Thanks for the new songs, such as Beautiful Star of Bethlehem and Kings from Persian Lands. I haven't found of MIDI of that one, just observations that the tune resembles "Wie Schoen Leuchtet."

Like most people posting, I'm aware that "Kings" is not correct as far as scripture goes. I guess that just shows that a good song [We Three Kings of Orient Are] outweighs a book in public memory.

When I was a kid, I thought the visit of the wise men meant that the rich and powerful nations of the world bowed down to little Jesus. But now I picture the wise men as intellectuals who had grown discontented with superstition. They had come to realize that watching the sky or studying the entrails of sacrifices does not predict the future. Neither were they a way of preserving a society. By visiting Jesus, they took the first step in their search for something better. Unfortunately, they didn't hang around to see what came next.

Who was it that wrote a poem about that, the one that ends "I should be glad of another death?"

Another aspect of that is that I assume they came from one of these ancient city-states that are still famous for their brutal warfare. I realize that by Jesus' time the Romans were top dog, but no doubt the memory of the cruel wars of the Babylonians and Assyrians still lived.
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And to all you smartalecks -- saying 'We have seen his star in the East'doesn't require that the star move east. I have seen the moon in the east many times and have yet to see it move eastfrom there.

Given the vageries of ancient language, it could also have meant, 'We saw his star while we were in the east,' i.e. Mesopotamia.

But as my husband's aunt, the good nun, would say, 'It's all legend.'

Now to go download some of the songs mentioned above.