The Star of Bethlehem
The Magi were learned men of the East. What made them men of learning was that they watched the sky for changes and calculated the orbits of stars and planets. This, of course, required observation, math, books, and a kind of philosophy to explain the changes they were seeing.
As the Magi tradition existed heavily in Persia and Babylon, the Kings and Queens of these places wanted to have a forewarning of any celestial event. This was necessary because in Babylon the happenings in the sky were correlated with omens in a causal way.
An example of how this could transpire concerned eclipses:
In addition to their earthly duties, Babylonian kings were considered representatives of the gods on Earth. A king’s responsibility to maintain a balance between his kingdom and the heavens was symbolized by his tending to a sacred tree. Kings would, in the governance of their kingdoms, err from time to time and provoke the wrath of the gods. Fortunately, the gods would not seek revenge without first issuing a warning, whether through portents or dreams.
Eclipses were particularly ill omens, and Mesopotamian sources record instances of installing a dummy king during eclipses to avoid harm befalling the real king. Other astrological portents would grow in importance as the field developed over almost two millennia. The twin roles of the ummanu, that class of scholar-soothsayers, was to school the king in these portents, as well as perform rituals to restore the king’s purity. Their knowledge was said to have come to mankind from apkallu, hybrid half-animal half-human beings that lived on Earth in times past.
https://satyastrology.com/heavenly-writings-babylonian-origins-of-astrology/
The Magi were considered indispensable to Kings and served as essential guides and councilors. Indeed, a King could not easily rule the Kingdom without them.
The origin of the Magi is mysterious. Nonetheless, one explanation points towards the Prophet Daniel who was present in the time of Darius in Babylon:
One of the titles given to Daniel was Rab-mag, the Chief of the Magi.His unusual career included being a principal administrator in two world empires-the Babylonian and the subsequent Persian Empire. When Darius appointed him, a Jew, over the previously hereditary Median priesthood, the resulting repercussions led to the plots involving the ordeal of the lion’s den.
Daniel apparently entrusted a Messianic vision (to be announced in due time by a “star”) to a secret sect of the Magi for its eventual fulfillment. But first let’s review some historical background.
https://www.khouse.org/personal_update/articles/1999/who-were-magi
This explanation links the birth of the Messiah to the visions of Daniel and suggests something about the timeline he was shown:
DANIEL 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
https://churchages.net/en/study/time-times-and-half-a-time-has-two-meanings/
It is clear then that Daniel could have founded a secret school, and instructed those within it to wait for the appearance of the star and that when this time occurred the men should go and bring gifts fitting for the birth of a King. Those gifts of course were frankincense, myrrh, and gold.
