WORD SEARCH Where did the Wise Men come from? Magi from the East – it isn’t a lot to go on. The Magi were a religious caste devoted to astrology, divination and the interpretation of dreams. Some scholars believe these magi came from southern Arabia, where the Queen of Sheba had lived. She would have learned about the coming Messiah from Solomon. In Matthew’s gospel the Magi ask Herod: ‘Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’ So it is possible that Queen of Sheba’s story of Messiah for Israel had survived. One thing that supports the theory that the magi came from southern Arabia is this: if you study any map of Palestine as it was during biblical times, you will find that the old Arabian caravan routes all entered Palestine ‘from the East’. Magi East Religious Caste Astrology Divination Dreams Scholars Southern Arabia Queen Sheba Messiah Solomon Herod King Star Worship Palestine Caravan 25
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