The Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of infanticide recorded in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 2:16-18). According to this account, Herod the Great, the Roman-appointed King of the Jews, ordered the execution of all young male children in the vicinity of Bethlehem in an attempt to eliminate the child Jesus, whose birth had been announced to him by the Magi.
The Magi, having been directed to Bethlehem by a star that announced the birth of a king of the Jews, alerted Herod of this threat to his throne. Herod directed them to locate the child in Bethlehem, and to return to inform him, so that he too could worship the child. However, after the Magi found Jesus and honored him with gifts, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so withdrew to their own country by another route. When Herod realized he had been outwitted, he gave orders to kill all boys of the age of two and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity. Joseph, warned in a dream, took his family to Egypt for their safety.
This heinous act is considered consistent with the reputation for cruelty and tyranny that Herod had earned during his reign as king. The number of children killed is not stated, however the Holy Innocents, although Jewish, have been claimed as martyrs for Christianity.
The story’s scriptural basis is Matthew 2:16-18 (ESV):
“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
The story is not recounted in any other contemporary historical sources, but similar atrocities are not uncommon for Herod and are considered within character for him. The Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger recounts Herod’s murder of his own sons, a comparable evil deed. The Massacre of the Innocents has provided a theme for art and literature through the ages. Today, it raises theological issues about the problem of evil, the will of God, and the relationship between Scripture and history.
Historical Background
To understand the Massacre of the Innocents, some background on Herod and the political context is helpful. Here are some key points:
– Herod the Great was appointed King of the Jews by the Roman Senate in 40 BCE. His reign lasted over 30 years until his death in 4 BCE.
– Herod was a controversial and brutal ruler. He consolidated power ruthlessly, including having his wife and some of his own sons killed.
– Herod was granted considerable autonomy by Rome to rule Judea, but his sovereignty was always precarious. He was constantly on guard against threats to his throne.
– Towards the end of Herod’s reign, Jewish messianic hopes were rising for the arrival of a king to deliver them from Roman oppression. This contributed to Herod’s paranoia.
– The city of Bethlehem is only 5 miles south of Jerusalem, well within the territory Herod controlled. As King of Judea, he would have kept a close eye on any potential unrest or rival claims to kingship there.
– Extra-biblical sources do corroborate some key details like the timing and locations involved, even if they do not mention the infants specifically.
So in this context, Herod had both the means and the motivation to order the killing of infants in Bethlehem in an attempt to eliminate a suspected rival king. His record of vicious acts to protect his reign lend historical plausibility to Matthew’s account.
The Biblical Account
The sole biblical account of the Massacre of the Innocents is found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2:
According to Matthew, the Magi arrive in Jerusalem from the East, asking “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” (2:2). This alarms Herod, who inquires of the Jewish religious leaders concerning the place prophesied for the Messiah’s birth and is told, in Bethlehem.
Herod secretly summons the Magi and sends them to Bethlehem, asking them to report back after finding the child so he can also “come and worship him” (2:8). Guided by a star, the Magi find the baby Jesus and present him with gifts, then are warned in a dream not to return to Herod so leave by another route.
When Herod realizes the Magi have outwitted him, he flies into a rage and orders the massacre of all male children under two years old in Bethlehem and vicinity “according to the time he had ascertained from the wise men” (2:16).
Joseph, likewise warned in a dream, flees with Mary and Jesus to Egypt until Herod’s death. Matthew quotes a prophecy of Jeremiah that this fulfilled: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children” (2:17-18).
So in Matthew’s account, the Massacre of the Innocents is the result of Herod’s jealous attempts to kill the infant Jesus and important in Jesus escaping to safety in Egypt. Matthew highlights Herod’s tyranny and God’s preservation of Jesus to fulfill prophecy.
Historicity and Outside Attestation
The Massacre of the Innocents presents challenges as to its historicity since it is not corroborated by other historical sources. However, some key considerations include:
– Lack of outside confirmation is an argument from silence. Many events from antiquity have no surviving records. And Herod’s atrocities were likely commonplace.
– Bethlehem was small, so the number of infants killed may have been low. The tragedy may have seemed too modest to merit attention from Roman historians focused on imperial affairs.
– History does confirm key contextual details about Herod’s reign, the political climate, unrest about messianic hopes, and Herod’s pattern of violence against even family members to protect his throne. This lends plausibility.
– Macrobius (early 5th century) mentions Herod’s slaughter of his own sons and is quoted by Seutonius as saying, “When he [emperor Augustus] heard that among the boys in Syria under two years old whom Herod, king of the Jews, had ordered killed, his own son was also killed, he said: it is better to be Herod’s pig than his son.” This confirms Herod’s capacity for child-killing.
– Various archeological findings continue to corroborate elements from Matthew’s gospel, lending overall credibility as a historical source, even if all details can’t be verified.
So while absolute verification remains elusive, the Massacre of the Innocents remains plausible historically. And its scriptural import rests more in theology than precise historiography.
Later Elaborations
While Matthew’s account is brief, later Christian writings dramatically expanded and embellished the episode. Some key elaborations include:
– The Protevangelium of James (c.150–250 CE) claims Elizabeth hid John in the hills during the massacre then searched for Mary and Joseph to reconcile them upon their return.
– Saints Innocentius and Euphrosyne martyred in 410 CE according to an apocryphal text.
– Saint Quodvultdeus claimed over 144,000 children were martyred based on Revelation 14:3.
– By the Middle Ages, artistic depictions commonly showed scenes of bloodbaths with mothers grappling to protect infants from Herod’s soldiers.
These extra-biblical elaborations served to increase the drama, provide names for supposed victims, and reinforce the theological importance of these holy innocents unjustly killed for Christ. The embellishments helped cement the event more vividly in cultural imagination, despite questions about precise historicity.
Theological Issues and Implications
This disturbing narrative raises difficult theological questions. Why does God allow such atrocities? Some key issues it raises include:
– Human moral responsibility – Herod bears guilt for this evil act according to his free will.
– The problem of evil – Why does God permit such egregious evil? Answers like valuing free will or bringing about greater goods do not console victims.
– Divine providence – God is able to deliver Jesus from the massacre, but not the other infants. This raises disturbing questions about selectivity.
– Faith and emotion – The story elicits natural outrage, disgust and mourning. How do we reconcile such gut feelings with confidence in God’s sovereignty and justice?
– Relationship to Scripture – As God’s Word, to what extent does biblical infallibility depend on perfect historical literal accuracy vs. theological truths communicated through literary forms?
Overall, the Massacre of the Innocents is a gospel episode ripe for wrestling with the tension between difficult theological questions and submission to biblical authority. It reveals the gulf between human and divine wills. And the Church’s commemoration of these holy innocents models how to entrust unanswered questions to God in faith when evil confronts us. Their martyrdom bears witness to Christ.
Scriptural Context
While unique in its details, the Massacre of the Innocents fits within the broader gospel narratives in several key ways:
– It aligns with Matthew’s portrait of Herod’s tyranny and paranoia about his throne, linking Christ’s birth to political tensions of Roman occupation.
– It augments the theme of prophecies fulfilled across Matthew, with the quotation from Jeremiah about Rachel weeping for her children.
– It contributes to the gospel writers portraying Jesus as the true king of the Jews that Herod could never be, establishing Christ’s kingship.
– The slaughter of innocents foreshadows Jesus’ own innocent death on the cross at the hands of another Roman ruler, Pilate.
– Jesus escaping death ties back to the divine rescue of Isaac’s near-sacrifice by Abraham and the Exodus liberation from Pharaoh.
– The flight to Egypt highlights divine protection of Jesus and finds precedent in Israel’s sojourn in Egypt in the Old Testament.
So this dark episode serves Matthew’s purposes of revealing Jesus as the prophesied king come to deliver his people, protected by God to fulfill his mission on their behalf. The evil acts of Herod cannot thwart God’s redemptive plan.
Historical Impact and Memory
The Massacre of the Innocents has left an enduring mark, despite its relatively brief mention in Scripture. Some key aspects of its historical impact include:
– The Church established December 28th as the Feast of the Holy Innocents to honor these martyrs. They are the first martyrs for Christ.
– The event became an iconic subject for medieval art and Passion plays, used to dramatize Herod’s evil and the children as martyrs.
– The victims were praised by later Christian luminaries like Saint Quodvultdeus and Saint Thomas Aquinas for sacrificing their lives.
– In the late 20th century, connections were drawn between the biblical massacre and modern episodes of genocide.
– The story contributed to later condemnations of infanticide and child abuse within Western culture.
– It remains a focal point for discussions of the problem of evil and renewal of commitment to protecting innocent life.
So this brief episode has exercised an outsized influence as one of the most poignant and unsettling stories from the gospels, keeping the memory of the victims alive while exemplifying the complexities of divine providence when evil threatens the innocent. Its impact continues to be felt today.
Artistic Depictions and Allusions
The Massacre of the Innocents has inspired prolific artistic representation and allusion in visual art, poetry, literature, and music over the centuries. Some major examples include:
– Paintings by Rubens, Guido Reni, Nicolas Poussin, and others depicting Herod’s soldiers tearing infants from mothers’ arms.
– A 1590 woodcut by Cornelis Cort illustrating the slaughter.
– Many early church fathers allude to the massacre including Irenaeus, Origen, and Eusebius.
– Prudentius wrote the poem “Corde natus ex parentis antrum” (“Of the Father’s love begotten”) linking Jesus’ birth and the massacre.
– The Coventry Carol is a Christmas carol from the 16th century mourning the massacre’s victims.
– Henryk Sienkiewicz wrote a novel titled The Holy Innocents linking the massacre to modern atrocities.
– Recent popular novels like The Red Tent and several by Bodie Thoene feature the slaughter.
– Contemporary composer John Corigliano wrote an oratorio using the Coventry Carol.
The story clearly captured artistic imagination. Such depictions amplified Matthew’s themes of the costs of discipleship, the problem of evil, and the persecution faced by Jesus even as an infant. Artistic interpretations keep awareness of the Holy Innocents alive.
Conclusion
The Massacre of the Innocents stands as one of the most chilling episodes in Scripture, an unsettling infringement of profound evil upon the Nativity story. The brief account in Matthew leaves many historical questions unanswered. But as an integral chapter in the birth narrative of Jesus and a testimony to the early persecution faced by Christ, it offers meaningful theological insights into human depravity, the ubiquity of evil amidst divine plans, and the courage of the martyrs who first shed blood for the Messiah. Their witness and cryptic role in God’s redemptive designs for the world continue to inspire reflection and remembrance. The massacre of those innocents was a criminal act of appalling proportions, but Scripture and tradition affirm God’s ability to bring meaning even out of such mindless violence. In the end, Christ’s life outlasts Herod’s tyrannical attempts on his life.