After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Matthew 2: 1-12

I think it is fair to say that over the years there has been significant debate about the nationality and background of the magi. Some argue that these men were Jews who had stayed behind in Babylon after Cyrus granted their right of return to Israel (Ezra 1:1-3), learning the arts of magic and astrology. Others hold that they were gentiles whose study had led them to recognise the epic event that was unfolding. Whilst it is possible that these men were Jewish, the text in both Matthew and associated literature suggests strongly that the magi were gentile.

Now, it is true that the Septuagint and Greek translations of Daniel point to Jewish exiles interacting with Babylonian magi – Daniel 2:2 sees Nebuchadnezzar calling for interpreters among “the enchanters, the magi (Greek magous), sorcerers and Chaldeans” to interpret his dream. Magi is an old Persian term for Zoroastrian priests. Daniel records how all these figures attempt to interpret the king’s dream, but it falls to Daniel to give the interpretation and in so doing becomes the leader of this group. As a result, some scholars speculate that Daniel taught Jewish traditions to his team, maybe even converting some to Judaism, and therefore the magi of Matthew are learned Jews who emerged from Daniel’s tutelage and heritage.

The main challenge to this line of thinking is that neither Daniel, nor his fellow Jews, were ever identified as ‘magi’ themselves. Indeed, the Septuagint clearly distinguishes them from the magi. ‘Daniel and his Jewish friends were “ten times wiser than all the enchanters and magi”. (Daniel 1:20). So, we can see that whilst Daniel becomes the leader over all of Nebuchadnezzar’s sages, scripture is clear that neither Daniel, nor his friends, became magi while living in Babylon.

Similarly, Matthew’s text gives strong indications that the magi were gentile. Their question to Herod “where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” seems clear indication that they themselves were not Jewish, otherwise the natural question would have been phrased ‘our king’. Equally, ‘king of the Jews’ is a phrase used by gentiles in the rest of Matthew.

Everything in Matthew’s text suggests a gentile background for these magi. This is also true of the gifts (‘dora’) of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts echo the picture presented in the Psalms (Ps 72:10, Ps 76:11-12) and Isaiah 60:5-6 where gifts including gold and frankincense, are given by the nations and are clearly identified as “the wealth of the gentiles”. It is also worth noting that myrrh, which wasn’t mentioned above, is a gift given to the Jewish queen Esther by a Persian king (Es 2:12). Myrrh is an aromatic resin that is said to be an item of trade among travelling gentiles in the time of Joseph (Gen 37:25) and was offered as tribute by gentile kings to Solomon (1 Kings 10:25 & 2 Chron 9:24 - English Standard Version). Therefore, it feels right that gentile magi, travellers from the East, would offer myrrh to Jesus, the King of the Jews. The gospels are echoing Bible passages about gentiles offering gifts to Israelites.

Given the above it feels to me that the biblical understanding of ‘magi’ is as gentiles whose worship of Jesus is a foreshadowing of his commission to ‘make disciples of all nations’ (Matt 28:19). So even in the gospel most clearly written for a Jewish readership, Matthew, the story of Jesus begins with a reminder that this good news is for everyone. As the season of Epiphany begins, let us also remember that the good news of Jesus is for everyone, and reach out to share it with our neighbours and friends.