"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days
of Herod the king, behold, there came Wise Men from the East
to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the
Jews? for we have seen his star in the East, and are come to
worship him."

In these simple words is stated an event that, expressed in a much
more extended narrative, forms an important part of the Esoteric
Teachings of the Mystic Brotherhoods, and Occult Orders of the Orient,
and which is also known to the members of the affiliated secret orders
of the Western world. The story of THE MAGI is embedded in the
traditions of the Oriental Mystics, and we shall here give you a brief
outline of the story as it is told by Hierophant to Neophyte--by Guru
to Chela.

To understand the story, you must know just who were these "Wise Men
of the East"--The Magi. And this you shall now be taught.


THE MAGI, OR WISE MEN.


The translators of the New Testament have translated the words naming
these visitors from afar as "the Wise Men from the East," but in the
original Greek, Matthew used the words "_The Magi_" as may be seen by
reference to the original Greek versions, or the Revised Translation,
which gives the Greek term in a foot-note. Any leading encyclopedia
will corroborate this statement. The term "the Magi" was the exact
statement of Matthew in the original Greek in which the Gospel was
written, the term "the Wise Men" originating with the English