History of Christmas Magi: Who were the Wise Men?

The Three Magi, Byzantine mosaic, c. 565, Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy. Image: Wikipedia

HISTORY OF THE WISE MEN: THE MAGI

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Every Christmas season, you hear this iconic song. It has been sung for over 150 years. You’re familiar with the lyrics from this renowned 19th-century American Christmas carol that starts with the line:

    “We Three Kings of Orient Are…”

But it is inaccurate in at least three ways:

1. 1. We don’t know the exact number of visitors.
   2. They were not kings.
   3. They did not originate in the Orient, which is the Far East.

What do we know about these Wise Men?

Home of the Wise Men

One intriguing question is how they could have seen the star “in the East” and arrived in Jerusalem unless they had begun their journey somewhere in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. As mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew 2:2

“We saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.”

Wise Men In the East?

A natural explanation could be that they interpreted “in the east” as “when we were in the east and have come from the east to worship him.”

Several traditions suggest that there were three Wise Men, conjecturing three gifts for three givers: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. However, some earlier traditions portray their visit as a grand caravan, suggesting a larger number of individuals, up to twelve.

Etymology of Magi

The term Magi is derived from magoi, which is the plural of the Greek word magos (μάγος). It is usually translated as wise men, scholars, astrologers, or magicians. Interestingly, the word “magic” comes from the word magi.

“The East” has been variously identified as any country from Arabia to Media and Persia, but usually no further east than Persia.

Origin of the Wise Men

Historical evidence suggests that the Magi originated in Mesopotamia or Persia. They were an ancient priestly caste among the Medes and Persians. These priest-scholars were highly educated in medicine, religion, astronomy, astrology, divination, and magic.

There were distinctions within the Magi:

• Persian Magi were considered more intellectual and religiously advanced.

• Babylonian Magi were sometimes viewed as charlatans.

Adoration of the Magi, Catacombs of Priscilla, Rome. Image: Web Gallery of Art

Many early traditions and writings identify the Wise Men of Christmas as Persian. Early Christian art supports this view, such as depictions of the Magi in Persian attire in the second-century Catacombs of Priscilla, which I visited on the Via Salaria in Rome.

Bethlehem Depictions of the Wise Men

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, built in the 4th century by the Roman Emperor Constantine’s mother, St. Helena, is traditionally recognized as the site of Jesus’ birth. Remarkably, it is the only major church in the Holy Land that has survived intact from the early Christian era.

Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. Image: Wikipedia

In A.D. 614, a Persian army invaded the Holy Land, destroying churches – except the Church of the Nativity. Why? Above its entrance were images of the Magi wearing Persian headdresses, which the soldiers recognized as representations of their ancestors.

Early Christian art consistently portrayed the Magi as Zoroastrian priests. The liturgical calendar further affirms this, commemorating their visit on January 6, the Feast of Epiphany (also known as Theophany), marking the conclusion of the 12 Days of Christmas, or Christmastide.

Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com

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