The Test of the Magi: A Novel

From Medieval miniatures to Renaissance paintings to modern Christmas cards, few Western images are as evocative and enigmatic as the Three Wise Men at the Nativity. After twenty years of research and travel by the author, this new novel explores why and how these mysterious figures braved such dangers and survived such fearsome challenges that they have endured in our minds and culture for two thousand years.


The Test of the Magi reveals the timeless emotional bond between student and teacher, as the Three Wise Men discover a new-born star, survive court intrigue, and then mount an expedition to the Holy Land amid desert bandits in the bitter Cold War between Persia and the Roman Empire. Nothing prepares them for arrest in Jerusalem, their startling discoveries in Bethlehem, or unexpected danger after their return home. Melchior fights for his life, while his niece struggles against bias. King Balthazar dreams of regaining his lost kingdom. And the youngest magus, Caspar, is drawn deeper and deeper into unexpected mystery and intrigue.


"The Test of the Magi is a great exemplar of what careful research can yield when applied to familiar scriptural passages; this dramatic exegesis of the Epiphany story grips the reader from start to finish."--LÉONIE CALDECOTT, co-editor of Second Spring and director of the Centre for Faith & Culture


"A beautifully evocative rendering of the legend of The Three Wise Men."--MARK SEBANC, co-author of the "Legacy of the Stone Harp" series


"Starting with just a few threads of ancient scriptures, Johannes Bergmann weaves an intricate tapestry of religion, discovery, and adventure. The reader joins the caravan of characters and arrives at the end of this journey rewarded beyond measure."--LINDA MCCULLOUGH MOORE, author of The Distance Between and This Road Will Take Us Closer to the Moon


"Anyone who is on a spiritual journey is taking the Magi's test, and should read this stunning story which spans vast distances of territory, mind, and spirit."--JOHN WILLSON, Senior Contributor at The Imaginative Conservative; professor of history emeritus, Hillsdale College