((Short description|Narrative from chapter 2 of Matthew))
((For|paintings of this event|Massacre of the Innocents#Gallery))
((Redirect|Holy Innocents|churches dedicated to this group|Holy Innocents Church (disambiguation)((!))Holy Innocents Church))
((pp|small=yes))
((Disputed|date=March 2024))
((Use dmy dates|date=April 2023))
((Infobox saint
| name        = Holy Innocents
| image       = 0 La Vierge à l'Enfant entourée des saints Innocents - Louvre - (2).JPG
| alt=
| caption     = ''[[The Virgin and Child Surrounded by the Holy Innocents]]'' by [[Peter Paul Rubens]]
| titles      = First [[Martyrs]]
| birth_date  = Various, presumably close to the birth of Jesus
| birth_place = [[Bethlehem]], [[Judea]]
| death_date  = ((c.|7–2 BC))
| death_place = [[Bethlehem]], [[Judea]] (martyred by [[King Herod the Great]])
| death_cause = [[Infanticide]]
| venerated_in = ((plainlist|
*[[Catholic Church]]
*[[Eastern Orthodoxy]]
*[[Oriental Orthodoxy]]
*[[Lutheranism]]
*[[Anglicanism]] 
))
| beatified_date=
| beatified_place=
| beatified_by=
| canonized_date= [[Pre-Congregation]]
| canonized_place=
| canonized_by=
| major_shrine=
| feast_day   = ((plainlist|
* 27 December ([[West Syriac]])
* 28 December (Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Anglican Communion)
* 29 December (Eastern Orthodoxy)
* 10 January ([[East Syriac]])
))
| attributes  = ((ubl|[[Martyr's palm]]|[[Crown of martyrdom]]))
| patronage   =((plainlist|
*Foundlings
*Babies
*Children's choirs<ref name=catholic.org />
))
| issues=
| suppressed_date=
| suppressed_by=
| influences=
| influenced=
| tradition=
| major_works=
))
((Gospel Jesus|Early life))

The '''Massacre''' (or '''Slaughter''') '''of the Innocents''' is a [[Christian mythology|myth]]<ref name=":0">((cite book | last=George | first=Arthur | title=The Mythology of America's Seasonal Holidays: The Dance of the Horae | publisher=Springer International Publishing | year=2020 | isbn=978-3-030-46916-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jF70DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA218 | access-date=20 March 2024 | page=218 | quote=Most New Testament scholars do not regard the stories of the magi, the massacre of the innocents, and the flight to Egypt as historical,((sup|136)) so in this sense they are myth. But they are also mythical in the sense of conveying sacred truths.))</ref> recounted in the [[Nativity of Jesus|Nativity narrative]] of the [[Gospel of Matthew]] ([[Matthew 2:16|2:16]]–[[Matthew  2:18|18]]) in which [[Herod the Great]], king of [[Judea#Roman period|Judea]], orders the execution of all male children who are two years old and under in the vicinity of [[Bethlehem]].<ref name=myths/> Some Christians venerate the '''Holy Innocents''' as the first [[Christian martyrs]],((sfn|Clarke|2003|p=22)) but modern scholarship finds no evidence that it happened outside the passages in Matthew.((sfn|Maier|1998|pp=170–171))

The '''Feast of the Holy Innocents''', also known as '''Childermas''', is celebrated in the [[Western Christianity|Western Christian Churches]] on 28 December, the [[Twelve Days of Christmas|fourth day]] of [[Christmastide]]. In [[Eastern Christianity]], the feast is celebrated on [[Massacre of the Innocents#Feast_day|various dates]], depending on the denomination.<ref name="Crump2022"/>

==Biblical narrative==
The [[Gospel of Matthew]] tells how the [[Biblical Magi|Magi]] visit [[Jerusalem]] to seek guidance as to where the king of the Jews has been born; King Herod directs them to Bethlehem and asks them to return to him and report, but they are warned in a dream that Herod wishes to find the child and kill him, and do not do so. Matthew continues:

((blockquote|When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.|Matthew 2:16<ref>((bibleverse|Matthew|2:16))</ref>))

This is followed by a reference to and quotation from the [[Book of Jeremiah]] ([[Jeremiah 31:15]]) (Jeremiah 31:14 in the Hebrew Bible): "Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: A voice is heard in [[Ramah in Benjamin|Ramah]], weeping and great mourning, [[Rachel]] weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." ([[Matthew 2:17]]–[[Matthew 2:18|18]]). The relevance of this to the massacre is not immediately apparent, as Jeremiah's next verses go on to speak of hope and restoration.((sfn|Clarke|2003|p=23))

==History and theology==
((Main|Nativity of Jesus#Historical analysis))

The account of the massacre of the innocents in Matthew is the second invocation of the story in the Bible, and draws on its Jewish roots from the narrative of Moses' escape from Pharaoh's edict in [[The Exodus]]. Mainstream scholars do not accept the historicity of the Matthew account.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=myths>((cite book |pages=118–120 |title=How the Gospels Became History((snd))Jesus and Mediterranean Myths |first=M. David |last=Litwa |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2019 |chapter=Chapter 8: Child in Danger, Child of Wonder |isbn= 9780300249484))</ref>((sfn|Magness|2021|p=126))

The story of the massacre is found in no gospel other than Matthew, nor is it mentioned in the surviving works of [[Nicolaus of Damascus]] (who was a personal friend of Herod the Great), nor in [[Josephus]]'s ''[[Antiquities of the Jews]]'', despite his recording many of Herod's misdeeds, including the murder of three of his own sons.((sfn|Clarke|2003|p=22)) The early 5th-century account of [[Macrobius]]—that "on hearing that the son of Herod, king of the Jews, had been slain when Herod ordered that all boys in Syria under the age of two be killed, [Augustus] said, 'It's better to be Herod's pig than his son'"—has been discounted as extra-biblical evidence for the event due to its later authorship, possible influence by the gospel narrative, and the confused nature of the account.((sfn|Maier|1998|p=187)) In view of the lack of independent confirmation that the event ever occurred, the most likely explanation for the story is that it is folklore inspired by Herod's reputation.((sfn|Magness|2021|p=126))

The author appears to have modeled the episode on the biblical story of [[Pharaohs in the Bible|Pharaoh]]'s attempt to kill the Israelite children in the [[Book of Exodus]], as told in an expanded version that was current in the 1st century.((sfn|Lincoln|2013|p=44)) In that expanded story, Pharaoh kills the Hebrew children after his scribes warn him of the impending birth of the threat to his crown (i.e., [[Moses]]), but Moses' father and mother are warned in a dream that the child's life is in danger and act to save him.((sfn|Brown|1978|p=11)) Later in life, after Moses has to flee, like Jesus, he returns when those who sought his death are themselves dead.((sfn|Brown|1978|p=11))

==Numbers==
The Greek liturgy asserts 14,000 Holy Innocents, while an early Syrian list of saints asserts 64,000. [[Copt]]ic sources assert 144,000 and that it took place on 29 December.((sfn|Mina|1907|pp=300-)) The ''[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]'' of 1907–1912, recognizing that Bethlehem was too small a town to provide such numbers, reduced the victims to between six and twenty children in the town, with a dozen or so more in the surrounding areas.((efn|((harvnb|Holweck|1910)) states "The Greek Liturgy asserts that Herod killed 14,000 boys (((transliteration|el|ton hagion id chiliadon Nepion))), the Syrians speak of 64,000, many medieval authors of 144,000, according to Apocalypse 14:3. Writers who accept the historicity of the episode reduce the number considerably, since Bethlehem was a rather small town. Joseph Knabenbauer brings it down to fifteen or twenty (''Evang. S. Matt.'', I, 104), August Bisping to ten or twelve (''Evang. S. Matt.''), [[Lorenz Kellner]] to about six (((lang|de|Christus und seine Apostel)), Freiburg, 1908)".))

==In Christian art==
Medieval [[liturgical drama]] recounted Biblical events, including Herod's slaughter of the innocents. ''The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors'', performed in Coventry, England, included a haunting song about the episode now known as the [[Coventry Carol]]. The ''[[Ordo Rachelis]]'' tradition of four plays includes the Flight into Egypt, Herod's succession by [[Herod Archelaus|Archelaus]], the return from Egypt, as well as the Massacre, all centered on Rachel weeping in fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy. These events were likewise in one of the medieval [[N-Town Plays]].((citation needed|date=December 2016))

The "[[Coventry Carol]]" is a [[Christmas carol]] dating from the 16th century. The carol was performed in [[Coventry]] in [[England]] as part of a [[mystery play]] called ''[[Coventry Mystery Plays|The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors]]''. The play depicts the [[Christmas]] story from chapter two in the [[Gospel of Matthew]]. The carol refers to the Massacre of the Innocents, in which Herod ordered all male infants two years old and under in [[Bethlehem]] to be killed.<ref name=covcar/> The lyrics of this haunting carol represent a mother's lament for her doomed child. The author is unknown. The oldest known text was written down by Robert Croo in 1534, and the melody dates from 1591.((sfn|Studwell|1995|p=15)) The carol is traditionally sung [[a cappella]].((fact|date=September 2023))

The 17th century [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[Christmas song]] ''[[O Kerstnacht, schoner dan de dagen]]'', while beginning with a reference to [[Nativity of Jesus|Christmas Night]], is about the Massacre of the Innocents. In 1974, the Dutch [[progressive rock]] band [[Focus (band)|Focus]] recorded the first two verses of the song for their album ''[[Hamburger Concerto]]''.((fact|date=September 2023))

The theme of the "Massacre of the Innocents" has provided artists of many nationalities with opportunities to compose complicated depictions of massed bodies in violent action. It was an alternative to the ''Flight into Egypt'' in cycles of the [[Life of the Virgin]]. It decreased in popularity in [[Gothic art]], but revived in the larger works of the [[Renaissance art|Renaissance]], when artists took inspiration for their "Massacres" from Roman reliefs of the battle of the [[Lapith]]s and [[Centaur]]s to the extent that they showed the figures heroically nude.<ref name=Getty>((cite web |url=http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/objects/o448.html |title=Getty Collection |publisher=Getty.edu |date=7 May 2009 |access-date=15 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051205094214/http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/objects/o448.html |archive-date=5 December 2005 ))</ref> The horrific subject matter of the Massacre of the Innocents also provided a comparison of ancient brutalities with the brutalities of the [[early modern period]], during the period of religious wars that followed the Reformation((snd)) [[Massacre of the Innocents (Bruegel)|Bruegel's versions]] show the soldiers carrying banners with the [[Habsburg]] double-headed eagle.<ref>[http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2005/old-master-paintings-evening-sale-l05033/lot.23.html A winter landscape with the Massacre of the Innocents, Sotheby's, 7 December 2005]</ref>

The 1590 version by [[Cornelis van Haarlem]] also seems to reflect the violence of the [[Dutch Revolt]]. [[Guido Reni]]'s early (1611) ''[[Massacre of the Innocents (Guido Reni)|Massacre of the Innocents]]'', in an unusual vertical format, is at Bologna.<ref name=WGA>((cite web|url=http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/r/reni/1/innocent.html |title=Reni's painting at the Web Gallery of Art |publisher=Wga.hu |access-date=15 June 2012))</ref> The Flemish painter [[Peter Paul Rubens]] painted the theme more than once. One version, now in Munich, was engraved and reproduced as a painting as far away as colonial Peru.<ref name=Peru>The ''Massacre of the Innocents'' in Cuzco Cathedral is clearly influenced by Rubens. See ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20050306042252/http://www.codart.nl/Downloads/Courants/courant7.pdf CODART Courant]'', December 2003, 12. (2.5 MB pdf download)</ref>
===Paintings===
* [[Massacre of the Innocents (Bruegel)|''Massacre of the Innocents'' by the Bruegels]]. Several versions of ''The Massacre of the Innocents'' were painted by [[Pieter Bruegel the Elder]] (c. 1565–67) and his son [[Pieter Brueghel the Younger]] (into the 17th century).
* ''[[Massacre of the Innocents (Reni)|Massacre of the Innocents]]'' by [[Guido Reni]], created in 1611 for the [[Basilica of San Domenico]] in [[Bologna]], but now in the [[Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna|Pinacoteca Nazionale]] in that city
* [[Massacre of the Innocents (Rubens)|Two versions]] by [[Peter Paul Rubens]], painted in 1611–1612 and 1636–1638
* ''[[The Massacre of the Innocents (Poussin)|The Massacre of the Innocents]]'' by [[Nicolas Poussin]], painted between 1625 and 1632
* ''[[Massacre of the Innocents (Matteo di Giovanni)|Massacre of the Innocents]]'' by [[Matteo di Giovanni]]((primary-inline|date=September 2023))

===Music===
The communion motet for the Feast of the Holy Innocents is the text from Matthew 2:18 (citing Jeremiah 31:15) ''Vox in Rama''. This was set polyphonically by a number of composers of the [[Renaissance music|renaissance]] and [[Baroque music|baroque]], including [[Jacob Clemens non Papa]], [[Giaches de Wert]], and [[Heinrich Schütz]] (in German). 

[[Marc-Antoine Charpentier]] composed an oratorio, ((lang|la|Caedes sanctorum innocentium)), H.411, for soloists, chorus, two violins, and continuo (1683–1685).

==Feast day<!--'Holy Innocents' Day', 'Holy Innocents Day', 'Feast of the Holy Innocents', 'Childermas', and 'Children's Mass' redirect here-->==

===Dates by denomination===
Today, the date of '''Holy Innocents' Day'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->, also called the '''Feast of the Holy Innocents''',<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> or '''Childermas'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> or '''Children's Mass'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->,((clarify|reason=Which name is used by which denomination? What do the Orthodox use?|date=December 2022)) varies.
* 27 December for West Syrians ([[Syriac Orthodox Church]], [[Syro-Malankara Catholic Church]], and [[Maronite Church]])
* 28 December in the [[Church of England]] ([[Festival (Anglicanism)|Festival]]),<ref>((Cite web|title=The Calendar|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|access-date=10 April 2021|website=The Church of England|language=en))</ref> the [[Lutheran Church]], and the [[Roman Rite]] of the [[Catholic Church]], with these [[Western Christianity|Western Christian]] denominations celebrating Childermas as the [[Twelve Days of Christmas|fourth day]] of [[Christmastide]]<ref>((cite web |title= Day Four: December 28, Feast of the Holy Innocents |publisher= Catholic Culture |url= http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/seasons/christmas/christmas_days4.cfm |access-date=27 December 2015))</ref>
* 29 December for the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/11/19/103326-prophet-obadiah-abdia|title=Lives of the Saints|first1=All|last1=troparia|first2=kontakia · All lives of|last2=saints|website=www.oca.org))</ref>
* 10 January for East Syrians ([[Chaldean Catholic Church|Chaldeans]] and [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Church]])

===Beginnings===
The commemoration of the massacre of the Holy Innocents, traditionally regarded as the first Christian [[martyr]]s, if unknowingly so,((sfn|Smith|Cheetham|1875|pp=839–))((efn|[[Irenaeus]] (''Adv. Haer.'' iii.16.4) and [[Cyprian]] (''Epistle'' 56))) first appears as a feast of the [[Western church]] in the [[Leonine Sacramentary]], dating from about 485. The earliest commemorations((clarify|reason=Whose? Entire early Christianity, early Western, early Eastern Orthodox use? Once clarified: pls. adapt the section heading accordingly.|date=December 2022)) were connected with the [[Epiphany (holiday)|Feast of the Epiphany]], 6 January: [[Prudentius]] mentions the Innocents in his hymn on the Epiphany. [[Pope Leo the Great|Leo]] in his homilies on the Epiphany speaks of the Innocents. [[Fulgentius of Ruspe]] (6th century) gives a homily ((lang|la|De Epiphania, deque Innocentum nece et muneribus magorum)) ("On Epiphany, and on the murder of the Innocents and the gifts of the Magi").((efn|Prudentius, Leo, and Fulgentius are noted in ((harvnb|Smith|Cheetham|1875|pp=839ff.)) ))

===Catholic medieval traditions===
From the time of [[Charlemagne]], [[Sicarius of Brantôme|Sicarius of Bethlehem]] was venerated at [[Brantôme, Dordogne]] as one of the purported victims of the Massacre.((sfn|Wasyliw|2008|p=46))

In the [[Middle Ages]], especially north of the [[Alps]], the day was a festival of inversion involving [[role reversal]] between children and adults such as teachers and priests, with [[boy bishop]]s presiding over some church services.((sfn|Holweck|1910)) Bonnie Blackburn and Leofranc Holford-Strevens suggest that this was a Christianized version of the Roman annual feast of the [[Saturnalia]] (when even slaves played "masters" for a day). In some regions, such as medieval England and France, it was said to be an unlucky day when no new project should be started.((sfn|Blackburn|Holford-Strevens|1999|pp=537–538))

There was a medieval custom of refraining where possible from work on the day of the week on which the feast of "Innocents Day" had fallen for the whole of the following year until the next Innocents Day. [[Philippe de Commynes]], the minister of King [[Louis XI of France]], tells in his memoirs how the king observed this custom, and describes the trepidation he felt when he had to inform the king of an emergency on the day.((sfn|de Commynes|1972|pp=253–254))

===Contemporary traditions in Western Christianity===
In denominations of [[Western Christianity]], such as Catholicism and Lutheranism, some Christians attend [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] on Childermas to remember the [[Christian martyr|martyrdom]] of the Holy Innocents.<ref name="Crump2022">((cite book |last1=Crump |first1=William D. |title=The Christmas Encyclopedia, 4th ed. |date=16 December 2022 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-8790-2 |language=en|page=263))</ref><ref>((cite web |title=Feast of the Holy Innocents |url=https://www.lcmmadison.org/2020/12/28/feast-of-the-holy-innocents/ |publisher=Lutheran Campus Ministry in Madison |access-date=29 December 2023 |language=English |date=28 December 2020))</ref>

In England, the memorial is referred to as Childermas or Children's Mass in which "Children are given a blessing; they sing in the choir and take on other special roles in the church service."<ref>((cite book |last1=Pennoyer |first1=Greg |last2=Bevis |first2=Beth |title=God With Us: God With Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas |date=1 September 2015 |edition=Reader's |publisher=Paraclete Press |isbn=978-1-61261-819-7 |language=en))</ref>

In [[Spain]], [[Hispanic America]], and the [[Philippines]],<ref>((Cite web|last=B. A.|first=Seattle Pacific University|title=It's No Joke: Dec. 28 Is for Pranks in Spanish-Speaking Countries|url=https://www.thoughtco.com/spains-equivalent-of-april-fools-day-3971893|access-date=30 March 2021|website=ThoughtCo|language=en))</ref> 28 December is still a day for [[practical joke|pranks]], [[April Fools' Day#Comparable prank days|equivalent to April Fool's Day]] in many countries. Pranks (((lang|es|bromas))) are also known as ((lang|es|inocentadas)) and their victims are called ((lang|es|inocentes)); alternatively, the pranksters are the ((lang|es|inocentes)) and the victims should not be angry at them, since they could not have committed any [[sin]]. One of the more famous of these traditions is the annual "[[Els Enfarinats]]" festival of [[Ibi, Spain|Ibi]] in [[Alicante|Alacant]], where the ((lang|es|inocentes)) dress up in full military dress and incite a flour fight.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12087635 BBC News] report of the 2010 festival.</ref>

In [[Trinidad and Tobago]], Catholic children have their toys blessed at a Mass.<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,188495.html |title="Feast of Holy Innocents", ''Trinity and Tobago Newsday'', December 30, 2103 |publisher=Newsday.co.tt |date=30 December 2013 |access-date=16 April 2018))</ref>

===Roman Rite before and after 1955===
In the Roman Rite prior to 1955, a unique feature of this feast was the use of liturgical elements ordinarily ascribed to penitential days—including violet vestments, the omission of the [[Gloria in excelsis Deo|Gloria]], and the substitution of a Tract in place of the Alleluia—unless the feast fell on Sunday, in which case the rubrics required the feast to be celebrated as on its octave day, with red vestments, Gloria, and Alleluia. The octave of this feast was suppressed by [[Pope Pius XII]] in 1955, with the feast now celebrated using the features formerly ascribed to its octave day, a practice reinforced by the 1960 [[Code of Rubrics]].

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="165" style="line-height:130%">
File:BnF MS Gr510 folio 137 recto - detail - Herod orders the Massacre of the Innocents; the Flight of Elizabeth; the martyrdom of Zachariah.jpg|Herod orders the Massacre of the Innocents; the Flight of Elizabeth; the martyrdom of Zachariah (illumination from a 9th-century manuscript)

File:Kerald (Meister des Codex Egberti) 001.jpg|10th-century [[illuminated manuscript]]
File:Giotto di Bondone - No. 21 Scenes from the Life of Christ - 5. Massacre of the Innocents - .jpg|[[Giotto]], ''Massacre of the Innocents''
File:Nürnberg St. Lorenz Dreikönigsaltar Kindermord 01.jpg|Panel from Dreikönigsaltar by [[Hans Pleydenwurff]] 1460-1465
File:Matteo di Giovanni 002.jpg|''The Massacre of the Innocents at Bethlehem'', by [[Matteo di Giovanni]]
File:Pieter Bruegel the Elder - Massacre of the Innocents - Google Art Project.jpg|[[Pieter Brueghel the Elder]], ''[[Massacre of the Innocents (Bruegel)|Massacre of the Innocents]]''
File:Cornelis van Haarlem - Bethlehemse kindermoord.jpg|[[Cornelis van Haarlem]], ''Massacre of the Innocents'', 1590, [[Rijksmuseum]]
File:Rubens - Massacre of the Innocents - Art Gallery of Ontario 2.jpg|[[Rubens]], ''[[Massacre of the Innocents (Rubens)|Massacre of the Innocents]]'', 1610–11, Toronto
File:Guido Reni - Massacre of the Innocents.jpg|[[Guido Reni]], ''[[Massacre of the Innocents (Reni)|Massacre of the Innocents]]''
File:Jacopo Tintoretto - The Massacre of the Innocents - WGA22591.jpg|[[Jacopo Tintoretto]], ''Massacre of the Innocents''
File:1824 Navez Das Massaker der Unschuldigen anagoria.JPG|[[François-Joseph Navez]], ''The massacre of the innocents'', 1824
File:William Holman Hunt - The Triumph of the Innocents - Google Art Project.jpg|''Triumph of the Innocents'' by [[William Holman Hunt]]
File:Faroe stamp 405 the scream form ramah.jpg|''The scream from Ramah'', 2001 stamp of the [[Faroe Islands]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Chapel of the Milk Grotto]]
* [[Church of the Nativity#Tombs|Church of the Nativity § Tombs]]
* [[Coventry Carol]]
* [[Flight into Egypt]]
* [[Jesus and Messianic prophecy#Jeremiah 31:15|Jesus and Messianic prophecy § Jeremiah 31:15]]
* [[Star of Bethlehem]]

==Notes==
((Notelist))

==References==
===Citations ===
((Reflist|refs=
<ref name=catholic.org>((cite web |url=https://www.catholic.org/saints/patron.php |title=Patron Saints A-Z |website=catholic.org))</ref>
<ref name=covcar>((cite web |url=https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/coventry_carol-1.htm |title=The Coventry Carol |quote=The version from Bramley and Stainer (1878)))</ref>
))

===Sources===
((refbegin|2|indent=yes))

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*((cite book|last=de Commynes|first=Philippe |author-link=Philippe de Commynes|title=Memoirs: The Reign of Louis XI, 1461-83|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LrkMAQAAMAAJ|year=1972|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=978-0-14-044264-9)) 
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* ((Cite book |last=Lincoln |first=Andrew |year=2013 |title=Born of a Virgin?: Reconceiving Jesus in the Bible, Tradition, and Theology |publisher=Eerdmans |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=deNgAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA44 |isbn=978-0-8028-6925-8))
* ((cite book | last=Magness | first=Jodi | title=Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth | publisher=Princeton University Press | year=2021 | isbn=978-0-691-21677-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KR4OEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA126 | page=126))
* ((Cite book |last=Maier |first=Paul L. |author-link=Paul L. Maier |year=1998 |chapter=Herod and the Infants of Bethlehem |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mWnYvI5RdLMC&q=Herod+and+the+Infants+of+Bethlehem&pg=PA169 |editor1-last=Summers |editor1-first=Ray |editor2-last=Vardaman |editor2-first=Jerry |title=Chronos, Kairos, Christos II: Chronological, Nativity, and Religious Studies in Memory of Ray Summers |publisher=Mercer University Press |isbn=978-0-86554-582-3))
*((cite book |last=Mina |first= évêque de Pchati |translator-last=Porcher |translator-first=E. |date=1907 |chapter=Histoire d'Isaac, patriarche Jacobite d'Alexandrie de 686 à 689 |title=Patrologia orientalis |url=https://archive.org/details/patrologiaorient11pariuoft |volume=11|publisher= Paris Firmin-Didot ))
*((cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofchri01smit/page/549 |title=A dictionary of Christian antiquities: Comprising the History, Institutions, and Antiquities of the Christian Church, from the Time of the Apostles to the Age of Charlemagne|first1=William|last1=Smith|author1-link=William Smith (lexicographer)|first2=Samuel |last2=Cheetham |author2-link=Samuel Cheetham (priest) |publisher=J. Murray|year=1875|volume=11))
*((Cite journal |title=Rachel's Cry for Her Children: Matthew's Treatment of the Infanticide by Herod |journal=The Catholic Biblical Quarterly |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43728232 |last=Park |first=Eugene Eung-Chun |issue=3 |volume=75 |pages=473–485 |year=2013 |issn=0008-7912 |jstor=43728232))
*((cite book|last=Studwell|first=William Emmett |title=The Christmas Carol Reader|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AfTZAAAAMAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Haworth |isbn=978-1-56023-872-0))
* ((Cite book |last=Vermes |first=Geza |year=2006 |title=The Nativity: History and Legend |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J00OOo-3RqEC |publisher=[[Penguin Books|Penguin UK]] |isbn=978-0-14-191261-5))
*((cite book |last=Wasyliw |first=Patricia Healy |year=2008 |title=Martyrdom, Murder, and Magic: Child Saints and Their Cults in Medieval Europe |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-1HS5gCZ1w4C&pg=PA46 |publisher=Peter Lang |isbn=978-0-8204-2764-5))
((refend))

((s-start))
((s-hou|[[Chronology of Jesus|Life of Jesus]]|||))
((s-bef|before=[[Flight into Egypt]]))
((s-ttl|title=[[New Testament]]<br />Events))
((s-aft|after=Death of [[Herod the Great|Herod]],<br />[[Return of young Jesus to Nazareth]]))
((s-end))

((Christmas))
((Gospel of Matthew))
((Catholic saints))
((Coptic saints))

((Authority control))

[[Category:1st-century BC Christian saints]]
[[Category:Christianity in Bethlehem]]
[[Category:Christian child saints]]
[[Category:Christian iconography]]
[[Category:Christian mythology]]
[[Category:Christian saints from the New Testament]]
[[Category:Christmastide]]
[[Category:December observances]]
[[Category:Gospel of Matthew]]
[[Category:Herod the Great]]
[[Category:Infanticide]]
[[Category:Massacre of the Innocents| ]]
[[Category:Massacres in the Bible]]
[[Category:Matthew 2]]
[[Category:Nativity of Jesus in the New Testament]]
[[Category:Saints' days]]
[[Category:Anglican saints]]