Many people associate the wise men with Christmas, but January 6 is traditionally the day in the Church calendar that commemorates their visit to the child Jesus. They came from the East to find Jesus, but the Bible does not tell us exactly where they came from. There are, however, some good theories. This is the story …
Where did they come from?
The story of the wise men visiting Jesus is told only in Matthew 2:1–12. The story of the visit of the Magi must have come at least partly from the recollections of Mary herself. Where the Magi came from has long been a mystery, but there are perhaps clues in the Bible.
The Bible says that the Magi came “from the east”. In the Christian carol We Three Kings, the lyrics have them from the “Orient”, which implies the eastern world, in contrast with the Occident, which means the western world. Depending on the context, “east” could mean beyond the River Jordan, or, at the time of the New Testament, “east” sometimes meant beyond the Roman Empire, beyond the River Euphrates, which was the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire.
Gaps in biblical knowledge are often replaced by tradition. Indeed, different theories and legends place the origin of the Magi in Armenia, or Jordan, or Arabia, or Babylonia, or Persia. Other, probably less likely, suggestions also include Central Asia, India, or China. Good cases can be made for Persia, Babylon, southern Arabia, and Petra.
Magi from Persia
Many people suggest that, as the word Magi is Persian in origin, perhaps the wise men came from Persia (now Iran), and perhaps they were Medes or Zoroastrian priests. Certainly, both the Medes and the Zoroastrians had a great reputation in ancient times for astronomy and astrology. Zoroastrianism is one of the world’s oldest religions and was the religion of Persia before it was overwhelmed by Islam.
In his book about his travels, Marco Polo says that he was shown the tombs of the three Magi at Saba (now Saveh), south of Tehran, which would have been in the 1270s. However, Cologne Cathedral also claims to have their relics. Ancient fourth-century depictions of the Magi in the Middle East do seem to show them in Persian costume, but whether that was based on knowledge, or because the more exotic dress simply made better illustrations, is not known.
Magi from Babylon
In ancient times, Magi were a class of Medes who wielded influence at the court of the Emperor of the Medes, and later at the Babylonian court in what is now Iraq. Certainly, the Babylonians had a great reputation in ancient times for astronomy and astrology. The word Magi appears in the book of Daniel in the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures called the Septuagint.
After the Jews returned from exile, the area retained a small Jewish population who would have been waiting for the Messiah. Therefore, some people suggest that Matthew was implying that the Magi came from Babylon (now in Iraq), which may be the case.
Magi from Arabia
Some people suggest that, because the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh are all found in Arabia, the wise men brought gifts from their region. In fact, some verses in the Old Testament, if interpreted as prophecies, can be applied to the story.
In Isaiah 60:1–6, it talks about the Gentile kings paying homage:
“The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.” (Isaiah 60:6, KJV)
In Psalm 72, we read that “the kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts” (Psalm 72:10).
The likely area is what is today Yemen, which at the time had a large Jewish community who may well have had wise men looking out for a coming Messiah. It is also the area that the Queen of Sheba probably came from. It may be the case that the king sent his wise men with examples of local produce, although gold, frankincense, and myrrh would have been available from markets all over the Middle East.
Magi from Petra
Some people think that the wise men came from much closer to Bethlehem, from Petra. The idea is that they were from the court of the Nabatean king Aretas IV at Petra. Strong links existed between the courts of Nabatea and King Herod. This kingdom had grown rich in gold through controlling the trade in frankincense and myrrh, so this could explain the gifts.
This idea has been well argued in Mystery of the Magi: The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men by Rev Dwight Longenecker. If they came from Petra, then it was just over a hundred miles away, and the Magi would have set off north and then travelled west to Bethlehem. In that case, they probably saw the star formation not long before they found Jesus.
Did they come from the same place?
Through the centuries, artists like Botticelli, Rubens, and Bosch have painted the Magi and helped to reinforce the image in the popular imagination of them as a diverse group of men. The idea of three wise men from different lands is perhaps an early attempt to show the diversity of the races, and to echo the theory that after the Flood, mankind stems from Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
In the Historia Trium Regum (The History of the Three Kings), written by John of Hildesheim in the 14th century, it says that Balthasar, Melchior, and Caspar were from India, Persia (now Iran), and Chaldea (now Iraq). Other traditions imagine that Caspar (or Gaspar) was from India, Melchior was from Persia, and Balthasar (or Balthazar) was from Arabia.
It is a nice idea to imagine this ethnic and cultural diversity but it seems more likely that it was one group of Magi who all came from one place. If they had all seen the star and set off from separate places at about the same time, then it is unlikely that they would have arrived together.
The gifts
It was certainly the custom to take gifts of gold and incense when visiting royalty. We read that when the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon, “She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones” (2 Chronicles 9:1, ESV). Sheba is generally regarded as being in south-west Arabia, in the area known as Yemen today.
In Isaiah, it says, “The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense …” (Isaiah 60:6, KJV).
Did they ride camels?
Images of the wise men usually show them riding camels. Camels are not mentioned in the story, but that does not mean that they were not there. In Arabia, people rode horses, which were swifter, and camels were used as pack animals to carry goods. Wealthy travellers may well have preferred horses. If they came from Arabia or Sheba, they may well have come by camel, but the method of transport is not mentioned in the text.
Summary
There are many different theories, but we do not know for sure where they came from or how they travelled. However, certain features of the story give it credibility. Magi were a feature of eastern lands. People visiting kings did bring gifts like gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and the whole story has deep biblical echoes.
The Magi are remembered every Christmas in readings and carols. Luke tells of homage to Jesus by Jewish shepherds, and Matthew tells of homage from the Magi. We do not know their nationality, but the text implies they were Gentiles who did not know the Scriptures. The intriguing aspect of the story is that Matthew tells us that the first people to come and worship Jesus were quite likely from a different faith.
