In Italy, and elsewhere, a tradition on 6 January commemorates the ‘three wise men’ who are said to have travelled from the East to the stable or cave in Bethlehem to worship the newborn Jesus.

It seems, however, that the story did not unfold quite like that.

In fact, questions arise spontaneously even just by reading the account in the Gospel according to Matthew. Why were wise astronomers from those distant lands so interested in the birth of a child in the land of Judah? What sign did they see in the sky to know that this child had been born and that he was the King of the Jews? Why did they undertake such a long, costly and dangerous journey? Why were they so certain that in Jerusalem they would know where to find ‘the King of the Jews who has been born’? Why did they have no hesitation in presenting themselves to Herod, who was reigning at the time, and enquiring of him about another ‘king’ whom they believed had been born in his own territory? And at what time of year would they have reached their destination? Why did they bring such a great treasure to an unknown child in a land so far away? Why did they worship him, even though they had their own king in the East?

Some recent biblical studies and historical and scientific reconstructions may help us in this reflection.

They were not “magicians”

, but “Magi”, which at the time meant “wise men”, that is, essentially astronomers whom scholars claim were priests among the Chaldeans, Medes and Persians.

They were not kings

, but rather learned priest-astronomers from the East, which, relative to Jerusalem, was the land of the ancient Babylonian kingdom. Most scholars believe they were descendants of the disciples of Daniel, a Jew of royal lineage or from a noble family (Dan. 1: 3), a wise, educated and intelligent man (Dan. 1:4), regarded by most as an expert in biblical studies and astronomy. Daniel was deported to Babylon as a young man, where he lived during the Jewish exile. God granted him the ability to know and understand every scripture and all wisdom, as well as the gift of interpreting every kind of vision and dream (Dan. 1:17). The king of Babylon found him ten times superior to all the wise men and astrologers of the kingdom. The king of Babylon elevated Daniel in rank; he showered him with numerous possessions and rich gifts, gave him command of the whole province of Babylon and made him chief of all the wise men of Babylon, and he remained at the king’s court (Dan. 2: 48–49). In practice, Daniel was the supreme head of all the Babylonian wise men, priests and astronomers for over 60 years (until the first year of King Cyrus, Dan. 1:21), being extremely wealthy and powerful in that foreign kingdom. It is widely believed that the Sages who set out for Jerusalem were not only disciples of the wise priest-astronomers once led by Daniel, but also Jews who, once the exile was over, would remain in Babylon where they would continue to preserve and cultivate Daniel’s teachings, some of which were revealed, whilst others were kept secret until the ‘fullness of time’.

There were not three of

them. There must have been a considerable number, with a sizeable caravan in their wake (some say hundreds, others even thousands of people) and soldiers to protect the treasures they were carrying. There must have been so many of them, and they were so heavily armed, that ‘the king and all Jerusalem were disturbed’ (Mt 2:3) at their arrival. There were, however, three most precious gifts they brought: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

They must have followed celestial alignments

, having seen the “star in the East” (Num. 24:17 and Matt. 2:2) of the King of the Jews who had been born. It was therefore a certain alignment of the heavenly bodies that constituted the long-awaited sign, and when the Magi saw it in the sky, they knew that the time had come for the birth of the promised King and that they must set out on their journey to worship him and pay homage to him with the treasures they had prepared for him. Using modern technology, scholars and scientists have reconstructed the position the stars would have held in the sky during the period in which Jesus is believed to have been born; a period which most scholars now agree was September of the year 3 BC. These studies have revealed that between August and September of that year, the conjunctions of the various planets and their positions in the constellations clearly indicated that from a Virgin would be born the King, the Righteous One, the Lion.

They had waited 600 years,

and from generation to generation, the Wise Men must have passed down the great secret. So they organised their journey and arrived in Jerusalem some time after the Messiah’s birth. Some say one year, others one year and two months. In any case, no more than two years, given that Herod ordered and had all male children aged two and under killed, ‘according to the time of which he had been precisely informed by the Wise Men’ (Mt. 2:7; 16). He wanted to eliminate every possible pretender to his own kingdom.

They did not find the child in a manger.

That honour was reserved for the shepherds alone. The Magi, in fact, found him at home, with Mary, his mother (Matt. 2:11). It is highly likely, moreover, that they had not found the child in Bethlehem, though it is possible they went there anyway after speaking with Herod the Great; but more likely in Nazareth, where Joseph and Mary had already returned (Matt. 2:39) once the 40 days following Yeshua’s birth had passed for the mother’s ritual purification. In any case, the heavenly signs visible at the time of the Magi’s arrival—which, we recall, took place within, but no later than, two years after Yeshua’s birth—indicated where they would find the child. And there, indeed, they found him.

The gifts must have been of great quantity and value

. This justifies the presumed grandeur of the Magi’s caravan, which stirred up all of Jerusalem. Some scholars believe that, since Daniel had no children, he must have left his possessions and riches (after the king, like Joseph in Egypt, Daniel was the most important man in the kingdom of Babylon) for the King of the Jews who would be born in due course. The gifts that the Magi brought could very well have been Daniel’s inheritance. For example, we know that on the day of Jesus’ circumcision, his parents could not afford to offer a lamb as a sacrifice, but only a pair of turtledoves and two young pigeons. They did not have much money at that time. However, after the visit of the Wise Men, they were able to flee to Egypt, remain there for a time and return to Nazareth. The gifts of the Wise Men were the provisions made available to the King for his travels. And it is also said, by deduction, that during his ministry it is likely that Jesus was supported not only by the possessions of the faithful women who followed him, but also by the famous and precious gifts of the Magi.

It was a great event

that seems to have been misrepresented over the centuries. Thanks to God, today we can understand more, and even this great mystery is beginning to be revealed. The cosmic sign that appeared in the East was that the rightful King had been born of a Virgin, the Sun of Justice had risen, and the Lion of Judah had come into the world. And the Magi from the East, who had kept the secret, probably thanks to Daniel’s instructions, were able to recognise the astronomical sign and, setting out on a long journey with confidence, brought to the King of the Jews the treasure prepared and kept for him; and, once they had come into his presence, they fell to the ground and worshipped him.

Maurizio Tiezzi