The King-Makers: Why the Magi Terrified Herod
“When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matt 2:3).
What reached Herod’s ears was the inquiry of the magoi (translated by some as “wise men”): “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” (2:2). Matthew is clever. The use of the royal basileus twice in succession, i.e. “King Herod” and “king of the Jews,” alerts the reader to a looming crisis. Monarchs are not so good at sharing, especially this one.
A Looming Crisis of Sovereignty
Herod the Great ruthlessly pursued rivals, both real and imagined. He ordered the execution of his wife, children, and many others. Reports of the bleeding prompted Augustus to quip “It is better to be Herod's pig than his son!” (See here in Macrobius, Saturnalia, 2.4.11). The wit of the emperor played off a dietary taboo.* People—not porkers—had reason to fear Herod’s butchers.
Herod was involved in a complex geopolitical game where lies, manipulation and internecine power struggles were common. Image from here.
Geopolitics of the Eastern Tripwire
The tyrant’s paranoia may account for some of the disturbance surrounding the inquiry of the magoi, but the backstory suggests still more. Remember how Jesus was born in the frame of a cold war? (if not, don’t read any further until you have digested our post here). The Wild West (Rome) was deadlocked with the Ancient East (Parthia). Herod was a Western client installed, in part, to maintain the Eastern tripwire. Hence, the news of the arrival of a magoi delegation must have set off every alarm; it was a political balefire. Again, we cannot miss Matthew’s deliberate wording: the magoi come from the East, “the land of the sunrise” (Greek, anatolé).
What would the Roman Senate do when word of this audacious/subversive visit reached their ears? Image from here.
The political implications are not just disturbing, they are knee-buckling. Herod earned his throne the hard way by pushing back the Parthian tide. Was that tide now returning? Were these magoi rogue riders or did they represent the will of an empire? Did they come to Jerusalem innocently to do homage or did they come to install a client king of their own? What would the Roman Senate do when word of this audacious—or subversive—visit reached their ears? Could this cold war escalate into a hot one? Herod had to move and he had to move quickly!
Historical Precedents for Royal Puppeteers
This wider context transforms a familiar Sunday School story (see the text of Matthew 2:1-12 here) into a high-stakes thriller. Outside the Bible, the magoi were notorious as "royal puppeteers." Consider these three historical examples of the magoi acting as king-makers and king-breakers:
The magoi are regularly portrayed outside the Bible as dreadful, crafty, incestuous, and ancient. In short, they are true politicians. Image from here.
1. Strabo: The Parthian Senate
Writing during Jesus’ lifetime, the Greek geographer Strabo described the Parthian Sunhedrion (council) as a two-part body. The first consisted of royal kinsmen; the second consisted of "wise men" and magoi. According to some scholars,** the king was actually elected by the second group. In Parthia, you didn't wear the crown unless the magoi handed it to you.
The magoi were king-maker indeed. Image from here.
2. Plutarch: The Education of Kings
In his biography of the Persian King Artaxerxes II, Plutarch describes the coronation rites led by “Persian priests” (magoi). The ceremony involved secret rituals and the donning of ancestral robes. However, Plutarch reveals that magoi also educated young royals and, in one instance, exposed a prince attempting an assassination during the ceremony.*** They were the educators, the gatekeepers, and—when necessary—the whistleblowers of the throne.
Cold War action pitted the Wild West against the Ancient East. A word to the wise: finger pointing is rarely a good tactic. Image from here.
3. Herodotus: The Earless Imposter
The most famous “king-breaker” story comes from Herodotus. He recounts how Darius the Great overthrew a man named Smerdis to claim the Persian throne. According to the “imposter theory,” the real Smerdis had been secretly killed and replaced by a lookalike who was actually a sinister magus. This “false Smerdis” was eventually exposed because he lacked ears. Had Darius not acted, a magus would have ruled the known world through deception.
The king-making and king-breaking magoi could have ruled the world. Image from here.
Conclusion: A Crowded Room vs. a Prince of Peace
If Herod and the residents of Jerusalem knew these histories, it explains why the city trembled when the magoi dismounted and slapped the dust from their pantaloons. These men had a reputation for meddling in royal successions; where they went, blood usually followed.
It is a striking contrast: those who obsess over earthly power live in a crowded room of paranoia and curled lips. Yet those who pursued a kingdom "not of this world" found something entirely unexpected—a Prince of Peace.
*For the Mosaic taboo, see Deuteronomy 14:8 here. The emperor’s pun is lost in the Latin of Macrobius as well as our English. However, it comes out playfully in Greek. The terms for pig (hus) and son (huios) have similar sounds.
**See footnote 3 at the end of 11.9 the Loeb publication of Strabo (translation by H. L. Jones).
***See also Plato, Alcibiades 1.121e-122c.
We have several travel experiences to Bible Lands planned for 2019 (see list here). These are often organized on behalf of educational institutions or for church groups. If you are a leader who is interested in crafting a unique travel opportunity for your organization or if you are an individual who would like to join a group, shoot me an email at markziese@gmail.com.