Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1-2
It’s easy, even for Christians, to be tempted to think that the birth narratives in the Gospels are mythical and have no place in actual history. Take, for example, the story of the Wise Men visiting the baby Jesus. We moderns fail to grasp the significance of who these dignitaries were and why they were sent by God to visit the holy family. Instead of digging into the history of the times and understanding the story in the context of the geopolitical and cultural currents swirling around it, we content ourselves with vapid depictions of three kings kneeling at a manger; scenes intended to elicit sentimental feelings and nothing more.
But contrary to popular thought, we know a great deal about wise men in general and who these wise men, in particular, probably were.
The term “wise man” is a translation of the Old Persian word magu. The Latin plural form of this word is magi. Our English word “magic” comes from magi. The magi were an hereditary priestly tribe — one of six tribes that made up the Median people. In this sense they were similar to the Levites in Israel. The Medians lived for over 1,200 years in what is now Northwestern Iran until the coming of Islam in the seventh century AD.
Like the priestly Levite tribe in Israel, the Magi held powerful political positions. But unlike the Levites, the power of the Magi extended for many centuries through a number of different kingdoms. Beginning with the Babylonian kingdom, the Magi held politically influential positions in the Persian Kingdom, the Media-Persian kingdom and the Parthian kingdom. All of these kingdoms were located to the East of Israel on the Euphrates river.
The first Biblical references to Magi are in the book of the prophet Jeremiah where they appear as representatives the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar as he captured Jerusalem:
“In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was penetrated. Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sarezer, Rabmag, with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.” Jeremiah 39:2-3
In Hebrew, “rab” means chief or head. Sarsechim was Rabsaris — “head” saris, or head official. And Nergal-Sarezer was Rabmag — “head” mag, or Head of the Magi. Thus the Magi played an important part in the siege of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Apparently the birth of Christ was not the first time Magi had been to Jerusalem.
We have another reference to Nergal-Sarezer in verses 11-13:
“Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, “Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you.” So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s chief officers.”
Here we see that the Chief of the Magi was fourth in command under the king. It was a very high position indeed. He, along with Nebushasban, were put in charge of Jeremiah the prophet.
The next Old Testament references we have to the Magi are in the book of Daniel. Daniel had been taken captive during Nebuchadnezzar’s first deportation of the Jews in 605 BC. This was approximately nineteen years before Nergal-Sharezer, the chief of the Magi came into Jerusalem and “sat in the middle gate.”
Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, distinguished themselves in the court of the king so much so that “in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm” (Daniel 1:20). The reference to the magicians and astrologers is none other than a reference to our Magi.
One of the interesting facts about the life of Daniel is that he himself became Rabmag — “Chief of the Magi.” King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and he challenged the wise men not only to interpret it but to tell him the contents of the dream itself. When the Magi could not do it, he ordered them executed. Upon hearing this, Daniel sought an audience with the king, described the dream with the help of God, and interpreted the dream for him. As a result we read:
“Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him. The king answered Daniel, and said, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.” Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts; and he made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.” Daniel 2:46-49
Other than the books of Jeremiah and Daniel, we have no further references to Magi in the Old Testament. But we do know that the Magi survived as a ruling class from the Media-Persian empire in the fifth century BC down through the Parthian empire in the first century AD.
It was the Parthian kingdom to the East of Israel that is of most interest to us, for it was the chief rival of the Roman empire at the time of the birth of Christ. In the fifty years preceding the birth of Christ, Rome fought Parthia three times and lost each time. In one battle, Rome lost 30,000 troops, including its commander, Crassus. Much of the fighting occurred in the land of Palestine, with Jerusalem going back and forth between the two great powers like a ping pong ball.
Finally, king Herod was installed on the throne after he bribed Augustus Caesar to declare him king of the Jews. But he only managed to claim his throne after a three year battle and five month siege of Jerusalem. Prior to this time Judea had been an ally of Parthia. The Magi themselves, as we have said, were very much in power in Parthia. Parthia was ruled by a king, but it was not a hereditary monarchy. Instead, it was a constitutional monarchy, the king being chosen by the council of the Megistanes. This council was composed of two groups, the most powerful of which was the Magi. This council had absolute control over determining who would be the new king. Thus the Magi at the time of Christ were Parthian king makers.
As it turns out, the king of Parthia around the time of the birth of Christ, Phraates IV, was rather unpopular. He had already been deposed once. And now he was growing old. It was quite natural for the Magi to be looking for a new king.
So who were those Magi that visited Christ? They were very powerful religious-political officials from Parthia, a former ally of Judea but a bitter and potent enemy of Rome. These men were on a diplomatic mission from a nation that had already defeated Rome three times in battle. When they came to Herod, they came to a king who had been installed by Rome but whose role as the ruler of a rebellious buffer state between Rome and Parthia was none to certain. And on top of it all, the Magi were looking to make Jesus their new king. No wonder “When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:3).
[Note: This historical detail can be found in Bible encyclopedias, such as International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) and secular ancient histories.]
Discussion Questions
1. The Bible is full of examples of God’s people failing to believe God’s word, while those “from outside” godly culture hear it, believe it and take it at face value. Can you think of some examples?
2. In what ways can celebrating Christmas make us jaded to the realities of the Incarnation?
3. Just as Biblical prophecy predicted the birth of King Jesus, so Biblical prophecy predicts the return of King Jesus. What lessons from the story of the Wise Men can help you prepare for His return?