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The Massacre (or Slaughter) of the Innocents is a biblical story and myth recounted in the Nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew (2:16–18) in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children who are two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem.
Dec 26, 2012 · On Dec. 28, the Church commemorates the slaughter of the holy innocents. These are the baby boys in Bethlehem that Herod the Great had slaughtered in an attempt to kill the Baby Jesus.
Massacre of the Innocents - Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death.
Dec 22, 2015 · Matthew 2:16 has been traditionally called the “massacre of the innocents.” There we are told about the killing of all boys two years old and younger in the region of Bethlehem. The event is deeply unsettling, but it’s also part of the historical record of the birth of Christ — or is it?
Sep 18, 2009 · The massacre of the innocents. If the soothsayers of the time were correct, the birth of a new King of the Jews was imminent and threatened Herod's position.
May 3, 2024 · Feast of the Holy Innocents, Christian feast in remembrance of the massacre of young children in Bethlehem by King Herod the Great in his attempt to kill the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:16–18). The feast is observed by Western churches on December 28 and in the Eastern churches on December 29.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Massacre of the Innocents is the subject of two paintings by Peter Paul Rubens depicting the episode of the biblical Massacre of the Innocents of Bethlehem, as related in the Gospel of Matthew (2:13–18).
