Wise Men at the Manger

About this drawing

Everyone thinks they know the Magi at the manger, yet the Bible tells us remarkably little about them. The Gospel of Matthew simply mentions Magi from the East. It doesn't say how many came, doesn't call them kings, and offers no names. They were probably scholars or astrologers from Persia or Mesopotamia.

The number three likely came from the three gifts, and some early Christian traditions counted two, four, or even twelve visitors. Their promotion to royalty came from a psalm about kings bringing tribute. The names Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar show up in the early Middle Ages. Artists later gave them different ages and homelands, showing that the message of Jesus was meant for all people.

Their supposed remains have had quite a journey. Legend says Saint Helena found the bones and took them to Constantinople, and that they later moved to Milan. In 1164, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa's forces carried them off to Cologne, Germany, where they still rest in a golden shrine. The great Gothic cathedral there was built largely to house them, and the city became a major pilgrimage stop. Medieval travelers named inns after them, too, which is why so many old European pubs are called The Three Kings. Quite a legacy for a handful of verses in one Gospel.

• wise men
• manger
• detailed
• adoration