The Biblical source of the story of the wise men, whose visit to Bethlehem is celebrated at #Epiphany, is the gospel of Matthew, who doesn't say how many there were, just that they brought 3 gifts: gold, frankincense & myrrh. So, just many wise men were there? THREAD @LlandaffDio

Early Christian art in the west endorses the idea of 3 wise men, and over time they were even given names: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Each king brought a single gift.

But an earlier source, dated to the C2 CE, written in Syriac, known as the Revelation of the Magi, preserves a very different tradition. That source suggests there were around 15 wise men, although the number is not fixed. Certainly the Revelation says there were far more than 3.

Michael the Syrian names 11 kings: Dahdandur son of Artaban; Shuf, son of Gudfar; Arshak, son of Mahduq; Zarwand; Aryo, son of Kasro; Artahshasht, son of Hamit; Ashtanbuzan, son of Shishron; Mahduq, son of Hoham; Ahshiresh, son of Sahban; Sardanh, son of Baldan; Marduk son of Bel

A C9 source al-Tabari, citing Wahb ibn Munabbih, has 12 named kings, some of which echo Michael’s list:
1.Zaharwandad
2. Hōrmizd
3. Auštazp
4. Aršak
5. Zarwand
6. Arīhō
7. Artahšišat
8. Aštanbōzan
9. Mihruq
10. Ahširaš
11. Nasardīh
12. Merōdak

So, it appears that two traditions developed about the Wise Men: the western tradition favoured three, the eastern tradition was content with 12 or more. But what matters is the message of the story: Christ was born for all races & we all must honour him. Happy #Epiphany