Who were the Three Wise Men from the East?
The names number and nationality of the wise men from the East who followed the star of the newborn Jesus to Jerusalem and Bethlehem are not given in the Bible. This beautiful story is told in Matthew 2:1-12, and that is all the information there is in the Bible about the wise men. Early traditional writers fixed their number at three, probably because three gifts are mentioned. A legend, apparently dating from the second or third century, refers to them as kings. Later legends give them names: Gasper (white), Melchior (light) and Balthasar (lord of the treasury house). Many Bible scholars suppose the three wise men to have been Magi, members of the priestly caste in Persia. This opinion is supported by two circumstances: in Palestine the east generally refers to Persia; and the religion of the Magi, which was similar to that of Zoroaster, included belief in the advent of a messiah. The book of travels by Marco Polo 1299 A.D. contains an interesting reference to this subject. Marco Pol
