MELCHIOR ON THE SILK ROAD
To reach Judea under Roman rule, Melchior of Persia – Azerbaijan and his large entourage logically take the Silk Road, passing through Babylon and then following the Euphrates until they reach the gates of the Roman Empire in the East.
Departure from Saveh, south of the Caspian Sea. Great theologians like Ephrem the Syrian (4th century), as well as travelers from the 14th and 15th centuries, agree that the Persian Magi came from Azerbaijan, near the Caspian Sea. At the time of the Nativity, Hecatompylos (now Qumis), south of the Caspian Sea, near the city of Saveh, was an important stop on the Silk Road that connected to Roman Syria. The departure of the Persian Magi from Saveh has been confirmed by Marco Polo.
Crossing through Babylon, a dependency of the Parthian Empire. Babylon, located on the Silk Road, has long been a prominent place for practitioners of astrology. For millennia, this city has been home to esteemed magi, as well as renowned mythical figures like Nimrod, Balaam, and the prophet Daniel. The astronomers of Babylon assisted the magus Melchior and his entourage in interpreting the ancient writings and finding the correct direction to follow.
From Babylon to Roman Syria. Riding in ‘bassours,’ sumptuous litters transported by camels, Melchior of Persia – Azerbaijan and his imposing entourage pass through Babylon and follow the Euphrates River to Dura-Europos, a fortified city built in the mid-2nd century BC in Syria. The caravan crosses the Syrian desert, an arid and rocky region known as the Chamiyé. In Raqqa, the ancient Calanicos, at the gates of the Roman Empire, Melchior separates from some of his troops.
Melchior leaves part of his escort at the gates of the Roman Empire. At the time of the Nativity, the Parthians were the only competing power capable of threatening Rome in Asia Minor. Despite some tensions, the two empires managed to agree on the conditions for peaceful coexistence. According to the Chronicle of James of Edessa (7th century), the Persian Magi, numbering twelve, left 7,000 men at the Euphrates to travel to Jerusalem with a guard of 1,000 men. “James of Edessa acknowledges twelve leaders, and to confirm this, he composed a book in which he mentions 3,000 horsemen and 5,000 foot soldiers. Upon arriving at Ragha (Raqqa), a place on the banks of the Euphrates, they discovered that famine was devastating Judea; to avoid alarming the country further, they left the bulk of their entourage and entered with only twelve in number, accompanied by 1,000 horsemen,” Miguel Magno, patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church (12th century).
Varus, the governor of Roman Syria, from whom it is said Melchior was granted a free pass. Varus, a trusted man of the Roman emperor in the 1st century, exercised a form of oversight over the kingdom of Judea at the end of Herod’s reign and after his death. The Magus Melchior of Persia—Azerbaijan could not enter Syria without a pass, which only Varus, the governor based in Damascus, had the authority to issue. This relationship is confirmed by Ionnis Malalas, an ambassador of the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century, who mentions that “…the Magi were heading to Jerusalem during the consulship of Varus.” It is likely that Varus, who amassed a fortune in Syria, had requested a financial reward in exchange for the pass that allowed Magus Melchior to enter the territories under Roman rule. “Varus was not indifferent to money, as demonstrated by his tenure in Syria as governor. Upon arrival, the region was wealthy, but upon his departure, it had become impoverished,” Velleius Paterculus, Roman historian (1st century).