As we prepare our hearts for Christ’s birth, Father Dave welcomes Raymond Arroyo back to the show to discuss his new Christmas book for families, “The Wise Men Who Found Christmas.”
Arroyo is a New York Times bestselling author, as well as host and managing editor of “The World Over Live” on EWTN. He also is a contributor to Fox News, and has worked for CNN, the Associated Press and more.
“A few years ago, I wrote a story [called] The Spider Who Saved Christmas. It’s an old Eastern European legend. So I was looking for another legend,” Arroyo explains. “Turns out, everything we think we know about the wise men is a legend. You know, the old song We Three Kings of Orient Are? They were not kings, they were not from the far east. Once I figured that out, I was like, who are these guys?”
He explains how he researched first century sources to tell a more accurate story. “They were very likely from modern day Petra, the kingdom of Nabatea. And those three gifts give us a good indication that that’s where they’re from, because those three items were made almost exclusively in that kingdom…So once you start narrowing that down, you can paint a picture in the historical reality.”
Arroyo notes how he wrote this for families, because we first hear the story of the magi when we are children. “I thought if I could somehow draw the family around a narrative of the wise men that was rooted in the historical reality, and you laid out the procession of events as they occur in the Gospel and as history confirms, I thought that would be a far more interesting tale.”
He continues, “This is an exciting adventure of guys risking their lives. People think of this as kind of a very solemn royal gift drop. That is not what happened. There was something far more important, religiously important and politically important, that was happening.”
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In connection to the book, Christian singer-songwriter Tasha Layton also released a new version of “We Three Kings” with lyrics that better align with the story.
Arroyo is also concluding a national book tour, and explains his hope for this story. “I wanted families to experience this together and make a memory. But most importantly, are the lessons we can draw from these wise men that I never considered. When you get a call, when you feel inspired by something, and the truth calls out to you, it’s your obligation to jump on your horse and run toward that truth with zeal and gusto. We don’t just stumble into Christmas, we should go out and find it. And that’s what they did.”
