36,800
edits
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
*Caspar also Gaspar, Jaspar, Jaspas, Gathaspa, and other variations; | *Caspar also Gaspar, Jaspar, Jaspas, Gathaspa, and other variations; | ||
* Balthazar also Balthasar, Balthassar, and Bithisarea), a Babylonian scholar. | * Balthazar also Balthasar, Balthassar, and Bithisarea), a Babylonian scholar. | ||
==Country of origin and journey== | |||
The phrase "from the east", more literally "from the rising [of the sun]", is the only information Matthew provides about the region from which they came. The Parthian Empire, centered in Persia, stretched from eastern Syria to the fringes of India. Though the empire was tolerant of other religions, its dominant religion was [[Zarathustra|Zoroastrianism]], with its priestly magos class. |