Category:Massacre of the Innocents (subject)

The Massacre of the Innocents refers to an episode in the lives of Jesus of Nazareth, Mary of Nazareth and Herod the Great, narrated only in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 2:16-18).

Overview

According to the Gospel of Matthew, when the Magi failed to report the identity of the "newborn king of the Jews," Herod the Great ordered the killing of all of all young male children at Bethlehem. Jesus and his family, alerted by an angel, escaped the massacre.

The Massacre of the Innocents in ancient sources

Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 2:16-18 (NRSV) -- [16] When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. [17] Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: [18] "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."

The Massacre of the Innocents in Scholarship

The historicity of the literary episode is denied by contemporary scholars. The event was inspired by Herod's notorious brutality against all those whom he perceived as a threat to his throne, including his own children (see Josephus). In the Matthew narrative, which aims to present Jesus as the new Moses, the episode is patterned on the Exodus story of the killing of the Hebrew firstborn by Pharaoh.

The Massacre of the Innocents in Fiction

The Massacre of the Innocents is a recurring subject in Christian iconography. It often includes a depiction of Herod ordering the slaughter. Neither Jesus nor members of his family are present at the scene. In the Triumph of the Innocents (1884 Hunt), art, the souls of the dead children accompany Jesus and his family in their Flight into Egypt.

External links

• Wikipedia