What about those "Wise Men"?

The Wichita Eagle has up an interesting article on the "Wise Men" or "Maji" who visited Jesus, dispelling many of the myths and assumptions we make about who they were and what they represented. It goes back to the original text and looks at what Matthew really tells us about them.

These three kings of Orient are, in fact, not kings at all. "Magi" comes from the Greek word "magoi," meaning sorcerers or astrologers -- the scientists of their day.

Scientific theories attempting to explain the Star of Bethlehem have historically included a supernova, a comet or, most often, a planetary alignment of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars.

"These were men who searched the sky for signs," said the Rev. John Paul Heil, a professor of the New Testament who recently left Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis to teach at Catholic University of America in Washington.

"They were learned people who would advise kings as to what was going on in the heavens."

In later centuries, the magi themselves began to be depicted as kings.

It is a good reminder that even today we need to go back to the scriptures to get our facts about what happened in the first century. This is why we study the Bible in quizzing - so that we may know the ultimate source of truth rather than the traditions of humans.