Who were the Wise Men from the East?

Wise Men from the East | Sandra Miesel | The Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord

We Three Kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts we traverse afar. . . .

Who were these gift-bearing kings, these Wise Men of the East? What has their mission meant to Christians across the ages?

The Wise Men—not yet called kings—make only a single appearance in Holy Scripture. St. Matthew's Gospel (Mt 2:1-12) tells of their arrival in Jerusalem shortly after the birth of Jesus. They have come seeking the newborn King of the Jews because they had seen his star rise in the East. Herod, the current ruler, knows nothing of an upstart princeling but learns that prophecies place him in Bethlehem. Herod directs the Wise Men to search there for the Child and keep him informed. Following their star, the Wise Men find Jesus with his Mother. They worship him and bestow gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Warned by an angel, they do not reveal the Child's location to jealous Herod but return secretly to their own land.

In ancient texts of Scripture the Wise Men are Magoi in Greek and Magi in Latin. The singular form, Magos/Magus, is the source of our English word "magician" but had multiple meanings in Biblical times. A magus could be a Zoroastrian priest from Persia, an occultist, a magician, or a charlatan. Because the New Testament Magi study the stars, their mystic wisdom presumably includes astrology. Hence some recent Bible translations call them "astrologers," a less evocative term than the more traditional "Wise Men."

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Comments

[Luisa from Peru]

A Holy and Happy Feast of the Epiphany!
I invite you to listen a special episode of the podcast “Levántate y Sal a Caminar…” ( this week in an English version) dedicated to the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord.
32 minutes of Christmas carols in many languages, something about Russian Christmas and more…
Jesus loves you and Mary too.
Luisa from Lima - Peru
You can listen to it in: http://levantateysalacaminar.podomatic.com
“God is shining forth in the most unwanted and unsuspected places…” St. Anthony Messenger

[RJM]

It would not be difficult for me to say, given the time frame - that the Wise Men, coming from the East, were students of the teachings of the Prophet Daniel.

[LJ]

I think that the number of the wise men is often assumed by the number of the gifts. Three kinds of gifts, three wise men. I haven't studied St. John Chrysostom's argument for twelve, but from Scripture it is indeed possible.

If not Kings they could well have been official representatives of Kings, or unofficial for that matter. Perhaps official investigators. The cost of the gifts suggests some serious, probably kingly resources.

[Sandra Miesel]

It's worth noting that the Parthian Empire, whence the Magi would have come if they were Persians as early Christians assumed, had a large Jewish population and was usually at odds with Rome.