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Fact Check: How Old Was Jesus When the Wise Men Arrived?

Determining the precise age of Jesus at the time of the Magi’s visit is a complex task due to varying interpretations of biblical accounts. The Gospel of Matthew provides the primary narrative, detailing the arrival of wise men from the east who sought the newborn king. However, this account does not explicitly state when this event occurred relative to Jesus’ birth.

Understanding the timeframe involves considering the actions of King Herod, who, upon hearing of Jesus’ birth, ordered the killing of all male children in Bethlehem aged two years and under. This suggests that Herod believed enough time had passed since the star’s appearance to warrant such a wide age range. Consequently, scholarly estimations range from Jesus being a few months old to nearly two years old at the time of the Magi’s visit. This uncertainty highlights the challenges in establishing a definitive date based solely on the available biblical information.

7+ How Old Was Jesus When the Wise Men Arrived?

Determining the age of Jesus Christ at the time of the visit by the Magi is a matter of biblical interpretation and historical deduction, rather than a statement of explicitly recorded fact. The New Testament account in the Gospel of Matthew provides the primary, and indeed sole, source for this event. The text describes the arrival of wise men, also known as Magi, from the east, who followed a star to find the newborn King of the Jews.

The absence of a specific age for Jesus in the biblical narrative necessitates a careful examination of related events to estimate a plausible timeframe. The Gospel of Matthew places the visit of the Magi after Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem and prior to the family’s flight to Egypt to escape Herod’s decree to kill all male children under two years old in Bethlehem. This decree suggests that Herod believed Jesus to be a potential threat, leading some scholars to infer that the visit and subsequent flight occurred within a relatively short period following the birth, likely within the first two years.