January 5 arrives and many children and adults are ready to leave their shoes near the window in the hope of receiving a gift from the parents. wise men.
However, beyond the wise men They are known throughout the world, very little is known about their origin and life. Since time immemorial, these characters are part of the Bible in the Gospel of Saint Matthew.
The appearance of the wise men occurs in a very special context because, as it is related, they came to Jerusalem to adore “the king of the Jews who had just been born”. On the other hand, it is known that Herod inadvertently tried to locate Jesus through them..
The truth is that you are celebrities who came from Asia are not mentioned in the books as monarchs, but as magicians and not in the current concept, but in Greek which means “wise man or science.”
It was always said that there were three, although certain traditions, such as the Armenian, maintain that there were seven or twelve. Some scholars claim that, indeed, there were three based on the gifts that Jesus received: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Meanwhile, about the names everything refers to a text from the fifth century, where they are called Melichior, Gathaspa and Bithisarea and Melkon, Gaspard and Balthazar. In the Church of San Apolinar Nuovo, in Ravenna (Italy), they appear with their current names: Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar.
why are three
As determined by some academic positions, the fact that there were three may refer to a link with the three then known continents: Europe, Africa and Asia. Others say that they were Persian priests.
But one of the most relevant curiosities is that the wise men they would have had a kind of proselytizing function. His arrival would have served to convince the population and convert to Christianity.