Melchior

Saint Melchior is one of the magi who worshipped the Child Jesus at Bethlehem, with Caspar and Balthasar, according to the names preserved by tradition. The Gospel of Matthew (2:1-12) tells of their coming from the East, guided by a star.

The Nativity of Christ was revealed to the magi by a wondrous star. Saint John Chrysostom and Blessed Theophylact, in their commentaries on the Gospel, say that it was no ordinary star but a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star. Saint Demetrius of Rostov calls it a manifestation of divine energy. Entering the house where the Child lay, the magi "fell down and worshipped Him; and when they had opened their treasures, they presented Him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11).

The names of the three magi do not appear in the Gospels. The tradition that there were three visitors from the East is very ancient, but their names are mentioned only in the Middle Ages. Bones reputed to be the relics of the three kings have been kept in the cathedral at Cologne, Germany, since 1164. Melchior is commemorated on 25 December together with the other two, on the day of the Nativity when the Church remembers the adoration of the magi.