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 researcher who claims they may not have been three kings from the East after all.

Research by the Associates for Biblical Research has come to the conclusion that the Three Wise Men, who were written to have followed a star to the birth of Jesus, were most likely priests or astrologers who served in an ancient Middle East kingdom.

The Bible never named them or confirmed there were actually three travelers, but the details suggesting that the Three Kings, or magi, 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 actually may have meant magician, and only appeared in the Gospel of Matthew, one of the four biographical accounts of Jesus’ life in the Christian Bible.

‘That word Wise Man is often used in modern translations. Magi is maybe the older word we use,’ Windle said.

Windle added that the supposed kings were left unnamed in Matthew’s gospel, with their alleged names coming from a fifth century Armenian text, which suggested they were Melkon, King of Persia; Kaspar, King of India; and Balthasar, King of Arabia.

After reexamining the Bible and comparing it to historical records of the time, Windle believed the Three Wise Men were likely advisors who served in one of the ancient kingdoms that sat in the modern-day Middle East.

Biblical scholars have suggested that they could have either been from the court of the Nabatean kingdom, an ancient Arab kingdom covering modern-day Jordan, Syria, and nearby areas southeast of Jesus’ birthplace, or to the east in the Parthian Empire in modern-day Iran.

Windle said that there are clues in the Gospel of Matthew, which may include parts of the story that came directly from Mary, the mother of Jesus.

In the Gospel of Matthew, it states: ‘After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’

‘When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they knelt and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.’

Wilder noted that the biblical text did not specify that there were three magi, just that they came from the east and left three gifts to honor Jesus’ birth. Some have suggested they were Babylonians, Persian priests, or even Chinese mystics.

However, Wilder explained that the Babylonian astrologer or Persian priest theory would be ‘out of sync’ with what we know of history at the time, as both empires had already ended by the time of Jesus’s birth.

Historical texts have also suggested that the word ‘Magi’ may have been also used as an ethnic term, not just a word for ancient priests and magicians.

Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian from the fifth century BCE, wrote: ‘Deioces, then, united the Median nation by itself and ruled it. The Median tribes are these: the Busae, the Paretaceni, the Struchates, the Arizanti, the Budii, and the Magi. Their tribes are this many.’

In the episode entitled Who Were The Magi? Digging for Truth, Wilder said the meaning may have shifted so that it referred to an order of Persian priests, who started from the tribe of the magi and then became priests.

Xenophon, another ancient Greek historian and soldier from the fourth century BCE, wrote that the founder of the vast Persian Empire, Cyrus the Great, would call upon the magi to perform sacrifices before battle.

By the time of the New Testament, the word had become generally used for magicians of any kind, and various New Testament texts refer to magi, with early Christian missionaries Paul and Barnabas encountering magi in the New Testament book of Acts.

‘Scholars believe the magi came from the area of ancient Babylon or Persia that was now under Parthian control when Christ was born. This would satisfy the criteria of the magi coming from the east,’ Windle said.

Adding to the possibility that the Three Wise Men came from the kingdom of Nabatea, Windle noted that King Herod’s mother was Nabatean, and Nabateans traveled considerable distances, so they would have had a grasp of astrology.

They were also renowned traders who traded frankincense and myrrh, making the case that they were priests or astrologers who served as ‘wise men’ in territories once held by the Babylonians and Persians.

However, this assumes magi still held honored roles in the Parthian courts that their caste had earlier filled for the Persian kings.

‘I also believe the idea of Nabataean magi has merit and needs to be studied in further detail,’ Windle concluded.