2006-12-14 11:24:03 · 29 answers · asked by snakeyes 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The Bible does not say how many there were. It just mentions the gifts. The Wise men were astrologers...Magi. It is possible they came form Assyria. (Iran) Original they were sent by King Herod so they could inform him of the child and then Herod might have then had Jesus murdered. But they were warned in a dream not to return to him, so they returned back to their own country.
I would have thought there would have been many 'Magi' travelling together, people assume there was three because of the three gifts. Also the story of the nativity does not help much...three gifts brought to Jesus by three wise men.
2006-12-14 21:27:44 · answer #1 · answered by Qwerty_Monster_Munch 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It doesn't say, but it does talk about the three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Legend has it that there were twelve. Some legends say Magi, some say Kings. It's unclear.
It is a common misconception that the wise men came and visited Jesus shortly after His birth. In fact, the wise men came months (or possibly as much as two years) later, when Joseph and Mary had already settled in Nazareth. That is why Matthew 2:11 says the wise men visited and worshipped Jesus in a house. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and the wise men likely witnessed the "Star of Bethlehem" at the time Jesus was born. The wise men did not arrive in Israel for a significant amount of time after Jesus was born. During that time, Joseph and Mary had returned to live in Nazareth (Matthew 2:13-20). That is also why Herod ordered all the boys in Bethlehem under two years of age to be killed (Matthew 2:16). Herod did not know that Jesus was no longer in Bethlehem, and did not know that the star had reappeared to the wise men and redirected them to Nazareth.
2006-12-14 11:27:32 · answer #2 · answered by Justsyd 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
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 there were three wise men because Matthew 2:11 makes mention of three gifts: " . . . they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh". The number of wise men is not specified in the Bible, however.
The names of the wise men, Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, don't come from the Bible; in fact, these names didn't appear in Christian literature until over 500 years after the birth of Jesus.
Nothing in the Bible says the wise men rode camels or any other animal; they may in fact have walked. And despite the familiar lyrics of the Christmas carol 'We Three Kings', no biblical source depicts the three wise men as kings. We can assume, however, that they were most likely learned men, perhaps astrologers.
2006-12-14 11:30:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The wise men are called 'Magi'. The Bible doesn't say how many wise men there were. Three gifts are mentioned (gold, incence and myrrh), so we assumed that there were 3 wise men. There is no specific number mentioned in the Bible.
2006-12-14 11:47:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
3
2006-12-14 11:27:11 · answer #5 · answered by **ZARA** 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Matthew's Gospel states that "magi" (in the Greek) came from the east. Magi is the plural of magus. Therefore, the Bible states that there was more that one "wise man".
Tradition has made many "guesses", as it were. Twelve and three are the most common; three being the one that we are most familiar with and the one far and away that is most cited. It is frequently said that there were three magi because there were three gifts. A perfectly reasonable conclusion. I don't know who was the first person or source to articulated this though, but I believe that it was a very early--that is old--"guess"--that is, tradition.
2014-01-04 13:06:56 · answer #6 · answered by John 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, it was not written in the Bible that there were 3 wise men.
Mark 2:
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘ But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”[a]
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
2006-12-14 11:32:28 · answer #7 · answered by dt_aiying 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
KC Superstar is right.
Their was 3 gifts so people just assumed it was 3 wise man.
It could have been 1 bringing all 3, 2 one bring 1 other bring 2 are 10 or more.
We are not sure.
2006-12-14 11:28:02 · answer #8 · answered by Iloveu 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The bible never said anything about the number of wise men. People just put that in there on ther owe.
2006-12-14 11:27:21 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
All men are wise, just to different levels, so 44 million at the time of writing
2006-12-14 11:49:25 · answer #10 · answered by Numptey 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋