Varus, a trusted man of the Roman Emperor, exercised a form of guardianship over the kingdom of Judea at the end of Herod’s reign and after his death. Ionnis Malalas, a Syrian historian (6th century), author of the oldest Byzantine chronicle, states: “The Magi came to Jerusalem under the aegis of the Consulate of Vinicius and Varus.” The arrival of Parthians in Syria, recently under Persian domination, can only be suspicious. Varus, who amassed a fortune in Syria undoubtedly demanded a financial reward in exchange for a pass so that Melchior could penetrate the territories under Roman domination. “Varus did not despise money, as Syria, of which he was governor, proves: it was rich when he arrived there and poor when he left it rich” wrote his contemporary, the Roman historian Velleius Paterculus (1st century).