Jewish Wise Men?

The three wise men from the East that we have all heard about all our lives are an interesting part of the story of the Christ child. 

As with many of the stories and events depicted in the Scriptures, it seems to me that tradition once again trumps biblical reality. Firstly, it is only an assumption that there were three wise men. Other than the fact that these unnumbered wise men brought three gifts for the young toddler, Jesus, there is no direct biblical mention of just how many “wise men” presented themselves to the child and his family. For sure, and because they are spoken of in the plural, there was obviously more than one wise man, but there could have been as few as two and as many as…well, I’m sure everyone gets the picture.

Although the number and nature of the gifts brought by the wise men are biblically significant, the number of wise men present is not so much. However, the nature of the wise men, regardless of how many there were, is.

It is “traditionally” believed these wise men from the East were gentiles, likely from Persia as Persia was east of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and of Israel, itself. However, other than the stated fact they came from the East, there is no hard indication they were gentiles. And on the contrary, it is my conviction that they were in fact Jews and not gentiles at all! And here’s why I believe that.

Why would gentiles from a foreign land, and of some social status, care about and seek out some obscure Jewish-focused fable about an impoverished, low-born infant being descendant to a long defunct, dethroned, and discontinued line of kings – as if such had any importance in the real world as it existed in 4 BC. What connection would exist that would motivate fairly well-to-do foreign gentiles to embark on an arduous, dangerous, expensive and time demanding journey to a region dominated by Persia’s geo-political rival, the Roman Empire? As far as gentiles might be concerned, it would undoubtedly be a non-existent motivation and concern. However, for Jews, and spiritual Jews at that, the prospect of the arrival of the long predicted Jewish Messiah would be quite motivating to be sure.

And the fact that these visitors were probably actual Persian wise men, or Magi as they are also referred to, links them to another well-known Magi or wise man of their homeland. In fact, this individual was biblically known as Chief of the Wise Men at a time when Persia was known by another name – Babylon. This man was who we today know as the prophet Daniel.

Six hundred years before Jesus was born, Daniel, probably in his late teens at the time, was part of a mass deportation of Jewish elites to Babylon after Babylon had conquered the southern Israelite kingdom of Judea and captured Jerusalem, taking back to Babylon the best of the Jewish population to serve and enrich Babylon.

The story of Daniel is a long and amazing story, with he being a chosen instrument and prophet of the One True and Living God. And God caused Daniel to prosper exceedingly in his captivity, eventually being elevated to the highest offices under the various kings that came and went as kings frequently do in despotic rule.

Daniel was recognized by the rulers of Babylon, and those that later usurped them, as a prophet and Wise Man. And as already mentioned, he became Chief of the Persian Wise Men – they being an order or society of spiritual advisors, teachers, mathematicians, astronomers and what have you. They were called Magi (where we get our word magic.) And despite their name association to the word magic, they were the ancient version of learned men or what might today be called scientists – but with an intense spiritual focus.

As previously noted, Daniel, even as a captive of Babylon, rose to high offices within the ruling hierarchy and it seems established a significant and lasting influence on the culture of the society of the Magi. (Again, he had risen to the height of The Chief Wise Man!) And so, for centuries after Daniel, his legacy and writings would endure. And I believe it can be safe to assume that would be especially true if he has brought in other spiritual Jews into the society of the Magi.

For centuries after the Great Deportations from Judea to Babylon, the Jews, as they have done in nearly every culture they have found themselves, established a robust, thriving community/presence in the Babylonian/Persian culture. So, when nearly a century after the Deportations and the time came that all Jews could return to their ancestral homeland, the very great majority opted to stay in Persia as most of the then existing Jews were born there into an established Persian/Jewish culture.

Also, and as Jews have experienced throughout history, God blessed them even while chastising them. In Persia, just like it was continually repeated over centuries in Europe and America, Jews found themselves disproportionately in the highest positions of the culture where they resided. And one “upper-crust” facet of Persian culture for centuries was the society of the Magi. One can be confident that in the shadow of Daniel, he being a Chief of Wise Men, a prophet of God, and the author of Scriptures that bear his name, the Magi might well have any number of Jews among their ranks at any point in time. And it would not be surprising that Magi of Jewish background, probably living in two cultures as most non-Israeli Jews live today, would be far more likely to focus on the prophecies of Daniel than non-Jewish Magi might. Not only might Jewish Magi focus on Daniel’s prophecies but also act on them when it was realized those prophecies existed in a timeline that pointed to their time (generally speaking) as the time for Messiah.

It all makes sense. It all makes sense that amongst the educated elite in Persia there would be any number of Jews. And if there were learned, Jewish Magi in Persia who read and understood Daniel’s writings, they might be far more likely to do the arithmetic, realize just what time they were living in, and actually travel to their ancestral homeland, in spite of the dangers and costs, to literally meet and worship their God incarnate, the long hoped for Anointed One, the promised Messiah of Israel. To be true, however, these Jewish/Persian wise men may well have been culturally more Persian than Jewish – although Jewish nonetheless. And here’s way I suspect that.

These wise men, being wise men in the order of the wise man, Daniel – a Jew of renown – though apparently quite aware of Daniel’s writings were, it would seem, not overly knowledgeable of other prophetic Hebrew writings. For instance, they did not know that another Hebrew Scripture revealed just where the Messiah would be born. The wise men went to Jerusalem seeking him not Bethlehem. And that is a logical point to start looking for one destined to be a Jewish king. One would go to the Jewish city of kings – Jerusalem. The wise men, however, didn’t know enough to realize the prophet Micah blatantly pointed out the Messiah’s birth place. Micah wrote: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” (Micah 5:12) It wasn’t until Herod in his paranoid learning of the wise men’s search summoned them to him and and informed them by way of “local” Jewish learned men, that Micah revealed the Messiah was to be born just five miles away in Bethlehem. (No, it wasn’t the star that pointed them to Bethlehem, it was Herod!)

Regardless of the fact of these Persian Jews were operating on limited knowledge, and that perhaps some gentile Magi might be aware and knowledgeable of the promises in the Torah, and of the prophets. And that some of them might be interested and cognizant of the timing of it all. But would they be as motivated as a Jew (even a culturally Persian Jew) to stick their necks out and lay out the cost and time for such a questionable and not so assured journey? I am personally confident that answer would be no. 

I think a gentile spiritual man might take some interest in the prophecies of an alien religion and wish to know how its prophecies all play out, but not so willing to risk life, limb, and treasure to actually and physically participate. No, I think one such person might be interested but only to keep an eye on it all at a distance, as an outsider looking in.

Yes, there are many who hold that the Magi were gentiles – and that it is a long-held tradition of the early church that such is the chase. And yes, it is also the position of the United Methodist Church today. (Please read about it Here & Here.) The Orthodox Church has a long history and rather detailed narrative (if flawed) of who the wise men were and what became of them. (Please see Here regards that.) And, of course, the Roman Church today teaches much the same. However, the early Roman Church was the root of the Orthodox Church and all of the splinter Protestant Churches. 

The Roman and Orthodox Church were one and the same for centuries until the Great Schism in 1054 AD. And of course, the UMC has a long-reached connection to the Roman Church as well, connected to Rome via the Anglican Church which was part of the Roman Church until Henry the VIII chose to go his own way in 1534 AD. 

It is no secret that the early church, the early Roman church, was openly antisemitic and not so inclined to acknowledge or promote the “Jewishness” of Christianity. (No, Rome was all about Rome, even to claim the Jews were abandoned by God, and Rome had become the focus of all God’s promises and affection. Their view being that the Church clung to Rome, not Rome to the Church.) Even though today the Orthodox and Protestant Churches stand apart from the original Roman Church, we still maintain many of the original Roman “traditions” and heresies. (In my opinion, contemporary Protestantism is far more “Roman” than most might suspect.)

Of course, it has been suggested the wise men by being gentiles were somehow a foreshadow of all gentiles one day being brought into the family of God. And that is a fairly appealing thought. But the gospels were far and away directed to the Jews for the Jews. The gospels did not address the matter of bringing the gentiles “into the fold”; they focused on the Messiah coming to bring the Good News of the kingdom of God to the Jews. Jesus even said so himself. He said that he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel only! (Matthew 15:24) The gentiles were a matter for others at a later time. (Think of Paul, Silas, Barnabus, etc.) It doesn’t make much sense to inject gentiles as a significant component of the introduction of the Jewish Messiah when the Jewish Messiah’s immediate mission was to Jews only! 

Once again, it is honestly my opinion that the Magi were Jewish Persians steeped in the prophecies of Daniel seeking out the Jewish Messiah of Israel. And how appropriate that such would be the case. In the long run, of course, it really doesn’t matter all that much – at least to a point. Jesus ultimately was, and is the Messiah for all who seek out and acknowledge him as such. I just prefer to understand and know the truth. For there is only one truth, and I desire to dig through all the obfuscation (confusion) that the lord of this world throws at us to distract us from that one truth, and I do so that I may be effective in my mission to make disciples for Christ. Satan does not care which untruth one believes as long as the truth remains obscure and hidden. Even the little truths are important, for all together they make the one big Truth.  And, what else can be said about all this but…

We are waiting, Lord. Come soon!

Mark Johnson UMC Lay Servant January 2023