The Story of the Other Wise Man

In Short

Henry Van Dyke’s classic novella tells the life story of Artaban, a fourth Magus who sets out to join the three Wise Men on their journey to worship the newborn King. Delayed when he stops to save a dying exile, Artaban misses the departure of the caravan and spends the next thirty-three years tracking the Messiah through Egypt and Judea. Along his way, he uses his sacred jewels to succor the destitute, sick, and enslaved. It remains a beloved tale because it redefines success, revealing that selfless love is itself the ultimate devotion.

The Story

The narrative begins in the Median city of Ecbatana, where Artaban, a priest of the Magi, meets with his fellow scholars. Having studied the prophecies of Israel and watched the heavens, Artaban is convinced that a bright new star signals the birth of a divine King. Having sold his estate to purchase three magnificent jewels—a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl—as tribute, he urges his friends to join him. They refuse, deeming the search a foolish illusion, save for his old friend Abgarus, who encourages him to follow the light even if it prove only a shadow.

Artaban rides furiously across Persia toward Babylonia to meet the three other Magi at the Temple of the Seven Spheres. Hours before the midnight deadline, his horse stops near a dying Hebrew exile stricken with fever. torn between his sacred quest and human mercy, Artaban chooses to heal the man. The delay causes him to miss his companions, who leave without him. To buy a camel train for the harsh desert crossing, Artaban must sell his sapphire, setting back his journey.

By the time he reaches Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary have already fled to Egypt with the infant Jesus. While searching the village, Artaban shelters a mother and child. When Herod's soldiers arrive to slaughter the infants, Artaban bribes the bloodthirsty captain with his ruby to spare the baby’s life. With only his precious pearl remaining, he continues his search into Egypt, where an Alexandrian rabbi advises him that the true Messiah is to be found among the poor, rejected, and sorrowful.

For thirty-three years, Artaban wanders the ancient world, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and comforting captives, his life slipping away in quiet service. Aged, feeble, and near death, he makes a final attempt in Jerusalem during the Passover. There he hears of Jesus of Nazareth, who is about to be crucified outside the city walls. Believing he can finally offer his pearl as a ransom for the King's life, Artaban hurries toward Golgotha.

Near the gate, a young girl is being dragged away to be sold into slavery to pay her deceased father’s debts. Pitying her, Artaban yields his last treasure, the pearl, to purchase her freedom. As he does, an earthquake strikes, and a falling roof tile mortally wounds him. As he lies dying, a gentle voice whispers through the darkness. Artaban questions when he ever ministered to the King, but the voice assures him that what he did for the least of humanity, he did for the King. In his dying moment, Artaban realizes his journey is complete and his quest fulfilled.

How It Unfolds

The sign in the sky Artaban gathers his fellow Magi in Ecbatana to announce that planetary alignments point to the birth of the promised Messiah. He shows them three vast jewels bought for tribute, but his friends reject the mission, leaving him to set out alone when the brilliant new star appears.

By the waters of Babylon Riding hard across Persia to meet the other Magi at Borsippa, Artaban encounters a dying Hebrew exile in a palm grove. He pauses his journey for hours to heal the man, missing his companions' departure and forcing him to sell his sapphire to afford desert transport.

For the sake of a little child Artaban reaches Bethlehem three days after the other Wise Men have departed and finds the Holy Family already gone to Egypt. When Roman soldiers arrive to massacre the village's infants, Artaban uses his ruby to bribe the captain, saving a young mother's babe.

In the hidden way of sorrow Guided by an Alexandrian rabbi who explains that the Messiah is found among the suffering, Artaban spends over three decades wandering Egypt and Judea. He uses his life and medical skills to serve prisoners, the sick, and the starving while seeking the elusive King.

A pearl of great price Now old and frail, Artaban arrives in Jerusalem during Passover just as Jesus is led to Golgotha. Attempting to ransom the King with his final gem, he instead uses the pearl to free a young girl from debt slavery, after which he is struck by a falling tile during an earthquake.

The final reward Lying dying in the arms of the freed girl, Artaban hears a heavenly voice declaring that his acts of charity to the lowly were direct service to the King. Artaban dies in joy, knowing his quest was fully accomplished.

The People

• Artaban wants above all else to behold the promised Messiah and offer Him worthy royal tribute. His deep empathy constantly interposes human suffering between himself and his objective, forcing him to surrender his treasures one by one. Ultimately, his repeated failures to reach his physical destination lead to a far deeper spiritual realization and fulfillment.
• Abgarus is Artaban's venerable, loving mentor among the Magi. While he feels too old to undertake the arduous journey himself, he validates Artaban's conviction and urges him forward, knowing that searching for the best is better than resting content with the worst.
• Tigranes is a cynical Magus who values practical power, wealth, and the earthly status of his priesthood over mystical prophecies. He dismisses Artaban's quest as a foolish chase after shadows, refusing to leave his comfortable life for an uncertain king.
• The Hebrew Exile lies dying of fever in a desolate grove outside Babylon, helpless and forgotten. His desperate, unconscious grasp on Artaban's robe halts the pilgrim's journey, setting the story's true theme in motion and rewarding Artaban's mercy with the crucial prophecy that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem.
• The Ransomed Girl is a Parthian merchant's daughter about to be sold into cruel slavery to satisfy her late father's debts. Her desperate plea triggers Artaban's final choice, drawing his ultimate treasure from him just moments before his death.

In Its Own Voice

"He had sold his house and his possessions, and bought these three jewels--a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl--to carry them as tribute to the King."

Artaban prepares for his lifelong pilgrimage by converting all his earthly wealth into three magnificent, portable gifts.

"Should he risk the great reward of his divine faith for the sake of a single deed of human love?"

In a dark palm grove near Babylon, Artaban faces his first agonizing dilemma when he finds a dying stranger in his path.

"'Inasmuch as thou hast done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, thou hast done it unto me.'"

The divine voice speaks to the dying Artaban, revealing that his endless acts of mercy were the true worship he had sought to give.

What It's Really About

At its core, the novella explores the tension between ritual devotion and practical compassion. Van Dyke argues that seeking God is not a matter of reaching a specific holy destination or making grand ceremonial gestures, but of living a life responsive to human needs. Artaban constantly feels he is failing his religious duty because his attention is diverted by immediate, mundane suffering; yet the text reveals that these interruptions are the holy journey itself. The story poses fundamental questions about the true nature of sacrifice, suggesting that love offered to the broken and helpless is the highest possible worship, and that no effort born of genuine charity is ever wasted or lost.

Why Read It Today

The Story of the Other Wise Man remains a deeply moving parable for modern readers seeking a timeless story about purpose, generosity, and redemption. Its narrative moves briskly through vivid historical landscapes—from the glittering, multi-colored walls of ancient Persian cities to the sun-scorched Syrian deserts, overcrowded Egyptian plague houses, and the bustling streets of ancient Jerusalem.

Readers will find a comforting, luminous quality in its simple, direct storytelling, which carries the weight and charm of a classic folk tale or biblical allegory. While some readers may find its Victorian prose slightly formal and its moral tone undeniably explicit, the book avoids sentimentality through the genuine weight of Artaban's lifelong sacrifices. It does not shy away from the tragedy of aging, failure, and lost youth, making its ultimate message of hope all the more earned and poignant. It is an ideal short read for the holiday season or for anyone reflecting on what it truly means to live a meaningful, generous life.