Which of the Magi was the king of Nubia?

Answer 1

The very word magi (Latin, singular: magus) means that the author of Matthew was writing about priests of the Zoroastrian religion of the Persians. The priestly role was a hereditary one, and they were all members of the same Iranian tribe, much like the tribe of Levi in the Old Testament. Thus, the magi could never be either Nubians or kings.

The author of Matthew's Gospel was familiar with the Zoroastrian religion, and his story of the virgin birth is suggestive of the virgin birth of the Zoroastrian Saoyshant. By having the magi, priests of the Zoroastrian religion, wish to visit Jesus and bring expensive gifts, he was showing that even the priests of this great religion would have wanted to worship Jesus. In time, the Zoroastrian connection became less important, and they became referred to simply as 'wise men', which is the translation we see in most modern English Bibles. In modern times, they are sometimes referred to as kings, but this is a description that magi would never have accepted. The magi in Matthew were not intended to be regarded as kings.