But WERE they pagans?
If they were Zoroastrians, they might have believed in one God. Zoroaster taught that God would send a Saviour to earth. This may have been the impetus for the “wise” men to visit Christ in the first place.
The Magi may also have heard of Jewish prophecy concerning the Messiah as there were Jews living, as Acts 2:5 says, in every nation under heaven.
The one god of the Persians would be Ahura Mazda. The savior would have been the Saoshyant. But whatever the motivation, these kings of the Orient brought their precious gifts and worshipped the Christ child. And it does seem to me an appropriate way to worship, the way that many people do first begin their worship.
**But WERE they pagans?**
I don’t think so, otherwise they would not have sought out the Christ Child.
There had to be a belief in God and something really great for them to travel such distances.