Who were wise men who came to Jesus?

Among the figures crowding around the infant Jesus in Nativity scenes are three whose presence is something of a mystery: the Magi, or wise men, who traveled from the East to see Christ and bring gifts to the Holy Family (Matthew 2:1-12).

Earlier this month, Deacon William Brett gave a reflection on the gifts of the Magi to members of the Legion of Mary from across the Albany Diocese at St. William's parish in Troy.

Deacon Brett, a member of Christ the King parish in Westmere, also ministers at Our Lady of Mercy Life Center in Guilderland.

'We three kings'?

The deacon gave himself a crash course on the Magi by using the Catholic Encyclopedia and research by the Rev. Phil Greetham, a Methodist minister.

Deacon Brett found an astonishing number of theories on who the trio were, where they came from and what gifts they brought.

"Magi," he said, comes from the same root as the word "magician," meaning someone who knows things that others don't. The Magi were likely not kings or astrologers -- in fact, the Bible does not call them kings -- but simply men who did a great deal of studying. Thus, "wise men" is probably the most appropriate way to refer to them, he said.

'Of Orient are'?

Scholars have claimed that the Magi -- the Bible does not say how many there were -- came from Persia, Arabia or Babylon. All the Bible says is that the men traveled "from the East."

Deacon Brett thinks the Persian theory is probably true, since Zoroastrianism, a religion there, held that a son of Zoroaster would be born who would be able to raise the dead. If the Magi were Zoroastrians, they would have wanted to see this "son" for themselves.

In addition, the deacon said, Persians who invaded the Holy Land in 614 A.D. supposedly refused to destroy a depiction of the adoration of the Magi they found in Bethlehem because they recognized the Magi's manner of dress as their own.

'Bearing gifts'?

Much of Deacon Brett's day of reflection focused on the gifts of the Magi. Through his research, he decided that the wise men actually brought gold, frankincense and myrrh, but that they were not symbolic of anything. Other scholars have theorized the gifts symbolize Jesus' kingship, holiness and death.

The main point of the story of the three wise men, the deacon told the group, is not whether events occurred exactly as scholars theorize. Instead, he hoped participants remember that "when people heard of the birth of Jesus, they wanted to go to Him -- to seek Him out and bring Him gifts. That's the story of our lives, too: We have to make that decision to go."

The "real Magi," he said, "are us. We have to take the story to heart and bring our own gifts to the Lord -- mainly, ourselves."

Deacon Brett told The Evangelist that "I learned more doing this research than I ever knew. The fact that I was able to pass that on was a real benefit for me. [People] can take this information and make it practical in their lives."

(12/23/04)