Who were the wise men who visited Jesus?

The wise men appear only in Matthew 2. They came "from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him" (Matthew 2:1-2). The Greek word for them, magoi, refers to a class of scholars, astrologers, and interpreters of dreams associated especially with Persia and Babylon, though some have suggested Arabia. Many readers connect their interest in a Jewish king to the legacy of Jewish exiles in the East, including Daniel, who was made "chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon" (Daniel 2:48). After meeting Herod, they followed the star to Bethlehem, where they "saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him," presenting "gold, and frankincense, and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11). Warned in a dream, they went home another way (Matthew 2:12). Much of the popular picture comes from later tradition rather than Scripture. Matthew never says how many there were. The number three was inferred from the three gifts, while some Eastern traditions counted twelve. The idea that they were kings grew from passages such as Psalm 72:10, "the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts," and the names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar appear around the sixth century. Nativity scenes place them at the manger, but Matthew says "they were come into the house" and describes a "young child," and Herod's order to kill boys "from two years old and under" (Matthew 2:16) suggests their visit came some time after the birth.

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