From Scripture's Silence to Tradition's Certainty: The Naming of the Magi

Examining How Church History Filled the Gaps Matthew's Gospel Left Empty

The Naming of the Magi: Origins and Development of Extra-Biblical Tradition

The Bible never names the Magi. Matthew's Gospel provides no names, no specific number, and no biographical details beyond their origin "from the east" and their purpose in coming to worship the newborn King.

The tradition of naming the Magi; and specifically naming them Caspar (or Gaspar), Melchior, and Balthasar; developed gradually over several centuries of church history, originating entirely outside of Scripture.

Early Development (3rd-6th Centuries)

The earliest attempts to name the Magi appear in various apocryphal and pseudo-historical Christian writings, though these early sources show considerable variation and disagreement.

·         The Excerpta Latina Barbari (circa 8th century, but drawing on earlier material) contains one of the earliest lists of names, though scholars debate the exact dating of when these names first appeared in written form.[1]

·         The Armenian Infancy Gospel (5th-6th century) provides names, but they differ from the later Western tradition. This text reflects Eastern Christian speculation about the Magi's identities.[2]

By the 6th century, a mosaic in the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, Italy depicts three Magi in Persian dress approaching the Virgin and Child. Above their heads are inscribed the names: Balthassar, Melchior, and Gaspar.[3] This represents one of the earliest visual confirmations of the three-name tradition in Western Christianity.

Solidification in Medieval Europe (8th-12th Centuries)

The names became firmly established in Western Christian tradition through medieval writings, particularly:

The Venerable Bede (673-735 AD), the English monk and historian, provided not only names but elaborate descriptions in his theological commentary Excerpta et Collectanea:

• Melchior – an old man with white hair and long beard, who brought gold

• Caspar (or Gaspar) – young and beardless, ruddy complexioned, who brought frankincense

• Balthasar – dark-skinned with a full beard, who brought myrrh[4]

Bede's descriptions were influential throughout medieval Europe and helped standardize both the names and the visual representation of the Magi in Christian art.

John of Hildesheim (14th century) wrote Historia Trium Regum (History of the Three Kings), which became the most comprehensive medieval account of the Magi, including their supposed relics and the story of their remains.[5]

The Symbolism Behind the Names and Descriptions

Medieval theologians assigned symbolic meaning to each figure:

·         Melchior (meaning "King of Light" in Hebrew) represented Europe and the elderly—symbolizing the fulfillment of prophecy and the wisdom of age recognizing Christ.

·         Caspar/Gaspar (possibly from Persian, meaning "treasurer") represented Asia and youth—symbolizing the vitality of faith and the future of the Church.

·         Balthasar (Babylonian, "Bel protect the King") represented Africa and middle age—symbolizing the universal reach of the Gospel to all races and nations.[6]

This tripartite division reflected a medieval understanding of the world's geography (the three known continents) and humanity's ages. The inclusion of Balthasar as dark-skinned was particularly significant, as it visually emphasized the Gospel's reach to all peoples; an echo of the biblical truth that Matthew was indeed conveying, though not through these specific names or descriptions.

The Cult of the Three Kings

By the 12th century, supposed relics of the three Magi were moved to Cologne Cathedral in Germany, where they remain enshrined today in an elaborate golden reliquary. This shrine became one of the most important pilgrimage sites in medieval Europe and further solidified the tradition of three named kings.[7]

The Feast of the Epiphany (January 6) became associated with the visit of the Magi, and in many European countries, the "Three Kings" became central figures in Christian celebration and folklore.

Critical Assessment

From a biblical and theological standpoint, several observations are necessary:

·         First, these names and descriptions have absolutely no scriptural warrant. They represent pious tradition and medieval elaboration, not divine revelation.

·         Second, the assignment of specific ethnic identities and the symbolism of three continents, while theologically meaningful in emphasizing the universal scope of Christ's Kingdom, goes far beyond what Matthew intended to communicate. Matthew's point was that Gentiles came to worship—the specific ethnic breakdown is speculation.

·         Third, the elevation of these figures to "kings" (they were magi, not monarchs) and the veneration of supposed relics crosses into territory that many Protestant traditions, particularly Baptist theology, would consider problematic. The line between honoring biblical figures and venerating tradition becomes dangerously blurred.

·         Fourth, the very fact that multiple contradictory lists of names exist in early Christian literature demonstrates that no one actually knew who these men were. The names represent guesswork, however well-intentioned.

The Pattern of Tradition Supplanting Text

The development of the Magi tradition illustrates a consistent pattern in church history: where Scripture is silent, human imagination fills the void. What begins as harmless speculation ("I wonder what their names were?") gradually hardens into accepted tradition ("Their names were Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar"), which eventually gets treated as though it were biblical fact.

This is precisely why careful biblical exegesis matters. When we fail to distinguish between what Scripture says and what tradition adds, we undermine the authority and sufficiency of God's Word. The text tells us what we need to know: Gentile scholars came from the East, recognized the sign, worshiped the King, and obeyed God's warning. Their names, their number, their specific ethnic backgrounds—these details were not included because they were not necessary for understanding what God was revealing through this event.

The Bible's silence is itself instructive. When God chooses not to reveal something, we should resist the urge to fill in the gaps.

Expanded Bibliography

Bovini, Giuseppe. Ravenna Mosaics. Greenwich, CT: New York Graphic Society, 1956.

Burgess, Richard W., and Michael Kulikowski. Mosaics of Time: The Latin Chronicle Traditions from the First Century BC to the Sixth Century AD. Vol. 1. Turnhout: Brepols, 2013.

Cullmann, Oscar. "The Protevangelium of James and the Gospel of the Infancy." In New Testament Apocrypha, vol. 1, edited by Wilhelm Schneemelcher, translated by R. McL. Wilson, 421-439. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1991.

Geary, Patrick J. Furta Sacra: Thefts of Relics in the Central Middle Ages. Rev. ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990.

John of Hildesheim. The Three Kings of Cologne. Edited by C. Horstmann. Early English Text Society, Original Series 85. London: Trübner & Co., 1886.

Migne, J. P., ed. Patrologia Latina. Vol. 94. Paris: Migne, 1850.

Trexler, Richard C. The Journey of the Magi: Meanings in History of a Christian Story. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997.

[1] The Excerpta Latina Barbari is a Latin chronography drawing on earlier Greek sources. Dating its material precisely is difficult, as it underwent multiple revisions. See Richard W. Burgess and Michael Kulikowski, Mosaics of Time: The Latin Chronicle Traditions from the First Century BC to the Sixth Century AD, vol. 1 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2013), 338-371.

[2] Oscar Cullmann, "The Protevangelium of James and the Gospel of the Infancy," in New Testament Apocrypha, vol. 1, ed. Wilhelm Schneemelcher, trans. R. McL. Wilson (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1991), 421-439.

[3] Giuseppe Bovini, Ravenna Mosaics (Greenwich, CT: New York Graphic Society, 1956), 23-25. The mosaic dates to approximately 520-526 AD during the reign of Theodoric the Great.

[4] The Venerable Bede, Excerpta et Collectanea, as cited in J. P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina, vol. 94 (Paris: Migne, 1850), cols. 541-542. Translation mine.

[5] John of Hildesheim, The Three Kings of Cologne, ed. C. Horstmann, Early English Text Society, Original Series 85 (London: Trübner & Co., 1886).

[6] Richard C. Trexler, The Journey of the Magi: Meanings in History of a Christian Story (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997), 71-89. Trexler examines the symbolic and political meanings assigned to the Magi tradition throughout European history.

[7] The relics were allegedly brought from Milan to Cologne by Archbishop Rainald of Dassel in 1164 as spoils from the conquest of Milan by Frederick Barbarossa. See Patrick J. Geary, Furta Sacra: Thefts of Relics in the Central Middle Ages, rev. ed. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1990), 137-141.