What is the name of the fourth wise man?
In the year 1896, a book was published in which he mentioned for the first time the existence of a fourth wise man. It is about the work “The other Wizard King”, written by Henry van Dyke. In it, the author of him explains that his Majesties did not leave from the same point, but made their journey separately and yes, according to the story, there was a fourth wise man, known as Artabán.
At the time when the Three Wise Men communicated through messengers and by communicating with each other that the star could guide them to Bethlehem to meet the child God, they decided to meet in Borsippa, ancient mesopotamia.
What happened to Artaban?
Artaban was the one who was closest to there and, therefore, he was the last to start his journey. He brought with him three gifts to honor the birth of Jesus, such as a large diamond. However, he ran into a badly injured man, who was being attacked by a group. To help, Artaban gave them the diamond and had to wait until they confirmed that it was real, so when he left for his destination, it was already too late.
When this fourth wise man arrived, Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar had already left, in addition to Artabán not getting to know the newborn Jesus.
The city was under the rule of King Herod, who slaughtered children. Artaban intervened in one of the cases and gave a ruby in exchange for the baby’s life, the second of the gifts for the son of God. Later, the fourth Wise Man was arrested and sentenced to 30 years in prison.