A fascination with the Three Wise Men who followed a star to find the infant Jesus prompted a local writer to turn the story into a full-length play.

The play, “Three Men and a Star,” will premiere at Our Saviors Baptist Church in Federal Way on Dec. 13.

Writer James Addis says the biblical account of the wise men, or Magi, leaves lots of tantalizing questions unanswered. The Bible leaves us guessing exactly where the men came from, what precisely was the celestial phenomenon they witnessed and what motivated foreigners to seek out “the king of the Jews,” Addis said.

Digging into the subject, Addis discovered many scholars think the Magi were likely Zoroastrian priests from Persia who were skilled in astrology and dream interpretation.

“By reading up on Zoroastrianism, I was able to get a feel for why these men might well have seen the birth of Christ as supremely significant and why they might have been so eager to find him.”

Addis also read Josephus — an ancient Jewish historian — who wrote extensively about King Herod. According to the Bible, Herod ordered the slaughter of all the baby boys in Bethlehem in an attempt to eliminate a rival king, said Addis.

Addis felt the story had huge dramatic potential.

“There is the pious quest to find an innocent, unworldly king who brings life, set against the savage tyrant Herod — a man determined to maintain power at all costs and who becomes an agent of death,” he added.

Addis says while the play has serious themes, there is also plenty of humor along the way. He hopes the play will give the audience laughs as well as something to think about.

“Three Men and a Star” will be performed at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13 and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 at Our Saviors Baptist Church, 701 South 320th St., Federal Way.

Tickets are $9 and includes dessert. For information, visit www.facebook.com/threemenandastar.