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.

According to the 12th-century Vita Eustorgi, the bishop of Milan St. Eustorgius obtained permission from the Emperor to transfer to Milan the remains of the three Magi, which in the fourth century had been "discovered" by St. Helena and taken to the Church of St. Sofia in Constantinople. In 1164 Milan was looted by Federico Barbarossa and the remains of the Magi was transferred to Cathedral of Cologne where they are still preserved.

Around 1364 the Historia Trium Regum by Johannes of Hildesheim collected all traditions about the Magi into a long and detailed narrative, which became standard in Western Christianity. The work was translated into German, Dutch, French, English and Danish. At the end of the 15th century, the Historia Trium Regum would be among the first printed books.