Who were the Three Wise Men? New research rewrites the mystery of the Bible’s magi
The identities of the Three Wise Men may have finally been revealed by a Biblical scholar who claimed that they could not have been three kings from the East after all.
Research by Biblical Studies Associates has concluded that the Three Wise Men, who are described as following a star to the birth of Jesus, were most likely priests or astrologers serving in an ancient Middle Eastern kingdom.
The Bible never names them or actually confirms the existence of the three travelers; but details suggesting that the Three Kings or wizards brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were added centuries later through Christian stories and traditions.
In a recent YouTube video, researcher Bryan Windle explained that the word magi may actually mean wizard and appears only in the Gospel of Matthew, one of four biographical accounts of the life of Jesus in the Christian Bible.
‘This word Wise Man is frequently used in modern translations. “Magi is perhaps the older word we use,” Windle said.
Windle added that while the names of the alleged kings are not revealed in Matthew’s Gospel, the alleged names come from a fifth-century Armenian text, suggesting that they were the Persian King Melkon; King Kaspar of India; and King Balthasar of Arabia.
After re-examining the Bible and comparing it with historical records of the time, Windle believed that the Three Wise Men were advisors who probably served in one of the ancient kingdoms located in the modern-day Middle East.
Biblical scholars have suggested that they may have been either from the court of the Nabataean kingdom, an ancient Arab kingdom that included modern-day Jordan, Syria, and nearby areas southeast of Jesus’ birthplace, or from the territory of the Parthian Empire to the east in modern-day Iran.
Many of the details we associate with Georg Pencz’s 16th-century painting The Adoration of the Magi: Three Wise Men come from post-Biblical texts.
A carving from Persepolis shows King Darius on a throne, with Xerxes behind him and a wizard behind Xerxes.
Windle said there are clues in the Gospel of Matthew that may include parts of the story that come directly from Mary, the mother of Jesus.
In the Gospel of Matthew it is said: ‘After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star as it rose, and we have come to pay allegiance to it.’
‘When they saw the star standing, they rejoiced. When they entered the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they knelt down and swore allegiance to him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.’
Wilder noted that the biblical text does not specify that there were three astrologers, only that they came from the east and left three gifts to honor the birth of Jesus. Some have suggested that they were Babylonians, Persian priests, or even Chinese mystics.
However, Wilder explained that the Babylonian astrologer or Persian priest theory would be ‘incompatible’ with what we know about history at the time, as both empires had already ended by the time of Christ’s birth.
Historical texts also suggest that the word ‘Magi’ may have been used not only as an ethnic term for ancient priests and sorcerers.
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus from the 5th century BC wrote: ‘Deioces single-handedly united and ruled over the Median nation. The Median tribes are: Busae, Paretaceni, Struchates, Arizanti, Budii and Magi. Their tribes are as many as this.’
In the section titled Who were the Magi? Digging for TruthWilder said the meaning could vary and refer to an order of Persian priests who began with the tribe of magi and later became priests.
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The Adoration of Kings is a large oil painting on oak featuring wizards by Jan Gossaert, painted in 1510 AD.
Xenophon, another ancient Greek historian and soldier from the 4th century BCE, wrote that Cyrus the Great, founder of the vast Persian Empire, would call upon magi to offer sacrifices before battle.
By New Testament time, the word had come to be commonly used for magicians of all kinds, and various New Testament texts refer to magicians, with early Christian missionaries Paul and Barnabas encountering magicians in the New Testament book of Acts.
‘Scholars believe that the magi came from the ancient Babylonian or Persian region, which was now under Parthian control when Jesus was born. ‘This would meet the criteria of wizards from the east,’ Windle said.
In addition to the possibility that the Three Wise Men came from the kingdom of Nabatea, Windle noted that King Herod’s mother was Nabataean and that the Nabataeans had traveled significant distances, so they could have grasped astrology.
They were also noted merchants of frankincense and myrrh, and claimed to be priests or astrologers who served as ‘wise men’ in lands once held by the Babylonians and Persians.
This assumes, however, that mages held the honorable roles in the Parthian courts that their caste had previously filled for Persian kings.
“I also believe that the idea of Nabataean magicians is valuable and should be examined in more detail,” Windle said.
