The Magi

Appointed as king by the Senate of Rome, Herod ruled Judea for thirty-three years, during which time he was very careful to ingratiate himself with his patrons. He built the city of Caesarea in honour of Augustus Caesar and the Fortress of Antonia in honour of Mark Anthony. As for opposition to his reign, he ruthlessly murdered anyone he saw as a threat, and that included his own wife and three of his sons.
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Then Magi rode into Jerusalem. These were members of the Persian priestly caste.
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"Where is the new-born king?" they asked. "We saw his star in the east and have come to pay our respects."
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When Herod heard this, he was worried and immediately called his priests and lawyers together.
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"I'm the king," he said "What are these idiots talking about?"
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"Of course you are," said the priests. "They probably refer to the Mahdi."
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"The Mahdi? When is he due to be born?"
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Nobody knows."
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"Then at least tell me where he'll be born."
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"In Bethlehem," they said, "because the prophet Micah wrote:
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"'But you, Bethlehem, though you're small,
you are by no means least amongst the clans of Judea.
It is out of you that a ruler shall come
who will be the shepherd of my people.'"
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Then Herod called the Magi to his palace secretly. Having found out from them the exact date on which the star appeared, he told them to go to Bethlehem.
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"Make a careful search for the child," he said. "Then, when you find him, tell me at once, because I too wish to honour him."
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The Magi agreed and left Herod. Travelling towards Bethlehem, the star they'd seen in the east went ahead of them until it halted over the place where the child was.
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Overjoyed, the Magi went into the house in which Mary and Joseph. Seeing the child with his mother, they fell on their knees and did obeisance to him. Then, taking out gifts, they offered him gold, frankincense and myrrh.
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That night a dream warned the Magi that it was best not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their homeland by an alternative route.
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