3 Wise Men - or More?
THE BIBLE NEVER SAID THERE WERE 3 WISE MEN What if I told you that the phrase "3 wise men" is not found in the Bible? We all grew up calling them, "3 wise men", yet a majority of us who claim to stick to what the Bible teaches have never really questioned if they were actually three in number. Matthew is, in fact, the only Evangelist that mentions the, "wise men from the East", particularly in Mtt. 2:1 - 12, and in that passage, Matthew calls them "μάγοι" (magoi in Greek) from the East. Now, the Greek term "magoi" is plural, which tells us only one thing with certainty: they were more than one. The text never gives a number; it deliberately leaves the number undefined. The idea of three came later, drawn from the three gifts mentioned: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. However, Scripture does not say one gift per person..., it is possible that 2 persons could bring 3 gifts or even 10 persons could equally bring 3 gifts. The connection o...