Many legends revolve around the three kings, or as Martin Luther translated it in his Bible: the three wise men from the East. On the other hand, the facts are difficult to find. The only available source for Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar is the Bible itself, where only Matthew, one of the four publishers, mentions them. The translation of “Three Kings” is also not entirely correct. They were originally referred to as “Magoi”, meaning magicians, sages or astrologers.
And even Matthew is reluctant to share information about the three of them. The original gives no information as to whether there were actually only three. But its origins are considered definitive. They came from the east and brought with them three gifts – frankincense, myrrh and gold. These gifts were not chosen at random. At that time gold represented royalty, incense divinity, and myrrh death. Centuries later, it was concluded from the three gifts that they must be three wise men. Not much is known about his career.
Names and titles came later
Matthew does not say a word about their names in his gospel. These have no biblical origin, but were given to them in the Middle Ages. The names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar first appear in legends in the 6th century. Nor were they called kings from the very beginning, this title was given to them in the 5th century.
They are referred to as three boys of different ages. Bede Venerable, an 8th-century English Benedictine monk, described Melchior as an old man with a white beard, Balthasar as a middle-aged man with a completely black beard, and Casper as a beardless youth.
According to the Bible, they followed a comet to Jerusalem, where the Jews asked about their new king. Herod, the then king of Judea, also heard about it. For fear of the throne, he had all newborn boys killed. As is known, the boy Jesus managed to escape and later became the source of the Christian faith.
Star of Bethlehem
The star they follow is often depicted in pictures as a comet with a comet. Many scientists are now convinced that the star really exists. There are various, very mundane theories about this. One possibility is that the three kings saw Halley’s Comet. This crossed the world in 11/12 AD. Another theory is that they witnessed the close approaches of Jupiter and Saturn or Jupiter and Venus taking place in the 7th and 2nd or 2nd year respectively. However, this and other attempts at explanation have not yet been scientifically accepted.
Another figurative explanation for the star may be its symbolic nature. In ancient times, the star was considered a sign of divine protection or deification. It was the sign of kings and rulers. For example, two Roman emperors, Caesar and Augustus, can be depicted on coins under a star.