Why is one of the 3 wise men always portrayed as black?

This is not a racist type question. I’ve just noticed that in almost every portrayal of the 3 wise men, ONE (it’s always only one) is always black, but I can’t find the scripture that states/supports this.

There isn’t scripture. Nor is there scripture that says their names are Melchior, Balthazar and Kaspar. However, the legends that grew around them had one coming from Persia, one from India, and one from Auxum (present day Ethiopia), which at the time, were all exotic to the Greco-Roman world, yet still recognized as centers of civilizations in which the art of astrology had been developed to a high degree.

3 Responses to “Why is one of the 3 wise men always portrayed as black?”

  1. Biker for life Says:

    Why do they always portray jesus as white? Being from that part of the world he would have been a man of color.
    References :

  2. dude Says:

    The Scriptures don’t even support there were THREE wise men. The number of them is not known and they were astrologers or maji.
    References :

  3. Rico JPA Says:

    There isn’t scripture. Nor is there scripture that says their names are Melchior, Balthazar and Kaspar. However, the legends that grew around them had one coming from Persia, one from India, and one from Auxum (present day Ethiopia), which at the time, were all exotic to the Greco-Roman world, yet still recognized as centers of civilizations in which the art of astrology had been developed to a high degree.
    References :

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