Who Were the Biblical Magi in the Syriac Christian Tradition? Here's What We Know
Pictured: A thirteenth century depiction of the Virgin Mary and Christ child in the adoration of the məgūshē “magi”, from an illumination in a Syriac Gospel lectionary copied at Nineveh, Iraq.
The magi— also commonly known as the “wise men” or the “three kings” —play a central part in the Christmas story. However, despite their significance, the Bible tells us very little about their identities.
Contrary to popular opinion, the magi only appear once in the Gospel of Matthew, they are not called the “three kings” and in fact, their precise number is not specified. Instead, they are introduced as the “magi from the East”.
According to Matthew 2:9-11, a bright star led these mysterious visitors on a journey until it stopped “over the place where the child was,”. Upon their arrival, they “saw the child with Mary His mother” and paid homage by offering Him “gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh”.
The concept of there being “three kings” may be dated to the third century. This theme most probably developed as a result of there being three gifts as well as the fulfilment of the prophecy in Psalms 72:11: “May all kings fall down before Him, all nations serve him!”.
The Magi in the Eastern Christian Tradition
The appearance of the magi in the Gospel of Matthew, albeit brief, intrigued the minds of Eastern Christians, particularly those who hailed from the country of Assyria in the Persian Empire (then ruled by the Parthians). To quench the curiosity of faithful readers and listeners alike, pious writers composed apocryphal narratives to build a backstory.
In fact, one of the earliest accounts concerning the origins of the magi appears in a sixth century Syriac manuscript copied from an earlier text of the fourth century. Attributed to Mār ʾAfrēm of Naṣībin (c. 306–373), also commonly known as St. Ephrem the Syrian— this work associates the magi with Assyria.
“Great Assyria when she perceived it— called to the magi and said to them,— take gifts and go honour Him— the great King Who in Judea has dawned.”
— Mār ʾAfrēm
This passage— taken from a manuscript at the British Library —is part of a collection of madrāshē “hymns” intended for liturgical use such as on the Feast of Christ’s Birth. Similarly, in another composition drawn from the same manuscript, St. Ephrem presents an imaginary lullaby sung by Mary to the newly born Christ child.
“May Persia rejoice in your glad tidings!— may Assyria exult in your coming- And when my Son's Kingdom shall arise,— may He plant his standard in your country!”
— Mār ʾAfrēm
These passages lead us to an intriguing question: Why did St. Ephrem link the magi with Assyria? One may argue that, as a territorial reality in the Persian Empire, Assyria was geographically to the east of the holy land and was considered one of the earliest centres of Eastern Christianity.
This celebrated hymnographer and poet-theologian was perhaps creatively and poetically reflecting this fact. By employing such biblical allusions, St. Ephrem most probably intended to enrich the imagery in his compositions.
Assyria’s position as the centre for the propagation of Eastern Christianity may also be attested in the works of St. Ephrem’s younger contemporary— Mār Qūrillōnā (fl. 396), also known as Cyrillona. In his memrā “homily” titled On the Scourges, this fourth-century Syriac poet reports of “unbelievers” who have “renounced idols” in favour of Christianity.
“O Lord,… See how in Persia your doctrine is spread and in Assyria your gospel has prospered and grown.”
— Mār Qūrillōnā
As one can see, the association of the magi with Assyria may have developed as a local tradition. This tradition persisted in the ensuing centuries among various Syriac Christian writers.
The same theme can be attested in the works of Mār Yaʿqūḇ Srūḡāyā (c. 451-521), also commonly known as Jacob of Sarug or Serugh. Writing over a century after St. Ephrem, this prolific West Syriac poet-theologian explicitly associates the magi with Assyria and identifies them with the ethnonym Assyrians.
“A great star whose light is not from the firmament appeared there and shined and behold, it [Assyria] was alarmed by the sign it saw. And when the Assyrian wise men were gathered they said that the King who will disband the oracles will appear in Judea. And behold the magi carry and bring their offerings to Him.”
— Mār Yaʿqūḇ
In the East Syriac tradition, we turn to Mār Narsai (c. 399–502), an early church father, exegete, and poet-theologian. The genealogy of the magi in Mār Narsai’s account— as Assyrians —shares striking parallels with themes found in the works of St. Ephrem and Jacob.
As we can see, early writers belonging to both branches of Syriac Christianity— that is, East Syriac and West Syriac —particularly those who hailed from Assyria, developed a local tradition for themselves concerning the origins of the magi. Despite this tradition being non-canonical, it was transmitted in a variety of Syriac works as early as the fourth century.
Today, the Syriac Christian tradition possesses several competing themes that were introduced later in history. Be this as it may, there is no doubt that the appearance of the magi or wise men in the Gospel of Matthew captivated the minds of Eastern Christians and in particular, Christian Assyrians.
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The author of this article acknowledges that the Syriac Christian tradition possesses several competing themes concerning the biblical magi. This article focuses on one of the earlier traditions that most probably developed in the fourth century.
The Syriac word for magi is derived from the Persian word magus. Although this word traditionally referred to the priestly class of the Persian Zoroastrians— Syriac Christians widely employed this term to describe “sorcerers”, “idol worshippers”, or individuals who continued to practice pre-Christian traditions.
Later sources such as the anonymously authored Syriac text of the eighth century titled the Chronicle of Zuqnīn offers another account. According to this text, the magi— twelve in total —were “kings and the sons of eastern kings (native) of the land of Shir,” which toponym is known to refer to China.
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British Library, MS. Add. 14506, fol. 163v
British Library, MS. Add. 14591, fol. 77r
Meryem Ana Kilisesi, DIYAR 00003, fol. 67
Vatican Library, Vat.Sir.498, fol. 49v
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Sachau 174, fol. 43v
