Reddit mentions of The Nativity: History and Legend

I'm not one of the scholars here, but I happened to read the magi chapter from Geza Vermes' "The Nativity: History and Legend" just last night so this is fresh in my mind. Overall, I think you would find the majority of NT scholars consider the story of the magi entirely fictional (it never says there were three, by the way, that's a tradition based on the number of gifts).

• Magi are typically shown in a negative light as sorcerers, except for Balaam who foretells about a star rising out of Jacob. This is in line with Matthew's tendency to incorporate "prophecies" at every turn (Numbers 24:17):
  > I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near—a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;
  
  
• Telling about celestial events signalling the birth of someone important was a common narrative element.
  > Eusebius: "In the case of remarkable and famous men we know that strange stars have appeared, what some call comets or meteors or tails of fire, or similar phenomena that are seen in connection with great and unusual events."
  
  
• Just prior to the time the gospels were written, King Tiridates of Armenia visited Rome to worship Nero, and coincidentally returned home by a different route.
  
  
• These are some of the many non-Jewish characters Matthew introduces in his story.