New Testament Notes

The Massacre of the Innocents

The Massacre of the Innocents is an episode connected with the birth of Jesus. (Matthew 2:16-17).
Jesus was born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of Herod the Great. On hearing the news that a new king of Jews had been born in Judaea, which corresponded to the old prophecies, Herod first tried to find the child. He asked the wisemen from the Orient (see Adoration of the Magi) to report to him about the child, but when they left Judaea without notifying him, Herod, in his attempt to get rid of the infant Christ, "gave orders for the massacre of all the boys aged two years and under in Bethlehem and throughout the whole district". (Matthew 2:16).
See: Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The Massacre of the Innocents.
Duccio di Buoninsegna. Maestà: The Massacre of the Innocents.
Giotto. The Massacre of the Innocents.
 

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