Why were the three kings called “wise men”?
I believe you’ve got this one backwards; it’s the other way around. The Bible calls them “magi” which is the plural form of the Persian word for “great”. It is also the Greek root for the word “magic”. These were “wise men” as the word is most usually translated into English, great in knowledge for their time. They would have seen by ordinary people as almost magic because of their knowledge of the sciences of the day (like their study of the stars). They may have been of a high priestly caste of Persia. The Gospel of Matthew says only that they are from the East (Mt 2:1), so we do not know exactly who they are or where they came from. The word “king” is not used in the account. So why do we call them kings? Why also do we say there were three since Matthew didn’t tell us the number of them?
The reason they were thought to be kings was because of some of the earlier prophetic texts found in the scriptures. Psalm 72 says, “May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Arabia and Seba offer gifts.” (Ps 72:10) Isaiah said, “When kings see you, they shall stand up, and princes shall prostrate themselves” (Is 49:7), and “Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance” (Is 60:3), and “Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.” (Is 60:6) So early in the Church, people connected these texts to Matthew’s account of the magi, thus making them kings.
Why three? Perhaps, the reason is simply because there were only three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Certainly if there were more visitors, there would be more gifts and different ones at that. You know how embarrassing it is to bring the same gift as someone else. Just imagine Joseph opening the package only to say unconvincingly, “Wonderful, more gold.” Or, “Oh look, Myrrh again. Can’t have too much of that. By the way, would you happen to have a gift receipt for this?”
Further, somewhere along the line, names were even “discovered” for these three kings: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. I guess, it is such a fascinating story we just want more and more details, more than what Matthew gives us about these “wise guys” from back East. The important point to remember is that wise men and women still seek Jesus today, and to find Christ is greater than being made a king or queen, and is to find a treasure far greater than gold.
-Fr. Greg
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