The story of the three kings is often seen in every Nativity play. As a child, I remember being one of those three Kings, as at least one was traditionally black. The notion was that he was from Africa. The tradition even named them Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior. Each of the Kings symbolically brought a gift with a specific meaning: gold representing kingship, frankincense symbolizing divinity, and myrrh foretelling Jesus' death and burial. Balthasar is often represented as a king of Arabia or sometimes Ethiopia and is thus frequently depicted as a Middle Eastern or Black man in art. He is usually said to have given the gift of myrrh to the Christ Child. Caspar (or Gaspar) is often represented as a king of India and is usually said to have given the gift of frankincense to the Christ Child. Melchior is often represented as a king of Persia and is usually said to have given the gift of gold to the Christ Child. The incense was worth more than gold in weight and was used by Kings...