Re: Christmas
words -- Three Wise Men
Posted by Q on December
04, 2001 In Reply to: Re: Christmas words --
Three Wise Men posted by ESC on December 04, 2001
: : : :
We were discussing this at work -- what were the names of the three wise men who
came to see Baby Jesus. This is what I found online:
: : : : bibleinfo.com
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: : : WISE MEN Date: 11/18/1999
: : : : http://www.bibleinfo.com/Asp/DisplayFullFAQ.asp?FAQid=40
:
: : : What were the names of the three wise men?
: : : : It would appear that
one can call the wise men who visited Jesus by any name one would wish, but the
tradition has it they were named Gaspar, Balthasar, and Melchior.
: : : : Here
is the Bible Commentary article on the wise men: Wise men, Gr. magoi, which designated
men of the various educated classes. Our word "magicians" comes from this root.
But these "wise men" were not magicians in the modern sense of sleight-of-hand
performers. They were of noble birth, educated, wealthy, and influential. They
were the philosophers, the counselors of the realm, learned in all the wisdom
of the ancient East. The "wise men" who came seeking the Christ-child were not
idolaters; they were upright men of integrity (Desire of Ages, pages 59,61).
:
: : : They studied the Hebrew Scriptures and there found a clearer transcript
of truth. In particular, the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament claimed
their attention, and among these they found the words of Balaam: "There shall
come a Star out of Jacob," (Numbers 24:17). They probably also knew and understood
the time prophecy of Daniel (Daniel 9:25,26), and came to the conclusion that
the Messiah's coming was near. (See Desire of Ages, pages 61 & 62.)
: : : :
On the night of Christ's birth, a mysterious light appeared in the sky which became
a luminous star that persisted in the western heavens (see Desire of Ages, page
60). Impressed with its import, the wise men turned once more to the sacred scrolls.
As they sought to understand the meaning of the sacred writings, they were instructed
in dreams to go in search of the Messiah. Like Abraham, they knew not at first
where they were to go, but followed as the guiding star led them on their way.
:
: : : The tradition that there were but three wise men arose from the fact that
there were three gifts (Matthew 2:11), but is without support in Scripture. An
interesting, but worthless, legend gives their names as Gaspar, Balthasar, and
Melchior. The unfounded idea that they were kings was deduced from Isaiah 60:3
(cf. Revelation 21:24).
: : : : Nichol, Francis D., The Seventh-day Adventist
Bible Commentary, (Washington, D.C., Review and Herald Publishing Association),
1978.
: : : : URBAN LEGENDS REFERENCE PAGE
: : : : http://www.snopes2.com/holidays/christmas/3wisemen.asp
:
: : : Claim: The Bible says that exactly three wise men travelled from afar on
camels to visit the infant Jesus as he lay in the manger.
: : : : Status: False.
: : : : Origins: As Santa Claus and his reindeer are to the secular celebration
of Christmas, so the three wise men and the creche are to the religious celebration.
Even most of the non-religious (or non-Christian) among us recognize the symbolism
of the nativity scene: it depicts the biblical account of three wise men from
the east who rode atop camels and followed a star to Bethlehem, bearing gifts
for the newborn Christ child who lay in a manger.
: : : : The truth is, the
Bible contains virtually none of these details. They have all been added over
the years from sources outside the Bible.
: : : : Matthew 2:1 tells us:
:
: : : Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the
king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem . . .
: : : :
That's it. Matthew doesn't say how many wise men came from the east, doesn't mention
their names, and doesn't provide any details about how they made their journey.
: : : : It has generally been assumed that the wise men (or magi) were three
in number because Matthew 2:11 makes mention of three gifts: " . . . they presented
unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh." The num
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