to help a dying man which makes him late to meet with the caravan of the other three wise men Because he missed the caravan and he can t cross the desert with only a horse he is forced to sell one of his treasures in order to buy the camels and supplies necessary for the trip He then commences his journey but arrives in Bethlehem too late to see the child whose parents have fled to Egypt He saves the life of a child at the price of another of his treasures He then travels to Egypt and to many other countries searching for Jesus for many years and performing acts of charity along the way After 33 years Artaban is still a pilgrim and a seeker after light Artaban arrives in Jerusalem just in time for the crucifixion of Jesus He spends his last treasure the pearl to ransom a young woman from being sold into slavery He is then struck in the head by a falling roof tile and is about to die having failed in his quest to find Jesus but having done much good through charitable works A voice tells him Verily I say unto thee Inasmuch as thou hast done it unto one of the least of these my brethren thou hast done it unto me Matthew 25 40 4 He dies in a calm radiance of wonder and joy His treasures were accepted and the Other Wise Man found his King Other versions editThe story has been dramatized as a play several times by Pauline Phelps in 1951 5 by Harold G Sliker in 1952 6 by Everett Radford in 1956 7 and by M Percy Crozier and Margaret Bruce in 1963 8 among others A television adaptation of the story was presented on the Hallmark Hall of Fame show starring Wesley Addy as Artaban in 1953 9 Televised versions of the story also appeared on Kraft Television Theatre in 1957 starring Richard Kiley 10 and on G E True Theater in 1960 starring Harry Townes 11 A full length 73 minutes television movie titled The Fourth Wise Man starring Martin Sheen was broadcast on 30 March 1985 12 An animated version of the story was produced by Bonneville Communications in 1989 An oratorio or liturgical opera based on the story was written by Susan Hulsman Bingham and premiered in 2000 13 A chamber opera was written by M Ryan Taylor and premiered in 2006 14 An opera was written by Damjan Rakonjac with a libretto by David Wisehart and premiered in 2010 15 A simplified version of the tale intended for children was written by Robert Barrett in 2007 16 A painting of Artaban was made by Scottish artist Peter Howson for use by the First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond as his 2013 official Christmas card 17 A novel by Edzard Schaper written in 1961 Der vierte Konig 18 Commentary edit I do not know where this little story came from out of the air perhaps One thing is certain it is not written in any other book nor is it to be found among the ancient lore of the East And yet I have never felt as if it were my own It was a gift and it seemed to me as if I knew the Giver Henry Van Dyke So beautiful and so true to what is best in our natures and so full of the Christmas spirit is this story of The Other Wise Man that it ought to find its way into every sheaf of Christmas gifts in the land Harper s New Monthly Magazine 19 What Van Dyke created was a story so simply and beautifully told that the reader is unaware that this recreation of the world our Lord knew is undergirded by prodigious research It is an awesome tour de force Joe L Wheeler Christmas in My Heart 20 Namesake editA large star sapphire the Star of Artaban was named for this story It is currently found at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History 21 References edit Van Dyke Henry 1896 The Story of the Other Wise Man New York Harper amp Brothers Publishers The Story of the Other Wise Man Rare Antique Religious Book c 1895 Author Henry Van Dyke Religious Books at InSpirit Antiques Matthew 2 1 12 King James version biblegateway com Matthew 25 40 King James Version Bible Gateway Retrieved 9 December 2014 Phelps Pauline 1951 The Other Wise Man A Play in One Act Wetmore Declamation Bureau Sliker Harold G 1952 The Other Wise Man A Dramatization of Henry Van Dyke s Short Story Row Peterson and Company Radford Everett G 1956 The Other Wise Man Pageant Play in Five Scenes Theatre House Crozier M Percy Bruce Margaret 1963 The Other Wise Man A Christmas Play in One Act Oliver and Boyd The Other Wise Man 1953 IMDB Retrieved 16 June 2012 The Other Wise Man Kraft Theatre IMDB December 25 1957 Retrieved 16 June 2012 The Other Wise Man G E True Theater IMDB December 25 1960 Retrieved 16 June 2012 The Fourth Wise Man syndicated TV feature length movie March 30 1985 Bingham Susan Hulsman 2000 Liturgical opera The Other Wise Man Children s and Liturgical Opera Company LLC Retrieved 16 June 2012 Taylor M Ryan December 23 2006 The Other Wise Man Retrieved 16 June 2012 The Other Wise Man Opera America Retrieved 16 June 2012 Van Dyke Henry Barrett Robert October 1 2007 The Other Wise Man Ideals Publications ISBN 978 0824955656 Peter Howson art features on Alex Salmond s Christmas card BBC News December 4 2013 Retrieved 5 December 2013 Edzard Schaper Der vierte Konig Ein Roman Hegner Koln 1961 Artemis und Winkler Zurich 8 A 1977 ISBN 3 7608 0964 2 Alden Henry Mills December 1895 May 1896 Literary Notes Harper s New Monthly Magazine 92 1 3 Wheeler Joe L 2007 Christmas in My Heart Review and Herald Pub Association p 12 ISBN 978 0828020299 Star of Artaban internetstones com Archived from the original on 2014 08 16 Retrieved 4 December 2015 External links editComplete text of the story via Project Gutenberg Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Other Wise Man amp oldid 1215091679, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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