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<li id="toc-Iranian_sources" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Iranian_sources"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>Iranian sources</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Iranian_sources-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Greco-Roman_sources" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Greco-Roman_sources"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2</span> <span>Greco-Roman sources</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Greco-Roman_sources-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Hellenistic_period" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Hellenistic_period"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2.1</span> <span>Hellenistic period</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Hellenistic_period-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Roman_period" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Roman_period"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.2.2</span> <span>Roman period</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Roman_period-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Religious_traditions" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Religious_traditions"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Religious traditions</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Religious_traditions-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Religious traditions subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Religious_traditions-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Abrahamic" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Abrahamic"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Abrahamic</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Abrahamic-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Judaism" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Judaism"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1.1</span> <span>Judaism</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Judaism-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Christianity" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Christianity"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1.2</span> <span>Christianity</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Christianity-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Islam" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Islam"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1.3</span> <span>Islam</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Islam-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Eastern" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Eastern"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Eastern</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Eastern-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Dharmic" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Dharmic"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2.1</span> <span>Dharmic</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Dharmic-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Chinese_shamanism" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Chinese_shamanism"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2.2</span> <span>Chinese shamanism</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Chinese_shamanism-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Usage_in_contemporary_times" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Usage_in_contemporary_times"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Usage in contemporary times</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Usage_in_contemporary_times-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Notes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Notes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Notes</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Notes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Further_reading" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Further_reading"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>Further reading</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Further_reading-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" title="Table of Contents" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span 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Available in 36 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-36" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">36 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D9%88%D8%BA" title="موغ – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="موغ" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maqlar" title="Maqlar – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="Maqlar" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magus" title="Magus – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Magus" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magus" title="Magus – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Magus" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cy mw-list-item"><a href="https://cy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magiad" title="Magiad – Welsh" lang="cy" hreflang="cy" data-title="Magiad" data-language-autonym="Cymraeg" data-language-local-name="Welsh" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Cymraeg</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magier_(Religion)" title="Magier (Religion) – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Magier (Religion)" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mago_(zoroastrismo)" title="Mago (zoroastrismo) – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Mago (zoroastrismo)" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%BA" title="مغ – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="مغ" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mage" title="Mage – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Mage" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EB%A7%88%EA%B8%B0" title="마기 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="마기" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hy mw-list-item"><a href="https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D5%84%D5%B8%D5%A3" title="Մոգ – Armenian" lang="hy" hreflang="hy" data-title="Մոգ" data-language-autonym="Հայերեն" data-language-local-name="Armenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Հայերեն</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hi mw-list-item"><a href="https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%80" title="मागी – Hindi" lang="hi" hreflang="hi" data-title="मागी" data-language-autonym="हिन्दी" data-language-local-name="Hindi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>हिन्दी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hr mw-list-item"><a href="https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi" title="Magi – Croatian" lang="hr" hreflang="hr" data-title="Magi" data-language-autonym="Hrvatski" data-language-local-name="Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hrvatski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-io mw-list-item"><a href="https://io.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mago" title="Mago – Ido" lang="io" hreflang="io" data-title="Mago" data-language-autonym="Ido" data-language-local-name="Ido" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ido</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majus" title="Majus – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Majus" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi_(zoroastrismo)" title="Magi (zoroastrismo) – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Magi (zoroastrismo)" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ku mw-list-item"><a href="https://ku.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mux" title="Mux – Kurdish" lang="ku" hreflang="ku" data-title="Mux" data-language-autonym="Kurdî" data-language-local-name="Kurdish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kurdî</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1gus_(perzsa_vall%C3%A1s)" title="Mágus (perzsa vallás) – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Mágus (perzsa vallás)" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8" title="Магови – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Магови" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mg mw-list-item"><a href="https://mg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magy" title="Magy – Malagasy" lang="mg" hreflang="mg" data-title="Magy" data-language-autonym="Malagasy" data-language-local-name="Malagasy" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Malagasy</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majus" title="Majus – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Majus" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magus" title="Magus – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Magus" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%82%AE" title="マギ – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="マギ" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-oc mw-list-item"><a href="https://oc.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mague" title="Mague – Occitan" lang="oc" hreflang="oc" data-title="Mague" data-language-autonym="Occitan" data-language-local-name="Occitan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Occitan</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-km mw-list-item"><a href="https://km.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%9E%A0%E1%9F%84%E1%9E%9A%E1%9E%B6%E1%9E%85%E1%9E%B6%E1%9E%9A%E1%9F%92%E1%9E%99" title="ហោរាចារ្យ – Khmer" lang="km" hreflang="km" data-title="ហោរាចារ្យ" data-language-autonym="ភាសាខ្មែរ" data-language-local-name="Khmer" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ភាសាខ្មែរ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mag_(kap%C5%82an_perski)" title="Mag (kapłan perski) – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Mag (kapłan perski)" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mago" title="Mago – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Mago" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mag" title="Mag – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Mag" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B8" title="Маги – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Маги" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-scn mw-list-item"><a href="https://scn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magu" title="Magu – Sicilian" lang="scn" hreflang="scn" data-title="Magu" data-language-autonym="Sicilianu" data-language-local-name="Sicilian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Sicilianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1g_(Perzia)" title="Mág (Perzia) – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Mág (Perzia)" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sh mw-list-item"><a href="https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi" title="Magi – Serbo-Croatian" lang="sh" hreflang="sh" data-title="Magi" data-language-autonym="Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски" data-language-local-name="Serbo-Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maagi" title="Maagi – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Maagi" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magier" title="Magier – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Magier" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tl mw-list-item"><a href="https://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mago" title="Mago – Tagalog" lang="tl" hreflang="tl" data-title="Mago" data-language-autonym="Tagalog" data-language-local-name="Tagalog" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tagalog</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%B3" title="Маг – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Маг" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q876933#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage links" class="wbc-editpage">Edit links</a></span></div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="vector-page-toolbar"> <div class="vector-page-toolbar-container"> <div id="left-navigation"> <nav aria-label="Namespaces"> <div id="p-associated-pages" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-associated-pages" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-nstab-main" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Magi" title="View the content page [c]" accesskey="c"><span>Article</span></a></li><li id="ca-talk" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Talk:Magi" rel="discussion" 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searchaux" style="display:none">Priests in Zoroastrianism</div> <p class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For other uses, see <a href="/wiki/Magi_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="Magi (disambiguation)">Magi (disambiguation)</a>.</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"Magus" redirects here. For other uses, see <a href="/wiki/Magus_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="Magus (disambiguation)">Magus (disambiguation)</a>.</div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Gold_statuettes_from_the_Oxus_Treasure_by_Nickmard_Khoey.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Gold_statuettes_from_the_Oxus_Treasure_by_Nickmard_Khoey.jpg/220px-Gold_statuettes_from_the_Oxus_Treasure_by_Nickmard_Khoey.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="292" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Gold_statuettes_from_the_Oxus_Treasure_by_Nickmard_Khoey.jpg/330px-Gold_statuettes_from_the_Oxus_Treasure_by_Nickmard_Khoey.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Gold_statuettes_from_the_Oxus_Treasure_by_Nickmard_Khoey.jpg/440px-Gold_statuettes_from_the_Oxus_Treasure_by_Nickmard_Khoey.jpg 2x" data-file-width="772" data-file-height="1024" /></a><figcaption>Zoroastrian priests (Magi) carrying <i><a href="/wiki/Barsom" title="Barsom">barsoms</a></i>. Statuettes from the <a href="/wiki/Oxus_Treasure" title="Oxus Treasure">Oxus Treasure</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire" title="Achaemenid Empire">Achaemenid Empire</a>, 4th century BC</figcaption></figure> <p><b>Magi</b> (<abbr title="plural form"><span class="smallcaps"><span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">PLUR</span></span></abbr>),<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>a<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or <b>magus</b> (<abbr title="singular form"><span class="smallcaps"><span style="font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;">SING</span></span></abbr>),<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>b<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> is the term for priests in <a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism" title="Zoroastrianism">Zoroastrianism</a> and earlier <a href="/wiki/Iranian_religions" title="Iranian religions">Iranian religions</a>. The earliest known use of the word <i>magi</i> is in the trilingual inscription written by <a href="/wiki/Darius_the_Great" title="Darius the Great">Darius the Great</a>, known as the <a href="/wiki/Behistun_Inscription" title="Behistun Inscription">Behistun Inscription</a>. <a href="/wiki/Old_Persian" title="Old Persian">Old Persian</a> texts, predating the <a href="/wiki/Hellenistic_period" title="Hellenistic period">Hellenistic period</a>, refer to a magus as a <a href="/wiki/Zurvanism" title="Zurvanism">Zurvanic</a>, and presumably Zoroastrian, priest. </p><p>Pervasive throughout the <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Mediterranean" title="Eastern Mediterranean">Eastern Mediterranean</a> and <a href="/wiki/West_Asia" title="West Asia">West Asia</a> until <a href="/wiki/Late_antiquity" title="Late antiquity">late antiquity</a> and beyond, <i>mágos</i> (μάγος) was influenced by (and eventually displaced) Greek <i><a href="/wiki/The_Lesser_Key_of_Solomon#Ars_Goetia" title="The Lesser Key of Solomon">goēs</a></i> (γόης), the older word for a practitioner of <a href="/wiki/Magic_(paranormal)" class="mw-redirect" title="Magic (paranormal)">magic</a>, with a meaning expanded to include <a href="/wiki/Astronomy" title="Astronomy">astronomy</a>, <a href="/wiki/Astrology" title="Astrology">astrology</a>, <a href="/wiki/Alchemy" title="Alchemy">alchemy</a>, and other forms of <a href="/wiki/Esoteric" class="mw-redirect" title="Esoteric">esoteric</a> knowledge. This association was in turn the product of the Hellenistic fascination for <a href="/wiki/Pseudo-Zoroaster" class="mw-redirect" title="Pseudo-Zoroaster">Pseudo-Zoroaster</a>, who was perceived by the Greeks to be the <a href="/wiki/Chaldea" title="Chaldea">Chaldean</a> founder of the Magi and inventor of both astrology and magic, a meaning that still survives in the modern-day words "magic" and "<a href="/wiki/Magician_(paranormal)" class="mw-redirect" title="Magician (paranormal)">magician</a>". </p><p>In the <a href="/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew" title="Gospel of Matthew">Gospel of Matthew</a>, <a href="/wiki/Biblical_Magi" title="Biblical Magi">"μάγοι" (<i>magoi</i>) from the east</a> do homage to the <a href="/wiki/Christ_Child" title="Christ Child">Christ Child</a>,<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and the transliterated plural "magi" entered English from <a href="/wiki/Latin" title="Latin">Latin</a> in this context around 1200 AD (this particular use is also commonly rendered in English as "kings" and more often in recent times as "wise men").<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The singular "magus" appears considerably later, when it was borrowed from <a href="/wiki/Old_French" title="Old French">Old French</a> in the late 14th century with the meaning <i>magician</i>. </p><p>Hereditary Zoroastrian priesthood has survived in India<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and Iran. They are termed <a href="/wiki/Herbad" title="Herbad">Herbad</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mobad" title="Mobad">Mobad</a> (Magupat, i.e. chief of the Maga), and <a href="/wiki/Dastur" title="Dastur">Dastur</a> depending on the rank. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Iranian_sources">Iranian sources</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Iranian sources"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Chopped_gold_pieces_from_the_Oxus_Treasure_by_Nickmard_Khoey213.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Chopped_gold_pieces_from_the_Oxus_Treasure_by_Nickmard_Khoey213.jpg/170px-Chopped_gold_pieces_from_the_Oxus_Treasure_by_Nickmard_Khoey213.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="311" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Chopped_gold_pieces_from_the_Oxus_Treasure_by_Nickmard_Khoey213.jpg 1.5x" data-file-width="237" data-file-height="434" /></a><figcaption>Zoroastrian Magus carrying <i><a href="/wiki/Barsom" title="Barsom">barsom</a></i> from the <a href="/wiki/Oxus_Treasure" title="Oxus Treasure">Oxus Treasure</a> of the <a href="/wiki/Achaemenid_Empire" title="Achaemenid Empire">Achaemenid Empire</a>, 4th century BC</figcaption></figure> <p>The term only appears twice in Iranian texts from before the 5th century BC, and only one of these can be dated with precision. This one instance occurs in the trilingual <a href="/wiki/Behistun_inscription" class="mw-redirect" title="Behistun inscription">Behistun inscription</a> of <a href="/wiki/Darius_the_Great" title="Darius the Great">Darius the Great</a>, and which can be dated to about 520 BC. In this trilingual text, certain rebels have magian as an attribute; in the <a href="/wiki/Old_Persian" title="Old Persian">Old Persian</a> portion as <i>maγu-</i> (generally assumed to be a loan word from <a href="/wiki/Median_language" title="Median language">Median</a>). The meaning of the term in this context is uncertain.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The other instance appears in the texts of the <a href="/wiki/Avesta" title="Avesta">Avesta</a>, the sacred literature of Zoroastrianism. In this instance, which is in the <a href="/wiki/Avestan_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Avestan language">Younger Avestan</a> portion, the term appears in the <a href="/wiki/Hapax_legomenon" title="Hapax legomenon">hapax</a> <i>moghu.tbiš</i>, meaning "hostile to the <i>moghu</i>", where <i>moghu</i> does not (as was previously thought) mean "magus", but rather "a member of the tribe"<sup id="cite_ref-Boyce_1975_10_11_8-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Boyce_1975_10_11-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> or referred to a particular social class in the proto-Iranian language and then continued to do so in Avestan.<sup id="cite_ref-Gershevitch_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Gershevitch-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>An unrelated term, but previously assumed to be related, appears in the older Gathic <a href="/wiki/Avestan_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Avestan language">Avestan language</a> texts. This word, adjectival <i>magavan</i> meaning "possessing <i>maga-</i>", was once the premise that Avestan <i>maga-</i> and Median (i.e. Old Persian) <i>magu-</i> were <a href="/wiki/Coeval" title="Coeval">coeval</a> (and also that both these were cognates of <a href="/wiki/Vedic_Sanskrit" title="Vedic Sanskrit">Vedic Sanskrit</a> <i>magha-</i>). While "in the <a href="/wiki/Gathas" class="mw-redirect" title="Gathas">Gathas</a> the word seems to mean both the teaching of Zoroaster and the community that accepted that teaching", and it seems that Avestan <i>maga-</i> is related to Sanskrit <i>magha-</i>, "there is no reason to suppose that the western Iranian form <i>magu</i> (Magus) has exactly the same meaning"<sup id="cite_ref-Zaehner_1961_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Zaehner_1961-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> as well. But it "may be, however", that Avestan <i>moghu</i> (which is not the same as Avestan <i>maga-</i>) "and Medean <i>magu</i> were the same word in origin, a common Iranian term for 'member of the tribe' having developed among the Medes the special sense of 'member of <i>the</i> (priestly) tribe', hence a priest."<sup id="cite_ref-Boyce_1975_10_11_8-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Boyce_1975_10_11-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup><i>cf</i></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Gershevitch_9-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Gershevitch-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Some examples of the use of magi in <a href="/wiki/Persian_poetry" class="mw-redirect" title="Persian poetry">Persian poetry</a>, are present in the poems of <a href="/wiki/Hafez" title="Hafez">Hafez</a>. There are two frequent terms used by him, first one is <i>Peer-e Moghan</i> (literally "the old man of the magi") and second one is <i>Deyr-e Moghan</i> (literally "the monastery of the magi").<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Greco-Roman_sources">Greco-Roman sources</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Greco-Roman sources"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Hellenistic_period">Hellenistic period</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Hellenistic period"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The oldest surviving Greek reference to the magi – from Greek <span title="Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language text"><span lang="grc">μάγος</span></span> (<i>mágos</i>, plural: <i>magoi</i>) – might be from 6th century BC <a href="/wiki/Heraclitus" title="Heraclitus">Heraclitus</a> (apud <a href="/wiki/Clemens_of_Alexandria" class="mw-redirect" title="Clemens of Alexandria">Clemens</a> <i><a href="/wiki/Protrepticus_(Clement)" title="Protrepticus (Clement)">Protrepticus</a></i> 2.22.2<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>), who curses the magi for their "impious" rites and rituals.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> A description of the rituals that Heraclitus refers to has not survived, and there is nothing to suggest that Heraclitus was referring to foreigners. </p><p> Better preserved are the descriptions of the mid-5th century BC <a href="/wiki/Herodotus" title="Herodotus">Herodotus</a>, who in his portrayal of the <a href="/wiki/Iranian_peoples" title="Iranian peoples">Iranian</a> expatriates living in <a href="/wiki/Asia_Minor" class="mw-redirect" title="Asia Minor">Asia Minor</a> uses the term "magi" in two different senses. In the first sense (<i><a href="/wiki/Histories_(Herodotus)" title="Histories (Herodotus)">Histories</a></i> 1.101<sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>), Herodotus speaks of the magi as one of the tribes/peoples (<i>ethnous</i>) of the <a href="/wiki/Medes" title="Medes">Medes</a>. In another sense (1.132<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>), Herodotus uses the term "magi" to generically refer to a "<a href="/wiki/Sacerdotal" class="mw-redirect" title="Sacerdotal">sacerdotal</a> caste", but "whose ethnic origin is never again so much as mentioned."<sup id="cite_ref-Zaehner_1961_10-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Zaehner_1961-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> According to <a href="/wiki/Robert_Charles_Zaehner" title="Robert Charles Zaehner">Robert Charles Zaehner</a>, in other accounts :</p><blockquote><p>"We hear of Magi not only in <a href="/wiki/Fars_province" title="Fars province">Persia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Parthia" title="Parthia">Parthia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Bactria" title="Bactria">Bactria</a>, <a href="/wiki/Chorasmia" class="mw-redirect" title="Chorasmia">Chorasmia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Aria_(satrapy)" class="mw-redirect" title="Aria (satrapy)">Aria</a>, <a href="/wiki/Medes" title="Medes">Media</a>, and among the <a href="/wiki/Sakas" class="mw-redirect" title="Sakas">Sakas</a>, but also in non-Iranian lands like <a href="/wiki/Arabian_Peninsula" title="Arabian Peninsula">Arabia</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ethiopia" title="Ethiopia">Ethiopia</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Egypt" title="Egypt">Egypt</a>. Their influence was also widespread throughout <a href="/wiki/Anatolia" title="Anatolia">Asia Minor.</a>It is, therefore, quite likely that the sacerdotal caste of the Magi was distinct from the <a href="/wiki/Median_kingdom" title="Median kingdom">Median</a> tribe of the same name."<sup id="cite_ref-Zaehner_1961_10-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Zaehner_1961-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p></blockquote><p>As early as the 5th century BC, Greek <i>magos</i> had spawned <i>mageia</i> and <i><span title="Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language romanization"><i lang="grc-Latn">magike</i></span></i> to describe the activity of a magus, that is, it was his or her art and practice.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_16-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> But almost from the outset the noun for the action and the noun for the actor parted company. Thereafter, <i>mageia</i> was used not for what actual magi did, but for something related to the word 'magic' in the modern sense, i.e. using supernatural means to achieve an effect in the natural world, or the appearance of achieving these effects through trickery or sleight of hand.<sup id="cite_ref-:0_16-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:0-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The early Greek texts typically have the pejorative meaning, which in turn influenced the meaning of <i>magos</i> to denote a conjurer and a charlatan.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Already in the mid-5th century BC, Herodotus identifies the <i>magi</i> as interpreters of omens and dreams (<i>Histories</i> 7.19, 7.37, 1.107, 1.108, 1.120, 1.128<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>).<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Other Greek sources from before the <a href="/wiki/Hellenistic_period" title="Hellenistic period">Hellenistic period</a> include the gentleman-soldier <a href="/wiki/Xenophon" title="Xenophon">Xenophon</a>, who had first-hand experience at the Persian <a href="/wiki/Achaemenid" class="mw-redirect" title="Achaemenid">Achaemenid</a> court. In his early 4th century BC <i><a href="/wiki/Cyropaedia" title="Cyropaedia">Cyropaedia</a></i>, Xenophon depicts the magians as authorities for all religious matters (8.3.11),<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> and imagines the magians to be responsible for the education of the emperor-to-be. <a href="/wiki/Apuleius" title="Apuleius">Apuleius</a>, a <a href="/wiki/Numidian" class="mw-redirect" title="Numidian">Numidian</a> <a href="/wiki/Platonist" class="mw-redirect" title="Platonist">Platonist</a> philosopher, describes magus to be considered as a "sage and philosopher-king" based on its <a href="/wiki/Platonism" title="Platonism">Platonic</a> notion.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Roman_period">Roman period</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Roman period"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:XV14_-_Roma,_Museo_civilt%C3%A0_romana_-_Adorazione_dei_Magi_-_sec_III_dC_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_12-Apr-2008.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/XV14_-_Roma%2C_Museo_civilt%C3%A0_romana_-_Adorazione_dei_Magi_-_sec_III_dC_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_12-Apr-2008.jpg/220px-XV14_-_Roma%2C_Museo_civilt%C3%A0_romana_-_Adorazione_dei_Magi_-_sec_III_dC_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_12-Apr-2008.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="90" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/XV14_-_Roma%2C_Museo_civilt%C3%A0_romana_-_Adorazione_dei_Magi_-_sec_III_dC_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_12-Apr-2008.jpg/330px-XV14_-_Roma%2C_Museo_civilt%C3%A0_romana_-_Adorazione_dei_Magi_-_sec_III_dC_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_12-Apr-2008.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/XV14_-_Roma%2C_Museo_civilt%C3%A0_romana_-_Adorazione_dei_Magi_-_sec_III_dC_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_12-Apr-2008.jpg/440px-XV14_-_Roma%2C_Museo_civilt%C3%A0_romana_-_Adorazione_dei_Magi_-_sec_III_dC_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall%27Orto_12-Apr-2008.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1791" data-file-height="735" /></a><figcaption>Incised <a href="/wiki/Sarcophagus" title="Sarcophagus">sarcophagus</a> slab with the <i><a href="/wiki/Adoration_of_the_Magi" title="Adoration of the Magi">Adoration of the Magi</a></i> from the <a href="/wiki/Catacombs_of_Rome" title="Catacombs of Rome">Catacombs of Rome</a>, 3rd century</figcaption></figure> <p>Once the magi had been associated with "magic" – Greek <i><span title="Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language romanization"><i lang="grc-Latn">magikos</i></span></i> – it was but a natural progression that the Greeks' image of Zoroaster would metamorphose into a magician too.<sup id="cite_ref-Beck_2003_22-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Beck_2003-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The first century <a href="/wiki/Pliny_the_Elder" title="Pliny the Elder">Pliny the Elder</a> names "Zoroaster" as the inventor of magic (<i><a href="/wiki/Pliny%27s_Natural_History" class="mw-redirect" title="Pliny's Natural History">Natural History</a></i> xxx.2.3), but a "principle of the division of labor appears to have spared Zoroaster most of the responsibility for introducing the dark arts to the Greek and Roman worlds. That dubious honor went to another fabulous magus, <a href="/wiki/Ostanes" title="Ostanes">Ostanes</a>, to whom most of the pseudepigraphic magical literature was attributed."<sup id="cite_ref-Beck_2003_22-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Beck_2003-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> For Pliny, this magic was a "monstrous craft" that gave the Greeks not only a "lust" (<i>aviditatem</i>) for magic, but a downright "madness" (<i>rabiem</i>) for it, and Pliny supposed that Greek philosophers – among them <a href="/wiki/Pythagoras" title="Pythagoras">Pythagoras</a>, <a href="/wiki/Empedocles" title="Empedocles">Empedocles</a>, <a href="/wiki/Democritus" title="Democritus">Democritus</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Plato" title="Plato">Plato</a> – traveled abroad to study it, and then returned to teach it (xxx.2.8–10). </p><p><a href="/wiki/Pseudo-Zoroaster" class="mw-redirect" title="Pseudo-Zoroaster">"Zoroaster"</a> – or rather what the Greeks supposed him to be – was for the Hellenists the figurehead of the 'magi', and the founder of that order (or what the Greeks considered to be an <a href="/wiki/Religious_order" title="Religious order">order</a>). He was further projected as the author of a vast compendium of "Zoroastrian" <a href="/wiki/Pseudepigrapha" title="Pseudepigrapha">pseudepigrapha</a>, composed in the main to discredit the texts of rivals. "The Greeks considered the best wisdom to be exotic wisdom" and "what better and more convenient authority than the distant – temporally and geographically – Zoroaster?"<sup id="cite_ref-Beck_2003_22-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Beck_2003-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The subject of these texts, the authenticity of which was rarely challenged, ranged from treatises on nature to ones on <a href="/wiki/Necromancy" title="Necromancy">necromancy</a>. But the bulk of these texts dealt with astronomical speculations and magical lore. </p><p>One factor for the association with astrology was Zoroaster's name, or rather, what the Greeks made of it. His name was identified at first with star-worshiping (<i><span title="Ancient Greek (to 1453)-language romanization"><i lang="grc-Latn">astrothytes</i></span></i> "star sacrificer") and, with the <i>Zo-</i>, even as the <i>living</i> star. Later, an even more elaborate mytho-etymology evolved: Zoroaster died by the living (<i>zo-</i>) flux (<i>-ro-</i>) of fire from the star (<i>-astr-</i>) which he himself had invoked, and even that the stars killed him in revenge for having been restrained by him.<sup id="cite_ref-Beck_1991_23-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Beck_1991-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The second, and "more serious"<sup id="cite_ref-Beck_1991_23-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Beck_1991-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> factor for the association with astrology was the notion that Zoroaster was a <a href="/wiki/Chaldea" title="Chaldea">Chaldean</a>. The alternate Greek name for Zoroaster was Zaratas / Zaradas / Zaratos (<i>cf.</i> <a href="/wiki/Agathias" title="Agathias">Agathias</a> 2.23–25, <a href="/wiki/Clement_of_Alexandria" title="Clement of Alexandria">Clement</a> <i><a href="/wiki/Stromata" title="Stromata">Stromata</a></i> I.15), which – according to Bidez and Cumont – derived from a Semitic form of his name. The <a href="/wiki/Suda" title="Suda">Suda</a>'s chapter on <i>astronomia</i> notes that the <a href="/wiki/Babylonian_astronomy" title="Babylonian astronomy">Babylonians learned their astrology</a> from Zoroaster. <a href="/wiki/Lucian" title="Lucian">Lucian of Samosata</a> (<i>Mennipus</i> 6) decides to journey to Babylon "to ask one of the magi, Zoroaster's disciples and successors", for their opinion. </p><p><span class="anchor" id="MatthewMagi"></span> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Religious_traditions">Religious traditions</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Religious traditions"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Abrahamic">Abrahamic</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Abrahamic"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Judaism">Judaism</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Judaism"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In the <a href="/wiki/Talmud" title="Talmud">Talmud</a>, instances of dialogue between the <a href="/wiki/Jewish_sage" class="mw-redirect" title="Jewish sage">Jewish sages</a> and various magi are recorded. The Talmud depicts the Magi as sorcerers and in several descriptions, they are negatively described as obstructing Jewish religious practices.<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Several references include the sages criticizing practices performed by various magi. One instance is a description of the Zoroastrian priests exhuming corpses for their burial practices which directly interfered with the Jewish burial rites.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Another instance is a sage forbidding learning from the magi.<sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Christianity">Christianity</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Christianity"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Biblical_Magi" title="Biblical Magi">Biblical Magi</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Magi_(1).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Magi_%281%29.jpg/250px-Magi_%281%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="166" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Magi_%281%29.jpg/330px-Magi_%281%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Magi_%281%29.jpg/500px-Magi_%281%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2035" data-file-height="1535" /></a><figcaption>Byzantine depiction of the <a href="/wiki/Biblical_Magi" title="Biblical Magi">Three Magi</a> in a 6th-century mosaic at <a href="/wiki/Basilica_of_Sant%27Apollinare_Nuovo" title="Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo">Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo</a></figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Adoracao_dos_magos_de_Vicente_Gil.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Adoracao_dos_magos_de_Vicente_Gil.jpg/220px-Adoracao_dos_magos_de_Vicente_Gil.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="293" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Adoracao_dos_magos_de_Vicente_Gil.jpg/330px-Adoracao_dos_magos_de_Vicente_Gil.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Adoracao_dos_magos_de_Vicente_Gil.jpg 2x" data-file-width="375" data-file-height="500" /></a><figcaption>Conventional post-12th century depiction of the <a href="/wiki/Biblical_magi" class="mw-redirect" title="Biblical magi">Biblical magi</a> (<i>Adoração dos Magos</i> by Vicente Gil). <a href="/wiki/Balthazar_(magus)" title="Balthazar (magus)">Balthasar</a>, the youngest magus, bears <a href="/wiki/Frankincense" title="Frankincense">frankincense</a> and represents Africa. To the left stands <a href="/wiki/Caspar_(magus)" title="Caspar (magus)">Caspar</a>, middle-aged, bearing <a href="/wiki/Gold" title="Gold">gold</a> and representing Asia. On his knees is <a href="/wiki/Biblical_Magi" title="Biblical Magi">Melchior</a>, oldest, bearing <a href="/wiki/Myrrh" title="Myrrh">myrrh</a> and representing Europe</figcaption></figure> <p>The word <i>mágos</i> (Greek) and its variants appear in both the <a href="/wiki/Old_Testament" title="Old Testament">Old</a> and <a href="/wiki/New_Testament" title="New Testament">New Testaments</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Ordinarily this word is translated "magician" or "sorcerer" in the sense of illusionist or fortune-teller, and this is how it is translated in all of its occurrences (e.g. <a href="/wiki/Acts_of_the_Apostles" title="Acts of the Apostles">Acts</a> 13:6) except for the <a href="/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew" title="Gospel of Matthew">Gospel of Matthew</a>, where, depending on translation, it is rendered "wise man" (<a href="/wiki/KJV" class="mw-redirect" title="KJV">KJV</a>, <a href="/wiki/Revised_Standard_Version" title="Revised Standard Version">RSV</a>) or left untranslated as <i>Magi</i>, typically with an explanatory note (<a href="/wiki/NIV" class="mw-redirect" title="NIV">NIV</a>). However, early church fathers, such as <a href="/wiki/Justin_Martyr" title="Justin Martyr">St. Justin</a>, <a href="/wiki/Origen" title="Origen">Origen</a>, <a href="/wiki/St._Augustine" class="mw-redirect" title="St. Augustine">St. Augustine</a> and <a href="/wiki/St._Jerome" class="mw-redirect" title="St. Jerome">St. Jerome</a>, did not make an exception for the Gospel, and translated the word in its ordinary sense, i.e. as "magician".<sup id="cite_ref-CathEnc_31-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-CathEnc-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Gospel of Matthew states that <a href="/wiki/Biblical_Magi" title="Biblical Magi">magi</a> visited the infant <a href="/wiki/Jesus" title="Jesus">Jesus</a> to do him homage shortly after his birth (<a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible_(King_James)/Matthew#2:1" class="extiw" title="s:Bible (King James)/Matthew">2:1–2:12</a>). The gospel describes how magi from the east were notified of the birth of a king in <a href="/wiki/Judea" title="Judea">Judaea</a> by the appearance of his star. Upon their arrival in <a href="/wiki/Jerusalem" title="Jerusalem">Jerusalem</a>, they visited <a href="/wiki/Herod_the_Great" title="Herod the Great">King Herod</a> to determine the location of the <a href="/wiki/Names_and_titles_of_Jesus_in_the_New_Testament#King_of_the_Jews" title="Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament">king of the Jews</a>' birthplace. Herod, disturbed, told them that he had not heard of the child, but informed them of a prophecy that the <a href="/wiki/Messiah" title="Messiah">Messiah</a> would be born in <a href="/wiki/Bethlehem" title="Bethlehem">Bethlehem</a>. He then asked the magi to inform him when they find the child so that he himself may also pay homage to the child. Guided by the <a href="/wiki/Star_of_Bethlehem" title="Star of Bethlehem">Star of Bethlehem</a>, the wise men found the infant Jesus in a house. They paid homage to him, and presented him with "gifts of gold and of frankincense and of myrrh." (2.11) In a dream they are warned not to return to Herod, and therefore return to their homes by taking another route. Since its composition in the late 1st century, numerous apocryphal stories have embellished the gospel's account.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (September 2021)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> <a href="/wiki/Matthew_2:16" title="Matthew 2:16">Matthew 2:16</a> implies that Herod learned from the wise men that up to two years had passed since the birth, which is why <a href="/wiki/Massacre_of_the_Innocents" title="Massacre of the Innocents">all male children two years or younger were slaughtered</a>. </p><p>In addition to the more famous story of <a href="/wiki/Simon_Magus" title="Simon Magus">Simon Magus</a> found in chapter 8, the <i><a href="/wiki/Book_of_Acts" class="mw-redirect" title="Book of Acts">Book of Acts</a></i> (<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Acts%2013:6–11&version=nrsv">13:6–11</a>) also describes another magus who acted as an advisor of <a href="/wiki/Sergius_Paulus" title="Sergius Paulus">Sergius Paulus</a>, the Roman <a href="/wiki/Proconsul" title="Proconsul">proconsul</a> at <a href="/wiki/Paphos" title="Paphos">Paphos</a> on the island of <a href="/wiki/Cyprus" title="Cyprus">Cyprus</a>, a Jew named Bar-Iesous (son of Jesus), or alternatively <a href="/wiki/Elymas" title="Elymas">Elymas</a>. (Another Cypriot magus named Atomos is referenced by <a href="/wiki/Josephus" title="Josephus">Josephus</a>, working at the court of <a href="/wiki/Antonius_Felix" title="Antonius Felix">Felix</a> at <a href="/wiki/Caesarea_Maritima" title="Caesarea Maritima">Caesarea</a>.) </p><p>One of the non-canonical Christian sources, the <a href="/wiki/Syriac_Infancy_Gospel" class="mw-redirect" title="Syriac Infancy Gospel">Syriac Infancy Gospel</a>, provides, in its third chapter, a story of the wise men of the East which is very similar to much of the story in Matthew. This account cites Zoradascht (Zoroaster) as the source of the prophecy that motivated the wise men to seek the infant Jesus.<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Islam">Islam</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Islam"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Majus" title="Majus">Majus</a></div> <p>In Arabic, "Magians" (<i><a href="/wiki/Majus" title="Majus">majus</a></i>) is the term for <a href="/wiki/Zoroastrianism" title="Zoroastrianism">Zoroastrians</a>. The term is mentioned in the Quran, in <a href="/wiki/Sura_22" class="mw-redirect" title="Sura 22">sura 22</a> verse 17, where the "Magians" are mentioned alongside the <a href="/wiki/Islam_and_Judaism" class="mw-redirect" title="Islam and Judaism">Jews</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Sabians" title="Sabians">Sabians</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Nasrani_(Arabic_term_for_Christian)" class="mw-redirect" title="Nasrani (Arabic term for Christian)">Christians</a> in a list of religions who will be judged on the <a href="/wiki/Islamic_eschatology" title="Islamic eschatology">Day of Resurrection</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Eastern">Eastern</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Eastern"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Dharmic">Dharmic</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Dharmic"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:6th-century_Brihat_Samhita_of_Varahamihira,_1279_CE_Hindu_text_palm_leaf_manuscript,_Pratima_lakshana,_Sanskrit,_Nepalaksara_script,_folio_1_talapatra_from_a_Buddhist_monastery,_1v,_2r_2v_leaves.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/6th-century_Brihat_Samhita_of_Varahamihira%2C_1279_CE_Hindu_text_palm_leaf_manuscript%2C_Pratima_lakshana%2C_Sanskrit%2C_Nepalaksara_script%2C_folio_1_talapatra_from_a_Buddhist_monastery%2C_1v%2C_2r_2v_leaves.jpg/220px-thumbnail.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="170" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/6th-century_Brihat_Samhita_of_Varahamihira%2C_1279_CE_Hindu_text_palm_leaf_manuscript%2C_Pratima_lakshana%2C_Sanskrit%2C_Nepalaksara_script%2C_folio_1_talapatra_from_a_Buddhist_monastery%2C_1v%2C_2r_2v_leaves.jpg/330px-thumbnail.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/6th-century_Brihat_Samhita_of_Varahamihira%2C_1279_CE_Hindu_text_palm_leaf_manuscript%2C_Pratima_lakshana%2C_Sanskrit%2C_Nepalaksara_script%2C_folio_1_talapatra_from_a_Buddhist_monastery%2C_1v%2C_2r_2v_leaves.jpg/440px-thumbnail.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2016" data-file-height="1560" /></a><figcaption>Brihat Samhita of <a href="/wiki/Varahamihira" class="mw-redirect" title="Varahamihira">Varahamihira</a>, 1279 CE palm leaf manuscript, Pratima lakshana, Sanskrit</figcaption></figure> <p>In India, the <a href="/wiki/Maga_Brahmin" title="Maga Brahmin">Sakaldwipiya Brahmins</a> are considered to be the descendants of the ten Maga (Sanskrit <span title="Sanskrit-language text"><span lang="sa">मग</span></span>) priests who were invited to conduct worship of <a href="/wiki/Mitra_(Hindu_god)" title="Mitra (Hindu god)">Mitra</a> (<a href="/wiki/Surya" title="Surya">Surya</a>) at Mitravana (<a href="/wiki/Multan_Sun_Temple" title="Multan Sun Temple">Multan</a>), as described in the <a href="/wiki/Samba_Purana" title="Samba Purana">Samba Purana</a>, <a href="/wiki/Bhavishya_Purana" title="Bhavishya Purana">Bhavishya Purana</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Mahabharata" title="Mahabharata">Mahabharata</a>. Their original home was a mythological region called <a href="/wiki/%C5%9A%C4%81kadv%C4%ABpa" class="mw-redirect" title="Śākadvīpa">Śākadvīpa</a>. According to <a href="/wiki/Varahamihira" class="mw-redirect" title="Varahamihira">Varahamihira</a> (c. 505 – c. 587), the statue of the Sun god (Mitra), is represented as wearing the "northern" (Central Asian) dress, specifically with horse riding boots. Some <a href="/wiki/Brahmin" title="Brahmin">Brahmin</a> communities of India trace their descent from the Magas. Some classical astronomers and mathematicians of India such are Varahamihira are considered to be the descendants of the Magas.<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Varahamihira specifies that installation and consecration of the Sun images should be done by the Magas. <a href="/wiki/Al-Biruni" title="Al-Biruni">al-Biruni</a> mentions that the priests of the Sun Temple at Multan were Magas. The Magas had colonies in a number of places in India, and were the priests at <a href="/wiki/Konark" title="Konark">Konark</a>, <a href="/wiki/Martanda" class="mw-redirect" title="Martanda">Martanda</a> and other sun temples.<sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Chinese_shamanism">Chinese shamanism</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Chinese shamanism"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951" /><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Wu_(shaman)#Etymologies" title="Wu (shaman)">Wu (shaman) § Etymologies</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:%E5%B7%AB-bronze.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/%E5%B7%AB-bronze.svg/250px-%E5%B7%AB-bronze.svg.png" decoding="async" width="170" height="170" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/%E5%B7%AB-bronze.svg/255px-%E5%B7%AB-bronze.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6e/%E5%B7%AB-bronze.svg/340px-%E5%B7%AB-bronze.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="300" data-file-height="300" /></a><figcaption>Chinese <a href="/wiki/Bronzeware_script" class="mw-redirect" title="Bronzeware script">Bronzeware script</a> for <i><a href="/wiki/Wu_(shaman)" title="Wu (shaman)">wu</a></i> 巫 "shaman"</figcaption></figure> <p><a href="/wiki/Victor_H._Mair" title="Victor H. Mair">Victor H. Mair</a> (1990) suggested that Chinese <i><a href="/wiki/Wu_(shaman)" title="Wu (shaman)">wū</a></i> (巫 "shaman; witch, wizard; magician") may originate as a loanword from <a href="/wiki/Old_Persian" title="Old Persian">Old Persian</a> *<i>maguš</i> "magician; magi". Mair reconstructs an <a href="/wiki/Old_Chinese" title="Old Chinese">Old Chinese</a> *<i><span title="Old Chinese-language romanization"><i lang="och-Latn">m<sup>y</sup>ag</i></span></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The reconstruction of Old Chinese forms is somewhat speculative. The <a href="/wiki/Velar" class="mw-redirect" title="Velar">velar</a> final <i>-g</i> in Mair's *<i><span title="Old Chinese-language romanization"><i lang="och-Latn">m<sup>y</sup>ag</i></span></i> (巫) is evident in several Old Chinese reconstructions (Dong Tonghe's *<i>m<sup>y</sup>wag</i>, Zhou Fagao's *<i>mjwaγ</i>, and <a href="/wiki/Li_Fanggui" class="mw-redirect" title="Li Fanggui">Li Fanggui</a>'s *<i>mjag</i>), but not all (<a href="/wiki/Bernhard_Karlgren" title="Bernhard Karlgren">Bernhard Karlgren</a>'s *<i>m<sup>y</sup>wo</i> and Axel Schuessler's *<i>ma</i>). </p><p>Mair adduces the discovery of two figurines with unmistakably Caucasoid or Europoid features dated to the 8th century BC, found in a 1980 excavation of a <a href="/wiki/Zhou_dynasty" title="Zhou dynasty">Zhou dynasty</a> palace in <a href="/wiki/Fufeng_County" title="Fufeng County">Fufeng County</a>, <a href="/wiki/Shaanxi" title="Shaanxi">Shaanxi</a> Province. One of the figurines is marked on the top of its head with an incised <b>☩</b> graph.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="This claim needs references to reliable sources. (March 2023)">citation needed</span></a></i>]</sup> </p><p>Mair's suggestion is based on a proposal by <a href="/wiki/Jao_Tsung-I" title="Jao Tsung-I">Jao Tsung-I</a> (1990), which connects the "<a href="/wiki/Cross_potent" title="Cross potent">cross potent</a>" <a href="/wiki/Bronzeware_script" class="mw-redirect" title="Bronzeware script">bronzeware script</a> glyph for <i>wu</i> <span lang="zh">巫</span> with the same shape found in Neolithic West Asia, specifically a cross potent carved in the shoulder of a goddess figure of the <a href="/wiki/Halaf_period" class="mw-redirect" title="Halaf period">Halaf period</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-38"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Usage_in_contemporary_times">Usage in contemporary times</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: Usage in contemporary times"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div><p> In the 1980s, <a href="/wiki/Saddam_Hussein" title="Saddam Hussein">Saddam Hussein</a>'s <a href="/wiki/Ba%27ath_Party" title="Ba'ath Party">Ba'ath Party</a> used the <a href="/wiki/Quran" title="Quran">quranic</a> term <i><a href="/wiki/Majus" title="Majus">majus</a></i> during the <a href="/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War" title="Iran–Iraq War">Iran–Iraq War</a> as an <a href="/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs" title="List of ethnic slurs">ethnic slur</a> against <a href="/wiki/Iran" title="Iran">Iranians</a>, both verbally and even in official documents. A 2000 paper elaborated the usage's <a href="/wiki/Propaganda" title="Propaganda">propaganda</a> significance:</p><blockquote><p>"By referring to the Iranians in these documents as <i>majus</i>, the security apparatus [implied] that the Iranians [were] not <a href="/wiki/Munafiq" title="Munafiq">sincere Muslims</a>, but rather <a href="/wiki/Crypto-paganism" title="Crypto-paganism">covertly practice their pre-Islamic beliefs</a>. Thus, in their eyes, Iraq's war took on the dimensions of not only a struggle for <a href="/wiki/Ba%27athism" title="Ba'athism">Arab nationalism</a>, but also a <a href="/wiki/Jihad" title="Jihad">campaign in the name of Islam</a>."<sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-39"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p></blockquote> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Anachitis" title="Anachitis">Anachitis</a> ('stone of necessity') – stone used to call up spirits from water by Magi in antiquity</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)" title="Epiphany (holiday)">Epiphany</a> (January 6) – a Christian holiday marking the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Fire_temple" title="Fire temple">Fire temple</a> – Zoroastrian place of worship</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-lower-alpha"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'m' in 'my'">m</span><span title="/eɪ/: 'a' in 'face'">eɪ</span><span title="/dʒ/: 'j' in 'jam'">dʒ</span><span title="/aɪ/: 'i' in 'tide'">aɪ</span></span>/</a></span></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt" lang="en-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/English" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span style="border-bottom:1px dotted"><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="'m' in 'my'">m</span><span title="/eɪ/: 'a' in 'face'">eɪ</span><span title="/ɡ/: 'g' in 'guy'">ɡ</span><span title="/ə/: 'a' in 'about'">ə</span><span title="'s' in 'sigh'">s</span></span>/</a></span></span> (<a href="/wiki/Latin_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Latin language">Latin</a>: <i lang="la"><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/magus#Noun_2" class="extiw" title="wikt:magus">magus</a></i>; from <a href="/wiki/Ancient_Greek_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Ancient Greek language">Ancient Greek</a>: <span lang="grc"><a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CE%9C%E1%BE%B0%CC%81%CE%B3%CE%BF%CF%82" class="extiw" title="wikt:Μᾰ́γος">μᾰ́γος</a></span> and <a href="/wiki/Old_Persian_language" class="mw-redirect" title="Old Persian language">Old Persian</a>: <span lang="peo">𐎶𐎦𐎢𐏁</span> <span title="Old Persian (ca. 600-400 B.C.)-language romanization"><i lang="peo-Latn">maguš</i></span>)</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239543626" /><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">About a year and half old, not a newborn (Matthew 2:11)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%202">Matthew 2 in Greek</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://parsikhabar.net/heritage/the-origins-of-zoroastrian-priesthood-in-india/1612/">The Origins of Zoroastrian Priesthood in India, Parsi Khabar, April 29, 2009</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Dashur FirozeDASTUR M. Kotwal (July 1990), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/24655249">"A Brief History of the Parsi Priesthood"</a>, <i>Indo-Iranian Journal</i>, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 165–175.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFBurkert2007" class="citation book cs1">Burkert, Walter (2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=U0kvEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA108"><i>Babylon, Memphis, Persepolis: Eastern Contexts of Greek Culture</i></a>. Harvard University Press. pp. <span class="nowrap">108–</span>109. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-674-02399-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-674-02399-4"><bdi>978-0-674-02399-4</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Babylon%2C+Memphis%2C+Persepolis%3A+Eastern+Contexts+of+Greek+Culture&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E108-%3C%2Fspan%3E109&rft.pub=Harvard+University+Press&rft.date=2007&rft.isbn=978-0-674-02399-4&rft.aulast=Burkert&rft.aufirst=Walter&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DU0kvEAAAQBAJ%26pg%3DPA108&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Boyce_1975_10_11-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Boyce_1975_10_11_8-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Boyce_1975_10_11_8-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFBoyce1975" class="citation cs2"><a href="/wiki/Mary_Boyce" title="Mary Boyce">Boyce, Mary</a> (1975), <i>A History of Zoroastrianism</i>, vol. I, Leiden: Brill, pp. <span class="nowrap">10–</span>11</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=A+History+of+Zoroastrianism&rft.place=Leiden&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E10-%3C%2Fspan%3E11&rft.pub=Brill&rft.date=1975&rft.aulast=Boyce&rft.aufirst=Mary&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Gershevitch-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Gershevitch_9-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Gershevitch_9-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFGershevitch1964" class="citation journal cs1">Gershevitch, Ilya (1964). "Zoroaster's Own Contribution". <i>Journal of Near Eastern Studies</i>. <b>23</b> (1): 12–38 [36]. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1086%2F371754">10.1086/371754</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:161954467">161954467</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Journal+of+Near+Eastern+Studies&rft.atitle=Zoroaster%27s+Own+Contribution&rft.volume=23&rft.issue=1&rft.pages=12-38+36&rft.date=1964&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1086%2F371754&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A161954467%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft.aulast=Gershevitch&rft.aufirst=Ilya&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Zaehner_1961-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Zaehner_1961_10-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Zaehner_1961_10-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Zaehner_1961_10-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFZaehner1961" class="citation book cs1">Zaehner, Robert Charles (1961). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/dawntwilightofzo0000zaeh/page/162/mode/2up"><i>The Dawn and Twilight of Zoroastrianism</i></a>. New York: MacMillan. p. 163. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-297-76892-0" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-297-76892-0"><bdi>978-0-297-76892-0</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Dawn+and+Twilight+of+Zoroastrianism&rft.place=New+York&rft.pages=163&rft.pub=MacMillan&rft.date=1961&rft.isbn=978-0-297-76892-0&rft.aulast=Zaehner&rft.aufirst=Robert+Charles&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fdawntwilightofzo0000zaeh%2Fpage%2F162%2Fmode%2F2up&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation web cs1 cs1-prop-foreign-lang-source"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.irna.ir/news/81795856/%D9%BE%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B8-%D9%83%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA-%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B8-%D9%83%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA">"پیر مغان حافظ كیست، دیرِ مغان حافظ كجاست؟"</a> (in Persian). Islamic Republic News Agency. 12 October 2015<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">13 November</span> 2022</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=%D9%BE%DB%8C%D8%B1+%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%A7%D9%86+%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B8+%D9%83%DB%8C%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%8C+%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%90+%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%A7%D9%86+%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B8+%D9%83%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%9F&rft.date=2015-10-12&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irna.ir%2Fnews%2F81795856%2F%25D9%25BE%25DB%258C%25D8%25B1-%25D9%2585%25D8%25BA%25D8%25A7%25D9%2586-%25D8%25AD%25D8%25A7%25D9%2581%25D8%25B8-%25D9%2583%25DB%258C%25D8%25B3%25D8%25AA-%25D8%25AF%25DB%258C%25D8%25B1-%25D9%2585%25D8%25BA%25D8%25A7%25D9%2586-%25D8%25AD%25D8%25A7%25D9%2581%25D8%25B8-%25D9%2583%25D8%25AC%25D8%25A7%25D8%25B3%25D8%25AA&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFButterworth1919" class="citation book cs1">Butterworth, G W. (1919). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=xHBBswW6_oYC&pg=PA45"><i>Clement of Alexandria</i></a>. Vol. 92 (Loeb Classical Library ed.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press: Harvard University Press. p. 45. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-674-99103-3" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-674-99103-3"><bdi>978-0-674-99103-3</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Clement+of+Alexandria&rft.place=Cambridge%2C+MA%3A+Harvard+University+Press&rft.pages=45&rft.edition=Loeb+Classical+Library&rft.pub=Harvard+University+Press&rft.date=1919&rft.isbn=978-0-674-99103-3&rft.aulast=Butterworth&rft.aufirst=G+W.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DxHBBswW6_oYC%26pg%3DPA45&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFBremmerVeenstra2002" class="citation book cs1">Bremmer, Jan N.; Veenstra, Jan R. (2002). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=y02I4FW3om4C&pg=PR18"><i>The Metamorphosis of Magic from Late Antiquity to the Early Modern Period</i></a>. Peeters Publishers. p. 2. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-429-1227-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-90-429-1227-4"><bdi>978-90-429-1227-4</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Metamorphosis+of+Magic+from+Late+Antiquity+to+the+Early+Modern+Period&rft.pages=2&rft.pub=Peeters+Publishers&rft.date=2002&rft.isbn=978-90-429-1227-4&rft.aulast=Bremmer&rft.aufirst=Jan+N.&rft.au=Veenstra%2C+Jan+R.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dy02I4FW3om4C%26pg%3DPR18&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFHerodotus1904" class="citation book cs1">Herodotus (1904). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=QsIcxGrq6QAC&pg=PA41"><i>The Histories of Herodotus</i></a>. D. Appleton. p. 41.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Histories+of+Herodotus&rft.pages=41&rft.pub=D.+Appleton&rft.date=1904&rft.au=Herodotus&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DQsIcxGrq6QAC%26pg%3DPA41&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFHerodotus1904" class="citation book cs1">Herodotus (1904). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=QsIcxGrq6QAC&pg=PA54"><i>The Histories of Herodotus</i></a>. D. Appleton. p. 54.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Histories+of+Herodotus&rft.pages=54&rft.pub=D.+Appleton&rft.date=1904&rft.au=Herodotus&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DQsIcxGrq6QAC%26pg%3DPA54&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-:0-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-:0_16-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-:0_16-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFJanowitz2002" class="citation book cs1">Janowitz, Naomi (2002). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=b_Fnv5MSQ2gC&pg=PA9"><i>Magic in the Roman World: Pagans, Jews and Christians</i></a>. Routledge. p. 9. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-134-63368-5" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-134-63368-5"><bdi>978-1-134-63368-5</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Magic+in+the+Roman+World%3A+Pagans%2C+Jews+and+Christians&rft.pages=9&rft.pub=Routledge&rft.date=2002&rft.isbn=978-1-134-63368-5&rft.aulast=Janowitz&rft.aufirst=Naomi&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Db_Fnv5MSQ2gC%26pg%3DPA9&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFPeters1978" class="citation book cs1">Peters, Edward (1978). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=PoFV65rO59gC&pg=PA1"><i>The Magician, the Witch, and the Law</i></a>. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 1. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8122-1101-6" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-8122-1101-6"><bdi>978-0-8122-1101-6</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Magician%2C+the+Witch%2C+and+the+Law&rft.pages=1&rft.pub=University+of+Pennsylvania+Press&rft.date=1978&rft.isbn=978-0-8122-1101-6&rft.aulast=Peters&rft.aufirst=Edward&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DPoFV65rO59gC%26pg%3DPA1&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFHerodotus1904" class="citation book cs1">Herodotus (1904). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=QsIcxGrq6QAC"><i>The Histories of Herodotus</i></a>. D. Appleton.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Histories+of+Herodotus&rft.pub=D.+Appleton&rft.date=1904&rft.au=Herodotus&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DQsIcxGrq6QAC&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFBremmer2008" class="citation book cs1">Bremmer, Jan (2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=id2wCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA240"><i>Greek Religion and Culture, the Bible and the Ancient Near East</i></a>. Brill. p. 240. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-90-474-3271-5" title="Special:BookSources/978-90-474-3271-5"><bdi>978-90-474-3271-5</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Greek+Religion+and+Culture%2C+the+Bible+and+the+Ancient+Near+East&rft.pages=240&rft.pub=Brill&rft.date=2008&rft.isbn=978-90-474-3271-5&rft.aulast=Bremmer&rft.aufirst=Jan&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Did2wCQAAQBAJ%26pg%3DPA240&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-20">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFGera1993" class="citation book cs1">Gera, Deborah Levine (1993). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=uqTIHmg4LsoC&pg=PA56"><i>Xenophon's Cyropaedia: Style, Genre, and Literary Technique</i></a>. Clarendon Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-814477-9" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-814477-9"><bdi>978-0-19-814477-9</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Xenophon%27s+Cyropaedia%3A+Style%2C+Genre%2C+and+Literary+Technique&rft.pub=Clarendon+Press&rft.date=1993&rft.isbn=978-0-19-814477-9&rft.aulast=Gera&rft.aufirst=Deborah+Levine&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DuqTIHmg4LsoC%26pg%3DPA56&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-21">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFToo2010" class="citation book cs1">Too, Yun Lee (2010). <i>The idea of the library in the ancient world</i>. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 96. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780199577804" title="Special:BookSources/9780199577804"><bdi>9780199577804</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+idea+of+the+library+in+the+ancient+world&rft.place=Oxford&rft.pages=96&rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&rft.date=2010&rft.isbn=9780199577804&rft.aulast=Too&rft.aufirst=Yun+Lee&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Beck_2003-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Beck_2003_22-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Beck_2003_22-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Beck_2003_22-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFBeck2003" class="citation encyclopaedia cs1">Beck, Roger (2003). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/zoroaster-iv-as-perceived-by-the-greeks">"Zoroaster, as perceived by the Greeks"</a>. <i>Encyclopaedia Iranica</i>. New York: iranica.com.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Zoroaster%2C+as+perceived+by+the+Greeks&rft.btitle=Encyclopaedia+Iranica&rft.place=New+York&rft.pub=iranica.com&rft.date=2003&rft.aulast=Beck&rft.aufirst=Roger&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iranicaonline.org%2Farticles%2Fzoroaster-iv-as-perceived-by-the-greeks&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Beck_1991-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Beck_1991_23-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Beck_1991_23-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFBeck1991" class="citation book cs1">Beck, Roger (1991). "Thus Spake Not Zarathushtra: Zoroastrian Pseudepigrapha of the Graeco-Roman World". In Boyce, Mary; Grenet, Frantz (eds.). <i>A History of Zoroastrianism</i>. Handbuch der Orientalistik. Vol. 3. Leiden: Brill. pp. <span class="nowrap">491–</span>565.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Thus+Spake+Not+Zarathushtra%3A+Zoroastrian+Pseudepigrapha+of+the+Graeco-Roman+World&rft.btitle=A+History+of+Zoroastrianism&rft.place=Leiden&rft.series=Handbuch+der+Orientalistik&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E491-%3C%2Fspan%3E565&rft.pub=Brill&rft.date=1991&rft.aulast=Beck&rft.aufirst=Roger&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span> Abteilung I, Band VIII, Abschnitt 1, p. 516</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-24">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFSecunda2014" class="citation book cs1">Secunda, Shai (2014). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=qVv7AAAAQBAJ&dq=talmud+magi+sorcerers&pg=PA44"><i>The Iranian Talmud</i></a>. University of Pennsylvania Press, Incorporated. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780812245707" title="Special:BookSources/9780812245707"><bdi>9780812245707</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Iranian+Talmud&rft.pub=University+of+Pennsylvania+Press%2C+Incorporated&rft.date=2014&rft.isbn=9780812245707&rft.aulast=Secunda&rft.aufirst=Shai&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DqVv7AAAAQBAJ%26dq%3Dtalmud%2Bmagi%2Bsorcerers%26pg%3DPA44&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-25">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFMokhtarian2021" class="citation book cs1">Mokhtarian, Jason (2021). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=0sU7EAAAQBAJ&dq=talmud+zoroastrian+burial&pg=PA95"><i>Rabbis, Sorcerers, Kings, and Priests</i></a>. University of California Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780520385726" title="Special:BookSources/9780520385726"><bdi>9780520385726</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Rabbis%2C+Sorcerers%2C+Kings%2C+and+Priests&rft.pub=University+of+California+Press&rft.date=2021&rft.isbn=9780520385726&rft.aulast=Mokhtarian&rft.aufirst=Jason&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D0sU7EAAAQBAJ%26dq%3Dtalmud%2Bzoroastrian%2Bburial%26pg%3DPA95&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-26">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFSecunda2020" class="citation book cs1">Secunda, Shai (2020). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=qVv7AAAAQBAJ&dq=talmud+magi+sorcerers&pg=PA44"><i>The Talmud's Red Fence</i></a>. OUP Oxford. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780192598882" title="Special:BookSources/9780192598882"><bdi>9780192598882</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=The+Talmud%27s+Red+Fence&rft.pub=OUP+Oxford&rft.date=2020&rft.isbn=9780192598882&rft.aulast=Secunda&rft.aufirst=Shai&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DqVv7AAAAQBAJ%26dq%3Dtalmud%2Bmagi%2Bsorcerers%26pg%3DPA44&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-27">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Secunda, S. (2016). " This, but Also That": Historical, Methodological, and Theoretical Reflections on Irano-Talmudica. <i>Jewish Quarterly Review</i>, <i>106</i>(2), 233–241.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-28">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Secunda, S. (2005). Studying with a Magus/Like Giving a Tongue to a Wolf. <i>Bulletin of the Asia Institute</i>, <i>19</i>, 151–157.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-29">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Secunda, S. (2012). Parva – a Magus. In <i>Shoshannat Yaakov</i> (pp. 391–402). Brill.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-30">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew" title="Gospel of Matthew">Gospel of Matthew</a>2:1–12:9; <a href="/wiki/Acts_of_the_Apostles" title="Acts of the Apostles">Acts of the Apostles</a> 8:9; 13:6, 8; and the <a href="/wiki/Septuagint" title="Septuagint">Septuagint of Daniel</a> 1:20; 2:2, 2:10, 2:27; 4:4; 5:7, 5:11, 5:15).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-CathEnc-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-CathEnc_31-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFDrum1910" class="citation cs2">Drum, W. (1910), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09527a.htm">"Magi"</a>, <i>The Catholic Encyclopedia</i>, New York: Robert Appleton Company</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Magi&rft.btitle=The+Catholic+Encyclopedia&rft.place=New+York&rft.pub=Robert+Appleton+Company&rft.date=1910&rft.aulast=Drum&rft.aufirst=W.&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newadvent.org%2Fcathen%2F09527a.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-32">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFHone1890" class="citation web cs1">Hone, William (1890). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/stream/apocryphalnewtes00honeuoft#page/40/mode/2up">"The Apocryphal Books of the New Testament"</a>. Gebbie & Co., Publishers, Philadelphia<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">20 October</span> 2017</span> – via Internet Archive.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+Apocryphal+Books+of+the+New+Testament&rft.pub=Gebbie+%26+Co.%2C+Publishers%2C+Philadelphia&rft.date=1890&rft.aulast=Hone&rft.aufirst=William&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fstream%2Fapocryphalnewtes00honeuoft%23page%2F40%2Fmode%2F2up&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-33">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://quran.com/al-hajj">"Surah Al-Hajj – 1–78"</a>. <i>Quran.com</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Newnes. p. 141. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-12-397913-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-12-397913-1"><bdi>978-0-12-397913-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Mathematical+Achievements+of+Pre-modern+Indian+Mathematicians&rft.pages=141&rft.pub=Newnes&rft.date=2012&rft.isbn=978-0-12-397913-1&rft.aulast=Puttaswamy&rft.aufirst=T.+K.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D8oVRSu692qoC%26q%3Dvarahamihira%2520maga%26pg%3DPA141&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-35">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFBiswas1949" class="citation journal cs1">Biswas, Dilip Kumar (September 1949). Law, Narendra Nath (ed.). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.99782/page/n203/mode/2up">"The Maga Ancestry of Varahamihira"</a>. <i>The Indian Historical Quarterly</i>. <b>25</b> (3): 175.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Indian+Historical+Quarterly&rft.atitle=The+Maga+Ancestry+of+Varahamihira&rft.volume=25&rft.issue=3&rft.pages=175&rft.date=1949-09&rft.aulast=Biswas&rft.aufirst=Dilip+Kumar&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fin.ernet.dli.2015.99782%2Fpage%2Fn203%2Fmode%2F2up&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-36">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFChattopadhyaya1950" class="citation journal cs1">Chattopadhyaya, Sudhakar (June 1950). Law, Narendra Nath (ed.). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.99783/page/n116/mode/2up">"The Achaemenids and India"</a>. <i>The Indian Historical Quarterly</i>. <b>26</b> (2): <span class="nowrap">100–</span>117.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=The+Indian+Historical+Quarterly&rft.atitle=The+Achaemenids+and+India&rft.volume=26&rft.issue=2&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E100-%3C%2Fspan%3E117&rft.date=1950-06&rft.aulast=Chattopadhyaya&rft.aufirst=Sudhakar&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fin.ernet.dli.2015.99783%2Fpage%2Fn116%2Fmode%2F2up&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-37">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFMair1990" class="citation journal cs1"><a href="/wiki/Victor_H._Mair" title="Victor H. Mair">Mair, Victor H.</a> (1990). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/23351579">"Old Sinitic *Myag, Old Persian Maguš and English Magician"</a>. <i>Early China</i>. <b>15</b>: <span class="nowrap">27–</span>47. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1017%2FS0362502800004995">10.1017/S0362502800004995</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISSN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISSN (identifier)">ISSN</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0362-5028">0362-5028</a>. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/23351579">23351579</a>. <a href="/wiki/S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:192107986">192107986</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Early+China&rft.atitle=Old+Sinitic+%2AMyag%2C+Old+Persian+Magu%C5%A1+and+English+Magician&rft.volume=15&rft.pages=%3Cspan+class%3D%22nowrap%22%3E27-%3C%2Fspan%3E47&rft.date=1990&rft.issn=0362-5028&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.semanticscholar.org%2FCorpusID%3A192107986%23id-name%3DS2CID&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F23351579%23id-name%3DJSTOR&rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.1017%2FS0362502800004995&rft.aulast=Mair&rft.aufirst=Victor+H.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F23351579&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-38">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>Ming-pao yueh-kan</i> 25.9 (September 1990). English translation: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://sino-platonic.org/complete/spp026_silk_road_writing.pdf">Questions on the Origin of Writing Raised by the 'Silk Road'</a>, Sino-Platonic Papers, 26 (September 1991).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-39">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFAl-Marashi,_Ibrahim2000" class="citation web cs1">Al-Marashi, Ibrahim (2000). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080411114823/http://www.cambridgesecurity.net/pdf/iraqi-mindset.pdf">"The Mindset of Iraq's Security Apparatus"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. Cambridge University: Centre of International Studies. p. 5. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cambridgesecurity.net/pdf/iraqi-mindset.pdf">the original</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span> on 11 April 2008.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=The+Mindset+of+Iraq%27s+Security+Apparatus&rft.pages=5&rft.pub=Cambridge+University%3A+Centre+of+International+Studies&rft.date=2000&rft.au=Al-Marashi%2C+Ibrahim&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cambridgesecurity.net%2Fpdf%2Firaqi-mindset.pdf&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=18" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222" /><cite id="CITEREFLendering2006" class="citation cs2"><a href="/wiki/Jona_Lendering" title="Jona Lendering">Lendering, Jona</a> (2006), <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/magians/"><i>Magians</i></a>, Amsterdam: Livius.org<span class="reference-accessdate">, retrieved <span class="nowrap">6 January</span> 2024</span></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=book&rft.btitle=Magians&rft.place=Amsterdam&rft.pub=Livius.org&rft.date=2006&rft.aulast=Lendering&rft.aufirst=Jona&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.livius.org%2Farticles%2Fconcept%2Fmagians%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3AMagi" class="Z3988"></span>.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Magi&action=edit&section=19" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080704163709/http://www.paradoxplace.com/Church_Stuff/Christian_Themes/The_Magi.htm">The Magi in Mosaics, Paintings and Sculpture</a></li></ul>    </div><noscript><img src="https://auth.wikimedia.org/loginwiki/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?useformat=desktop&type=1x1&usesul3=1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; 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