Did three kings, riding camels, really visit the baby Jesus?

It’s a familiar story and scene – three kings, on camels, arriving with gifts to see a newborn Jesus...

According to The Holy Bible, there were wise men, and gifts, and a visit – but the other details were not so specific.

The bible does report that magi, or wise men, paid their respects. Because the word “magi” is plural, there could have been 2, 4 or more wise men. It may be assumed that there were three because that’s the number of costly gifts presented – gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Bible does not mention any camels, nor does it refer to the magi as kings – so those details could still be open for debate.

Another misconception a lot of us have is that these wise men came to visit the infant Jesus as he lay in a manger. We have greeting cards and Christmas pageants to thank for that image. The magi did not arrive until sometime after Christ’s presentation in the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus was more likely a walking, talking toddler by then.

Sources: Luke 2:22-39, Matthew 2:16