Biblical Magi

The account appears only in the Gospel of Matthew, where 'wise men from the East' (Greek: μάγοι, magoi) observe a star, travel to Jerusalem to ask where the newborn 'king of the Jews' is, and are directed to Bethlehem. They find the child in a house, worship him, and present gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they depart by another route. Matthew offers no personal names, number, precise origins, or detailed timing; later Christian traditions (from at least the third century onward) elaborated their identity as kings and assigned names and numbers (commonly three in Western and Eastern tradition, twelve in some Syriac traditions).

Matthew gives no physical description beyond identifying them as 'wise men from the East' who follow a star. Later Western Christian art and nativity practice frequently depict them as three elaborately dressed foreign kings, but those traits (three in number, royal status, specific garb) are later interpretive traditions not found in the Matthean text. Different Christian communities have varied depictions and numbers (e.g., three in much Western tradition; twelve in some Syriac traditions).

The Matthean narrative presents the Magi as learned foreign specialists who 'observed his star' and traveled to interpret its meaning, implying expertise in star‑observation/astrology consistent with the term's etymological link to the Old Persian maguš/Avestan magâunô (an Iranian priestly caste associated with star study). The Gospel records that they received a dream warning which led them to avoid returning to Herod, but it does not ascribe supernatural powers or occult agency beyond astrological interpretation and receptivity to a dream warning.