Three wise men, kings from the East, follow the Star of Bethlehem to the manger where Mary lay with the baby Jesus, and present the newborn king with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The story is an indelible part of Christian culture that is renewed with every singing of ”We Three Kings,“ with every Nativity display on every lawn at Christmastime, with every celebration of Twelfth Night, which commemorates the day that the Magi arrived.
So who were the “wise men,“ really? Magi is a Latin word deriving from an Old Persian term for the Zoroastrian priestly caste; the English word magic derives from it. Given the significance of the star in the Gospel story, it is likely that the Magi were astrologers, highly regarded in that era, and that they hailed from somewhere within the boundary of the old Persian Empire. Some historians now believe the wise men were ambassadors sent by three contemporary kings: Azes II of Bactria, Gondophares of Indo-Parthia, and Aretas IV from nearby Nabataea. This remarkable collection contains coins issued by all three of these Holy Land kings—each one a genuine artifact from Biblical times.