'Rivals' may be a corruption of Riders, Arrivals, or Wisers, referring to the three Magi of the Nativity. The suggestion of the Trinity leaves the rivals unexplained. Perhaps it is not intended to mean 3 competitive rivals but rather, the 4th century rival philosophical controversies about the trinitarianism: the nature of God as 3 entities? The rivalry was about which wording could be accepted by a majority, and so would become established as part of the orthodox Christian creed. Another possibility is the trio of Peter, James and John, often mentioned together in the Gospels, who had a dispute among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest (Luke 22:24). Pastor Paul Kolch of Trinity Lutheran Church in Sacramento taught that the three referred to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who resisted burning in the fiery furnace and were rivals to the Babylonians. Another option is Yr Eifl, a group of three similar and adjacent mountains in Wales called The Rivals in English. A classical option is Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, the three goddesses between whom the Judgement of Paris was made.