In Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI avoids the unfortunate academic habit of treating ancient texts with haughty suspicion. The Magi, he writes, are not mythical figures in “a meditation presented under the guise of stories.” Rather, “Matthew is recounting real history,” but “history theologically thought through and interpreted.” That is why the Magi story helps us to “understand the mystery of Jesus more deeply.”