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...