The biblical Magi[a] (/ˈmeɪdÊ'aɪ/ or /ˈmædÊ'aɪ/; singular:
magus), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings,
were â€" in the Gospel of Matthew and Christian tradition â€"
distinguished foreigners who visited Jesus after his birth, bearing
gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They are regular figures in
traditional accounts of the nativity celebrations of Christmas and are
an important part of Christian tradition.Matthew is the only one of
the four canonical gospels to mention the Magi. Matthew reports that
they came "from the east" to worship the "king of the Jews". The
gospel never mentions the number of Magi, but most western Christian
denominations have traditionally assumed them to have been three in
number, based on the statement that they brought three gifts. In
Eastern Christianity, especially the Syriac churches, the Magi often
number twelve. Their identification as kings in later Christian
writings is probably linked to Isaiah 60:1â€"6, which refers to "kings
[coming] to the brightness of your dawn" bearing "gold and
frankincense". Further identification of the magi with kings may be
due to Psalm 72:11, "May all kings fall down before him".Traditional
nativity scenes depict three "Wise Men" visiting the infant Jesus on
the night of his birth, in a manger accompanied by the shepherds and
angels, but this should be understood as an artistic convention
allowing the two separate scenes of the Adoration of the Shepherds on
the birth night and the later Adoration of the Magi to be combined for
convenience. The single biblical account in Matthew simply presents an
event at an unspecified point after Christ's birth in which an
unnumbered party of unnamed "wise men" (μάγοι, mágoi) visits him
in a house (οἰκίαν, oikian), not a stable, with only "his
mother" mentioned as present. The New Revised Standard Version of
Matthew 2:1â€"12 describes the visit of the Magi in this manner:The
text specifies no interval between the birth and the visit, and
artistic depictions and the closeness of the traditional dates of
December 25 and January 6 encourage the popular assumption that the
visit took place the same winter as the birth, but later traditions
varied, with the visit taken as occurring up to two winters later.
This maximum interval explained Herod's command at Matthew 2:16â€"18
that the Massacre of the Innocents included boys up to two years old.
More recent commentators, not tied to the traditional feast days, may
suggest a variety of intervals. Biblical Magi Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter