Three wise men and the way to Bethlehem

The three wise men, or three kings, are traditional figures in every Nativity set — one king on a camel, one kneeling at the manager and one standing with a gift in his hand. These wise men are mentioned in the first twelve verses of St. Matthew’s gospel. We understand from the gospel account that these three men were known as “Magi,” or “magicians,” who had come from the East from Jerusalem and had followed the star announcing the birth of an important figure, the King of the Jews. In fact, the gospel never mentions that they were Wise Men. This idea comes only from the gifts that they brought to offer to the child. One of the Wise Men is Asian, one African and one Caucasian. Their names are Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar.

It is believed that the three kings came from the Parthian Empire, or what is known as the Persian Empire, which is today Iran and Iraq. In this empire, there was a caste of astrologer priests based on the Zoroastrianism religion. Scholars believe that the Magi were Zoroastrian priests and astrologers from Persia. However, this information is not found in Matthew’s Gospel. Neither is it mentioned that they were kings, nor are there camels in Matthew’s gospel. The idea of the three kings and camels is found in two Old Testament prophecies.

Psalm 72:10-11 tells us that “The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. May all kings bow before him, all nations serve him.” In the Book of Isaiah the prophet prophesizes that all “nations shall walk by your light, kings by the radiance of your dawning … caravans of camels shall cover you, dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense and heralding the praises of the Lord (Isaiah 60:1-6).

The gifts presented were probably from Sheba where there were first many gold mines owned by the Queen of Sheba. Just as the queen of Sheba brought gifts to the Jewish king Solomon, so it could be that the king of Sheba during Jesus’s time came, like his ancestor, bearing rich gifts to the king of the Jews. In the Arabian peninsula near Sheba specific plants grow from which are harvested to make resin to make both incense and myrrh. These two rich gifts were used for their aroma and for medicinal purposes. These gifts indicate that the Wise Men came from the Arabian Peninsula. These gifts were not simply rich gifts for Jesus but were symbolic gifts from their kingdoms. The gifts had diplomatic importance as they suggested that the Magi were indeed either kings or ambassadors from the court of Sheba. If the Magi were from the southern Arabian Peninsula, then their trade route ran right past Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

The Wise Men mentioned in the Nativity story were astrologer priests as their knowledge and wisdom were practiced throughout the ancient world. We do not know for sure who the Wise Men in the Nativity Story were. Still, they were probably Zoroastrian astrologers and priests in the court of Sheba who brought gifts of important significance to the newborn King of the Jews.

Just at the time of Jesus’ birth King Aretas IV sent diplomats to the court of Herod with rich gifts. Learning of the birth of a new king of the Jews and studying the stars, the three kings set out on their historic journey. These Wise Men were on a spiritual journey to find their true king and source of wisdom. They found this in Jesus Christ.

The Rev. Gus Puleo serves as director of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and the Spanish Department at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, where he also teaches English and Spanish. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the former pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown.