Back to: The Twelve Days of Christmas Carols
“Adoration of the Magi: – Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1655 – 1660)
This hymn depicts the journey of the Three Kings, or wise men, who traveled to see newborn savior Jesus and famously brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It was one of few hymns where the same person wrote melody and words. John Hopkins’s “We Three Kings of Orient Are” was published in the writer’s own songbook, Carols, Hymns, and Songs. At the turn of the next century, when many churches decided that carols should be included in hymnals, this musical work, which defined the reason for the celebration of Epiphany, became one of America’s most popular Christmas songs.
In the second chapter of the book of Matthew, there is a brief passage that reads, “There came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.”
There are, however, verses in the Old Testament that foretell of the visitors. Isaiah 60:6:…”The wealth of the nations will come to you. A multitude of camels will cover you. The young camels of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba will come; They will bring gold and frankincense, and will bear good news of the praises of the Lord.” New American Standard Bible, and two selections from the Psalms- Psalm 72:10: “The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts” and Psalm 72:15: “…and may there be given to him gold from Arabia.”
According to the gospel of Matthew, they threw themselves at the infant’s feet and worshiped him, presenting him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, without reporting back to Herod, they departed for home, never to be heard from again.
What many call the commercialization of Christmas—the practice of giving gifts—can probably be traced back to the wise men’s presents that very first Christmas. Beyond that fact, nothing else is really known about the wise men.
The consensus among most serious Bible scholars is that the astrologers came from Persia. The fact that astrologers in that land were often priests is probably why they are often called Magi. The Magi were, in fact, dream interpreters for the Persian royal family. Though they often worked within the confines of the royal palace with the kings of the country, these wise men were not of royal blood and not even members of the ruling caste. So if they were Persian star readers, they could not be kings.
How many wise men made the journey to Israel in search of Jesus is another question that has been answered more by imagination than documentation. No one really knows how many there were. Because the text in Matthew clearly records wise “men,” there were obviously at least two. The three wise men so often mentioned in stories and songs probably resulted in the fact that Matthew told of three gifts brought by the wise men to Jesus. The number of gifts, however, had nothing to do with how many wise men had brought them; the gifts were symbolic of the important three areas of Christ’s life—the gold representing his kingly reign, the frankincense symbolizing his ministry, and the myrrh foreshadowing his death and resurrection. There could have been as few as two wise men or as many as a dozen or more.
The development of the kings came over several centuries. By 1500 the three men’s names had become Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchoir, but also that this trio of gift bearers were actually kings.
During the 1800s Epiphany was traditionally the day the Christmas tree was taken down and children received the gifts and treats that had been hanging on it since it had been cut, brought home, decorated, and had presents hung on the branches.