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Many legends surround the three kings, or the three wise men of the East as Martin Luther translated it in his Bible. On the other hand, facts are difficult to find. The only available source about Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar is the Bible itself, and there they are mentioned only by Matthew, one of the four evangelists. The translation “Three Kings” is also not entirely accurate. Originally they were called “Magoi”, meaning magicians, wise men or astrologers.
And even Matthew avoids giving information about these three people. There is no information on whether there were actually only three in the original. However, its origins are considered certain. They came from the east and brought with them three gifts: frankincense, myrrh, and gold. These gifts were not chosen randomly. At that time, gold represented the kingdom, frankincense represented divinity, and myrrh represented death. A few centuries later, it was concluded that from the three gifts there must be three wise men. Not much is known about his career.
Names and titles came later
Neither does Matthew say a word about their names in his Gospel. These have no Biblical origin, but were given them in the Middle Ages. The names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar first appear in legendary stories from the 6th century. Moreover, they were not called kings from the beginning; This title was given to them in the 5th century.
They are described as three men of different ages. The 8th-century English Benedictine monk Bede Venerabilis described Melchior as an old man with a white beard, Balthasar as a middle-aged man with a full black beard, and Casper as a beardless youth.
According to the Bible, they followed a comet to Jerusalem, where the Jews wanted their new king. Herod, then king of Judea, also heard about this. Out of fear for his throne, he had all newborn boys killed. As is known, the baby Jesus escaped and later became the source of the Christian faith.
Star of Bethlehem
The star they follow is often depicted in pictures as a tailed comet. Many scientists are now convinced that the star really exists. There are various, very secular theories on this subject. One possibility is that the three kings saw Halley’s Comet. This passed through the world around 11/12 AD. Another theory is that they witnessed major approaches between Jupiter and Saturn, or Jupiter and Venus, occurring in the 7th and 2nd years respectively. However, these and similar explanation attempts have not yet been accepted scientifically.
Another metaphorical explanation for the star may lie in its capacity as a symbol. In ancient times, the star was seen as a sign of divine protection or deification. It was the symbol of kings and rulers. For example, the two Roman emperors Caesar and Augustus are depicted under a star on coins.
Source : Blick
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
