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Who Were the Three Wise Men?

December 30, 2013

They came from the East to Israel to bring their gifts of myrrh, gold and incense to the newborn baby Jesus. But who were these strangers? And what was the star they were following?

https://p.dw.com/p/1APfP

In the cathedral Cologne there is a sumptuous golden shrine. It is supposed to hold the mortal remains of the Magi. Catholics around the world celebrate their visit to the infant Messiah on Epiphany on 6 January, and almost everyone knows their names: Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. But nobody really knows anything about the three wise men from the East . They were not kings, nor saints, and the three of them did not come together either. But without them there would be no golden shrine and no Cologne Cathedral at all.

12.12.2013 DW Im Focus Heilige drei Könige 03
The Golden Shrine in Cologne Cathedral.

This documentary goes in search of the real Christmas story and leads us to places near and far: Cologne, Milan, Istanbul, the ancient city of Palmyra in the Syrian desert and Lalibela in the mountains of Ethiopia.



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