Magi

• DATABASE: see Category:Magi (subject)
• SOURCES: see Magi (sources)

The Magi were, according to the Gospel of Matthew, a group of wise men who came from the East to pay homage to the infant Jesus when he was born at Bethlehem.

Overview

The episode of the Adoration of the Magi is narrated only in the Gospel of Matthew.

Later Christian tradition embellished the episode, and a series of legends began to flourish about the identity and whereabouts of the "three" Magi, who were described as "kings" coming from the East. Melchior (Melkon), Gaspar (Jaspar), and Balthasar emerged among the most popular characters in the Gospel.

Around 1364 the Historia Trium Regum by John of Hildesheim collected all traditions into a long and detailed narratives, which became standard in Western Christianity.