Full Answer
How many wise men did the wise men have?
The only clue to the number of wise men lies in their gifts. There were three: gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew reported that they went to Jerusalem and gained an audience with King Herod. They asked him the whereabouts of the King of the Jews because they had seen his star.
What did the Three Wise Men bring to Jesus?
Everyone knows the legend of the three wise men's visit to Bethlehem as retold every Christmas. Three Arabian princes followed a star to find baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. They presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This story has lived on over the centuries as a key part of the birth of Jesus.
Were the Magi really wise men?
So, the magi were men who 1) read and believed God's Word, 2) sought Jesus, 3) recognized the worth of Christ, 4) humbled themselves to worship Jesus, and 5) obeyed God rather than man. They were truly wise men! Recommended Resource: The Case for Christmas by Lee Strobel
Who were the Three Kings in the Bible?
Names of the Three Kings . Matthew reveals nothing of these visitors' ancestry. Over the centuries, legend has assigned them names: Gaspar, or Casper; Melchior, and Balthasar. Balthasar has a Persian sound. If indeed these men were scholars from Persia, they would have been familiar with Daniel's prophecy about the Messiah or "Anointed One."
What are the three wise men?
Where did the wise men travel from?
What are the three gifts that Jesus gave to him?
What kind of horse did people in northern Arabia use?
Who is Dwight Longenecker?
Did the Three Kings have royal connections?
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THREE WISE MEN - Who Were They And How "Wise" Were These Men?
Who were the “wise men”? They were the “wise men from the east” (see Bethlehem of Judea) who arrived in Jerusalem and declared, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:2) Were there three wise men? There could have been three wise men, but there also could have been more than three wise men, or ...
Christmas 2021: Who are the Three Wise Men or Magi and what ... - Firstpost
Christmas 2021: Who are the Three Wise Men or Magi and what is their story? It is believed that the Three Wise Men — Melchior, Gaspar (also called Caspar) and Balthazar — gifted Jesus gold to signify his status as King of the Jews, frankincense representing the infant's identity as the Son of God; and finally, myrrh that touched upon Jesus' mortality
Who are the three wise men?
Three Wise Men. Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics. He is the author "Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges.". The Three Kings, or Magi, are mentioned only in the Gospel of Matthew 2:1-12.
How many wise men were there in the Bible?
Few details are given about these men in the Bible, and most of our ideas about them actually come from tradition or speculation. Scripture does not say how many wise men there were, but it is generally assumed there were three since they brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh .
What are the gifts of the Three Kings?
Three Gifts From Three Kings. The gifts of the Three Kings symbolize Christ's identity and mission: gold for a king, incense for God, and myrrh used to anoint the dead. Ironically, the Gospel of John states that Nicodemus brought a mixture of 75 pounds of aloe and myrrh to anoint Jesus’ body after the crucifixion .
Why did God honor the wise men?
God honored the wise men by warning them in a dream to go home by another route and not to report back to King Herod. Some Bible scholars think Joseph and Mary sold the wise men's gifts to pay for their trip to Egypt to escape Herod’s persecution . The Three Kings With Herod. SuperStock / Getty Images.
Where did the three kings come from?
Matthew says only that these visitors came from "the east.". Scholars have speculated that they came from Persia, Arabia, or even India. They doggedly followed a star that led them to Jesus.
Who were the three kings?
The Three Kings were among the wisest men of their time . Discovering that the Messiah was to be born, they organized an expedition to find him, following a star that led them to Bethlehem. Despite their culture and religion in a foreign land, they accepted Jesus as their Savior .
What did the 3 kings do to prove Jesus was the Messiah?
As real men, the three kings confirmed ancient prophecies about Jesus being the Messiah, and as symbols, they showed that he came to save all people, rich and poor, learned or unschooled, from anywhere in the world. These wealthy travelers were on the opposite end of the social and economic scale as the shepherds who had visited Jesus right ...
What were the names of the “wise men”?
The Bible does not reveal the names of the astrologers. According to The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “attempts to name them (e.g., Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar ) rest upon legends.”
What does the Bible say about the three wise men?
Contrary to popular Christmas tradition, the Bible does not use the terms “three wise men” or “three kings” to describe the travelers who went to see Jesus after his birth. ( Matthew 2:1) Instead, the Gospel writer Matthew used the Greek word ma’goi to describe those who visited Jesus.
When did the “wise men” visit Jesus?
The astrologers may have visited Jesus a number of months after his birth. This is evident because King Herod, who wanted to have Jesus killed, ordered the slaughter of boys who were two years old and younger. He based that age range on information he had received from the astrologers.— Matthew 2:16.
How many wise men were there in the Bible?
How many “wise men” were there? The Bible does not say, and traditions about their number vary. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “Eastern tradition sets the number of Magi at 12, but Western tradition sets their number at three, probably based on the three gifts of ‘gold, frankincense, and myrrh’ ( Matthew 2:11) presented to the infant.”.
Were the “wise men” kings?
Although in Christmas tradition the visitors are often depic ted that way, nowhere does the Bible call them kings. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, that designation was added centuries later as part of the traditions that “embellished the narrative.”
Where did the wise men come from?
In fact, the wise men came days, months, or possibly even years later. That is why Matthew 2:11 says the wise men visited and worshiped Jesus in a house, not at the stable. We know that the magi were wise men from "the East," most likely Persia, or modern-day Iran. This means the wise men traveled 800 to 900 miles to see the Christ child.
How many wise men were there in the Bible?
However, the Bible does not say there were only three wise men. There could have been many more. Tradition says that there were three and that their names were Gaspar/Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar/Balthazar, but since the Bible does not say, we have no way of knowing whether the tradition is accurate. It is a common misconception that the wise ...
What did the Magi do?
So, the magi were men who 1) read and believed God’s Word, 2) sought Jesus, 3) recognized the worth of Christ, 4) humbled themselves to worship Jesus, and 5) obeyed God rather than man. They were truly wise men!
How far did the wise men travel to see the Christ child?
This means the wise men traveled 800 to 900 miles to see the Christ child. Most likely, the magi knew of the writings of the prophet Daniel, who in time past had been the chief of the court seers in Persia. Daniel 9:24-27 includes a prophecy which gives a timeline for the birth of the Messiah.
Where did the disciples go to pray concerning the birth of Christ?
They followed God’s guidance joyfully ( Matthew 2:10 ). When they arrived in Bethlehem, they gave costly gifts to Jesus and worshiped Him.
What are the three gifts of the wise men?
And their origins are left unknown. The only clue to the number of wise men lies in their gifts. There were three: gold and frankincense and myrrh.
Where in the Bible does it say the wise men came?
In the New Testament of the Bible, Matthew related the coming of the wise men to Bethlehem. Matthew 2:1 reads “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.”. Nowhere in this report of the coming of the wise men are they named or counted.
What were the names of the magi?
The text is copied from a Greek scroll written about 500 A.D., which no longer exists. The names were Bithisaria, Melichior, and Gathaspa, names which have changed over the centuries to Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar. Their countries of origin were listed as either Arabia or Ethiopia, Persia, and India respectively. But this text did not appear until the 700s and gives no origin for the names it lists.
Where did the magi come from?
Names for the magi first appear in an eighth century journal, called the Excerpta Latina Barbari. The text is copied from a Greek scroll written about 500 A.D., which no longer exists. The names were Bithisaria, Melichior, and Gathaspa, names which have changed over the centuries to Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar. Their countries of origin were listed as either Arabia or Ethiopia, Persia, and India respectively. But this text did not appear until the 700s and gives no origin for the names it lists.
Who were the magi?
We will never know for certain who the magi were, whether they were priestly astrologers from Persia or diplomats from Nabatea or from countries much farther away. There is some evidence that a Tamil king, named Perumal, from what is now Sri Lanka, is also a candidate for membership among the magi.
Who defeated Frederick Barbarossa?
The Lombard League, led by Milan, defeated Emperor Frederick Barbarossa’s attempts to regain the Italian crown. But Frederick had enlisted the help of the archbishop of Cologne, who had recaptured Milan. In payment, Frederick sent the sacred bones of the magi to Cologne where a cathedral was built to house them.
Who brought back the magi?
The bones of the magi. Despite the lack of documentation, the people of that time accepted many tales as factual. St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine of Rome, traveled to India two hundred years after they died and brought back the bodies of the magi.
What are the three wise men?
5 Common Myths about the Three Wise Men Story. Everyone knows the legend of the three wise men's visit to Bethlehem as retold every Christmas. Three Arabian princes followed a star to find baby Jesus, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. They presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Where did the wise men travel from?
Of course men from Persia could have brought these gifts, but they signify a giving of the best commodities from their own country to a neighboring King.
What are the three gifts that Jesus gave to him?
Myth #1: There were three wise men. We have no idea how many there were. This was assumed because three gifts were given to Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. However, we don’t know the quantity of those gifts, or even if Jesus was only given one of each. There is no way to know how many.
What kind of horse did people in northern Arabia use?
However, people in northern Arabia typically only rode Arabian horses. At the time of Christ’s birth camels were used as pack animals, but wealthy travelers used the more comfortable and swift horse. Photo courtesy: ©Thinkstock.
Who is Dwight Longenecker?
Dwight Longenecker is a parish leader, award-winning blogger, and speaker. A graduate of Oxford and Bob Jones University, he has written sixteen books on different aspects of religion. He is the author of a new book , Mystery of the Magi: The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men, available in bookstores now.
Did the Three Kings have royal connections?
It is unclear whether or not they were royalty, but they were not kings. You can throw out the “We Three Kings” picture completely. They had royal connections through and were trusted by King Herod.
