The Feast of Epiphany, observed on January 6, commemorates the visit of the wise men, known as magi, to the infant Jesus at Bethlehem. These wise men knew in advance who they would visit and that their purpose was to worship Him. It is highly unlikely that heathen, idolatrous astrologers would travel great distances to honor the son of a deity they did not worship, suggesting that these magi were not pagan astrologers. The star that led the wise men to the young Jesus in Bethlehem was of miraculous origin, not an ordinary physical star. It had the ability to move, going before them until it came and stood over where the young Child was, a feat no known star or meteor can accomplish. This star, referred to as His star, was possibly an angel, given the glorious appearance of such spirit beings and their ability to move and guide. The magi were from the East, a distant land far from Judea of 4 BC, likely within the Parthian Empire, which included lands like Babylon and Persia where some of the ancient house of Israel had been exiled. Historical evidence suggests that some ancient magi claimed Abraham as their ancestor, adding to the possibility that these magi were Israelites eager to honor the One who could be their rightful King, especially given the auspicious nature of the miraculous star at His birth. Biblical and historical evidence indicates that these magi were not pagan astrologers led by heavenly observations but probably God-fearing descendants of the exiled house of Israel, guided miraculously to Bethlehem, likely by an angel, and divinely warned to flee back to their homeland after their visit.

The New Testament Greek leaves the original Chaldean word, Magi, untranslated, a term well-known in the Middle East during biblical history. It can refer to righteous, God-fearing wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, prophets, and interpreters of dreams, as well as to unrighteous false prophets, astrologers, augerers, soothsayers, and sorcerers. Most Bible versions render Magi as wise men, while a few retain Magi, Magians, or Mages, and one translates it as scholars. The wise men who visited Jesus were not aimlessly following a moving star; they knew in advance whose star it was, who they were going to visit, and that their purpose was to worship Him. It seems likely that these men were descendants of Israelites or Jews exiled from the land of Israel, sent to recognize the birth of a scion of the line of David.