What were the names of the three wise men?
This said, unreliable sources and tradition has it that the three wise men were named; Bithisarea, Melichior, and Gathaspa which is as they appear in the chronicle Excerpta Latina Barbari (or A Barbarian’s Latin Excerpts). [1] According to Western church tradition, they are known as Balthasar, a king of Arabia (or possibly Ethiopia); Melchior, a king of Persia; and Gaspar, a king of India. Note that the spellings of the names may vary from resource to resource.
According to Wiki, “The Excerpta Latina Barbari is a Latin translation of a Greek chronicle composed in Alexandria during the reign of Zeno (474-491) or Anastasius (491-518). The original Greek chronicle was a variation of the Chronica Alexandrina. It was translated into Latin c. 750 by an anonymous Merovingian author. Excerpta Latina Barbari derives its name from the fact that the late Merovingian translator made many mistakes in translating the Greek into Latin. It is also now known that the translator included some alterations to the original chronicle. These alterations include the insertion of a lineage linking the Merovingian kings to the ancient Trojans (see Francus) as popularised in the Liber Historiae Francorum.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excerpta_Latina_Barbari). Last Accessed 4 March 2021.
Dr. Joseph R. Nally, Jr., D.D., M.Div. is the Theological Editor at Third Millennium Ministries (Thirdmill).