Christians can be forgiven if they, too, have asked this same question at Christmas.  Every depiction of the birth of Christ, every church pageant, millions of Christmas cards and many Christmas carols (We three kings of orient are . . .) all testify to the presence of the three “wise men” at the manger scene.  They’re right there in plain sight for all to see: three men and their camels.  Sometimes they’re depicted mounted on the camels riding towards the manger with a bright star over them in the sky.  Sometimes they’re shown kneeling at the foot of the manger (camels always waiting patiently in the background) but they’re constantly there, aren’t they?  Have you ever wondered, for even a moment, who these three men are?  Where did they come from?  What were they doing there?  What was their purpose?  Why would King Herod even care about such men?  Obviously, they must be very important because they’re always there but “Who are those guys?”  When I was a child, I asked and was told something like, “Those are the three wise men.”  Oh.

I don’t recall hearing much in the way of sermons on the subject, even though I have been in church my entire life.  Finally, several years ago, my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to do some research.  Sure enough, there really was some historical information available.  Here is a short version of who I believe the three “wise men” were and what they were really doing in the presence of the young Jesus.

In keeping with the stated purpose of this site, we should start any serious study by going to the scriptures, God’s Holy Word, to see what we can learn.  In Matthew 2:1-2 (KJV), we read, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

That’s it!  That’s what we know about the “wise men” from the Biblical account of the birth of Christ.  Apparently, if we’re going to learn anything significant about these men we’re going to have to look elsewhere, right? 

It’s not my purpose here to refute long-held beliefs about the birth of Christ but I think, for our purposes, we can say this much.  Jesus was not born on December 25, the wise men (magi) never saw the baby Jesus in His manger, they wouldn’t have ridden camels and we have no idea how many there were or what their names were.  While we digest all that, let me also say that the modern Christmas pageant, as reproduced in churches every December, was invented by St. Francis of Assisi in 13th Century Italy.  He needed a way to demonstrate the birth of Christ to people in rural areas using only a few actors.  His purpose was to make a depiction for the education of the common people; not a historically accurate treatise.  That he succeeded beyond his wildest expectations is evident every December!

Now, back to our Magi.  The Magi were a very ancient group of people that go way back in time.  We know from the Christmas story and other historians of the time that they were very active during the time of the Roman Empire.  Prior to that they were present and performing their arts in the Greek Empire as established by Alexander the Great and we can even trace their presence in the Medo-Persian Empire that the prophet Daniel speaks of.  Before that we know they were a distinct and powerful group in the Babylonian Empire.  Many scholars believe there is further evidence of their existence prior to the Babylonian Empire but the one constant through all this is that the Magi have been a distinct, powerful and influential group no matter what the ruling power structure might be.

Specifically, the Magi were a priestly tribe of the Medes not unlike the Levites of the Jewish people.  Their priesthood was hereditary and they practiced a strict monotheistic religion. 

The Magi were widely known and respected for their special understanding gained from constantly studying the stars.  Remember, back then astronomy and astrology were indistinguishable from each other.  The science of astronomy was still many centuries in the future and the Magi both plotted the movements of the stars and planets with amazing accuracy and used the knowledge gained to look for signs that would portent great events on earth.  They were respected for other abilities as well.  They were skilled interpreters of dreams and visions and had obvious spiritualist powers.  They quickly rose to positions of great power as special advisors to kings and emperors alike and were the group that appointed the judges throughout the kingdoms. 

One other historical event had a profound influence on the Magi.  Do you remember in the Old Testament when a young Jewish man was taken into captivity in Babylon?  A man by the name of Daniel?  We won’t discuss too much of Daniel except to say he was a great man of God and remained faithful through all manner of trials.  Time after time, God honored Daniel’s faith by promoting him to positions of power.  Drawing from Biblical passages like Daniel 4:9, we are led to believe that Daniel was appointed as the Chief of the Magi.  Not only was Daniel schooled in the arts and understanding of the magi but they were, in turn, made aware of the Jewish faith and, specifically, of the prophesies concerning the Messiah.  During this time other Jewish men were promoted into the ranks of the Magi and, together, they would have been a powerful influence to their craft, particularly in the knowledge of the one, true God.

Long before the time of Christ’ birth, the Magi had become king makers.  That is, instead of being kings, themselves, they had the sole power to appoint the next king whenever a vacancy came open or if even it became necessary to “hasten” the selection of a new king for political purposes.  We know that many people of Jewish ancestry were appointed as judges and to other positions of power by the Magi.  Over the years a natural alliance developed between the Jewish and Persian peoples.

To really understand the significance of the Magi’s trip to Jerusalem we need to place it in some form of historical perspective.  The Magi were basically a group of Persian-Parthian kingmakers as they entered Jerusalem in the latter days of King Herod’s reign.  It is easy to understand King Herod’s reaction to their arrival when one considers the background of the Roman–Parthian rivalry that Herod had witnessed in his own lifetime.

Consider this:

The Romans first attacked a Parthian outpost in 63 B.C. and followed that up in 55 B.C. with an all-out attack on Jerusalem.  Here’s where it gets interesting.  Rome tried to expand its territory with a direct attack on Parthia and was decisively defeated with the loss of over 30,000 soldiers.  The Parthians counter-attacked and there was a sort of a stalemate; with the Romans holding nominal rule in Palestine where King Herod’s father, Antipater, re-established Roman rule.  Antipater was forced to retreat from Palestine by a Parthian invasion in 40 B.C.  

Mark Antony once again established Roman rule in 37 B.C. and, like his predecessors, attempted to increase Roman territory by attacking Parthia. Also like his predecessors, he was decisively defeated and, in the ensuing Parthian counterattack, the Parthians completely swept away all Roman forces from Palestine, forcing Herod to flee to Rome. 

While in Rome, Herod spent considerable time, effort and money to persuade the Emperor to appoint him as King of the Jews.  Although he won the appointment, it would take three years and another Roman invasion before Herod could occupy his own country.  Simply put, Herod was now the King of a rebellious buffer state, which stood between two warring empires.  He knew full well that at any time his own Jewish subjects could rise up and invite the Parthians to come to their aid.

As if all this wasn’t enough, Tiberius, the leader of the Roman armies was in retirement and Rome had no experienced commander to take his place.  Armenia, a Parthian ally, was ready to revolt against Rome (and was successful two years later) so it was only natural to suspect that a Parthian invasion of Palestine could come at any time. 

That no Parthian invasion ever came speaks to the immense internal turmoil within Parthia at exactly this same time.  In Parthia, Phraates IV was an aging, indecisive and unpopular ruler.  It is quite likely that the Magi were already searching for a replacement to succeed the incompetent Phraates IV.  Due to their knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures and their close, working relationships with the Jewish people over the centuries, the prospect of a divinely appointed Jewish King would have been completely acceptable to them.

It was on this stage that the Magi came to Jerusalem.  They appeared outside the city in all their oriental pomp and, at the very least, there would have been hundreds of them.  These were wealthy nobles of a high class from a wealthy empire.  There would have been the Magi, themselves (remember we don’t know how many there were but it could have been dozens.)  There would have been all sorts of servants, traders, advisors, provisioners and a whole host of others that would make up such a large entourage.  Then, and this is important, there would have been the soldiers.  There would have been sufficient soldiers, all mounted cavalry, to protect the Magi, their entourage and the treasures they were carrying.  It is easy to imagine there were several hundred mounted soldiers accompanying them.  This is what Herod saw on that fateful day.  Given the history of Rome and Parthia, is it any wonder that he was troubled? 

It is my belief the Magi were already quite familiar with the Jewish prophecies as given them by Daniel and other Jews in their ranks.  I believe they saw a known, astronomical event take place in the constellation of Aries and immediately recognized this as a sign that a king was born to the Jews.  Coming as it did exactly at the time they were looking for a new king, they immediately embarked on an expedition to find this king and make him their own.

Why did they call on Herod in Jerusalem?  Probably for several reasons.  The Magi were not there to make war and they called on Herod as a matter of international protocol.  They announced who they were and what they were doing there.  At the same time, though, they wanted to convey their utter contempt of Herod particularly and the Romans in general.  They knew Herod had bribed and connived his way to the title of “King of the Jews” and they wasted no time in telling Herod they were looking for one who was “born” King of the Jews, a direct insult that Herod couldn’t miss. 

Having found the information leading to their journey to Bethlehem, the Magi did, indeed, visit Jesus in his “house,” (Matthew 2:11) not the stable, so we know some period of time had elapsed since his birth.  There are a couple of other things to note here as well.  God warned the Magi not to return to Herod but to go to their own country by another route.  How did God warn them?  It’s interesting that God warned them in a dream, a medium the Magi were most familiar with.  He could have sent an angel to warn them but he communicated with them in a way that they were most accepting of.  It’s also interesting to note that they immediately obeyed this message from God.  Not only had they followed the star but they also obeyed God’s word when it was conveyed to them.

We know the Magi returned home without completing their task of finding a new Parthian king. Was their trip in vain, though?  We know that Joseph, Mary and Jesus soon had to flee for their lives and go live in Egypt.  Where did they get the emergency funds needed for such a trip?  Well, God had just provided them with money and valuables in the form of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  The gifts of the Magi were not at all inconsiderable and would have easily supported a family on the run.

There is so much more that could go into this story but I wanted to present a framework for further study and to pique the readers’ interest in this subject just a little bit as we get ready to celebrate the birth of our savior.  Your comments are welcome.

It’s my sincere prayer that, after reading this, you will now have an answer when somebody asks you, “Who are those guys?”