Christmas and the Three Wise Men The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has given his view that the story of the three wise men, coming from the east, who followed the star to Bethlehem is nothing more than a legend. Theophrastus [372-288/7 B.C.], the disciple of Aristotle, mentions that: "Among the plants that grow in Arabia, Syria and India the aromatic plants are somewhat exceptional and distinct from the plants of other lands; for instance, frankincense, myrrh, cassia, opobalsam, cinnamon and all other such plants," as noted in Greek and Latin Authors on Jews and Judaism, Vol. I, page 15, # 7. . . . The wise men from the east who came into the house where Jesus the Christ lived as a young child (St. Matthew, 2:1-11), saw Him with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. Jesus was approximately, a child aged 1-2 years old, at the time of the visit of the wise men. Gold was sent annually to the Temple at Jerusalem, from communal contributions, suggesting the wise men from the east came as legal and lawful representatives from Syria, Arabia, India or beyond. http://www.academic-genealogy.com/tingeo1.htm Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year Tom Tinney, Sr. and Family Family Genealogy & History Internet Education Directory http://www.academic-genealogy.com/ Regional Genealogy and Local History Research: Local History and Genealogy Portals to the World. http://www.academic-genealogy.com/regionalgenealogy.htm