Massacre of the Innocents

Holy Innocents
Holy Innocents
	The Virgin and Child Surrounded by the Holy Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens
First Martyrs
Born	Various, presumably close to the birth of Jesus; Bethlehem, Judea
Died	c. 7–2 BC; Bethlehem, Judea (martyred by King Herod the Great)
Cause of death	Infanticide
Venerated in	Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodoxy; Oriental Orthodoxy; Lutheranism; Anglicanism;
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Feast	27 December (West Syriac); 28 December (Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Anglican Communion); 29 December (Eastern Orthodoxy); 10 January (East Syriac);
Attributes	Martyr's palm; Crown of martyrdom;
Patronage	Foundlings; Babies; Children's choirs;

The Massacre (or Slaughter) of the Innocents is a biblical story 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.^[2] "Most New Testament scholars do not regard the stories of the magi, the massacre of the innocents, and the flight to Egypt as historical,¹³⁶ so in this sense they are myth. But they are also mythical in the sense of conveying sacred truths."^[3] Some Christians venerate the Holy Innocents as the first Christian martyrs,^[4] but modern scholarship finds no evidence that it happened outside the passages in Matthew.^[5]

The Feast of the Holy Innocents, also known as Childermas, is celebrated in the Western Christian Churches on 28 December, the fourth day of Christmastide. In Eastern Christianity, the feast is celebrated on various dates, depending on the denomination.^[6]

^ Cite error: The named reference catholic.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference myths was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ George, Arthur. The Mythology of America's Seasonal Holidays: The Dance of the Horae", Springer International Publishing, 2020, p. 218ISBN 978-3-030-46916-0
^ Clarke 2003, p. 22.
^ Maier 1998, pp. 170–171.
^ Cite error: The named reference Crump2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[catholic.org-1] Cite error: The named reference catholic.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[myths-2] Cite error: The named reference myths was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[:0-3] George, Arthur. The Mythology of America's Seasonal Holidays: The Dance of the Horae", Springer International Publishing, 2020, p. 218ISBN 978-3-030-46916-0

[FOOTNOTEClarke200322-4] Clarke 2003, p. 22.

[FOOTNOTEMaier1998170–171-5] Maier 1998, pp. 170–171.

[Crump2022-6] Cite error: The named reference Crump2022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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Holy Innocents
The Virgin and Child Surrounded by the Holy Innocents by Peter Paul Rubens
First Martyrs
Born	Various, presumably close to the birth of Jesus Bethlehem, Judea
Died	c. 7–2 BC Bethlehem, Judea (martyred by King Herod the Great)
Cause of death	Infanticide
Venerated in	Catholic Church Eastern Orthodoxy Oriental Orthodoxy Lutheranism Anglicanism
Canonized	Pre-Congregation
Feast	27 December (West Syriac) 28 December (Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Anglican Communion) 29 December (Eastern Orthodoxy) 10 January (East Syriac)
Attributes	Martyr's palm Crown of martyrdom
Patronage	Foundlings Babies Children's choirs^[1]