The Bible does not tell us who they were, but tradition gives them the names of Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar and links them to Persia (now Iran) and to Zoroastrianism.
Where does this tradition come from? Are there any acceptable manuscripts or writings to support this tradition and when did this tradition start?
Matthew 2 describes how “Magi from the east came to Jerusalem in search of the one who has been born king of the Jews”. When the star led them to the house where Mary and the child were, they bowed down to worship him and presented gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. The Bible does not say how many Magi came from the east, nor does it give any clues as to their names, status or religious beliefs. The only thing we can be sure of is that the Magi were Gentiles.
Genesis 37:25 describes a caravan of Ishmaelites transporting spices, balm and myrrh to Egypt. These people are also called Midianites and Medanites and are interrelated, since Midian and Medan, like Ishmael, were also sons of Abraham. The very best frankincense comes from Persia. It is noteworthy that myrrh was regarded as a gift fit for a king. Oriental custom dictates that an inferior should approach his superior with a gift, which suggests the Magi were not Kings. So, who were these Magi, and where did the tradition of the ‘three wise men’ come from?
Tradition says they came from Persia, or modern-day Iran, and were called Gaspar (or Caspar), Melchior and Balthasar. Caspar is said to be old and Semitic, Melchior is said to be middle-aged and European and Balthasar is said to be young and African. They were probably familiar with the writings of the prophet Daniel, who had been the chief of the court seers in Persia. Daniel prophesied about the coming of the Messiah and gave a timeline for his birth (Daniel 9:24-27).
The names of the three wise men originate from an early 6th century Greek manuscript in Alexandria, and the western church settled on the names of Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar in the 8th century. The Latin text ‘Collectanea et Flores’ continues the tradition of three kings and is said to be from the 8th century, of Irish origin. The ‘Three Kings’ legend comes from Psalms 72 which describes three kings (of Tarshish, Sheba and Seba) offering gifts and praising God.
Magi are an order, or caste, of priests and philosophers originating among the Chaldeans and coming down through the Assyrian, Medean and Persian kingdoms and were famous for their skills as astronomers. Magi travelled in groups of 30 to 50, there being safety in numbers when moving through hostile countries. ‘Magi’ is from the old Persian language a means a priest of Zarathustra (Zoroaster). This ancient Persian priestly class are thought to have been followers of Zoroaster, the Persian teacher and prophet. By the first century, the magi were identified with wise men and soothsayers. Further information can be found in Marco Polo’s “The Travels; The Description of the world” written in 1298.
Sources: http://www.gotquestions.org/three-wise-men.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Magi#Traditions_of_the_Epiphany
http://www.ccel.org/m/mcgarvey/ffg/FFG013.HTM
http://www.farsinet.com/wisemen/magi.html