The Holy Innocents 		February 16
In 40 BCE the Romans appointed the Idumaean, Herod the Great, as the ruler of the Jews. With ruthless efficiency he kept order in Palestine till his death in 4 BCE. When he found himself tricked by the visiting magi who enquired of him about the birth of the “king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:16-18), Herod ordered the execution of all male children two and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding district. While there is no corroborating evidence of this massacre from other sources, it is in keeping with other actions of Herod the Great.
The story is included in Matthew’s Gospel for the parallels it offers between Jesus and Jewish history. Just as Pharaoh had slaughtered the Hebrew children in Egypt, so Herod appears as the persecutor of Jesus. The incident takes place in Bethlehem, the city of David, where Jesus, David’s descendant, is born. The reference to Ramah recalls the mourning of the exiles. It was at Ramah that the exiles were assembled prior to their deportation to Babylon (Jeremiah 40:1). Ramah was also where Rachel was buried. So Ramah recalls another great moment of Israel’s suffering under persecution, which God again will turn to joy.
The church has commemorated the Holy Innocents since the fourth century as those who perished instead of Jesus, and in that sense bore witness to him.
For Liturgical Use
The birth of Jesus was accompanied by violence, just as the Israelites had suffered violence in Egypt. The baby Jesus has to flee for his life, and in his place Herod the Great, Jewish ruler for 37 years under the Romans, put to death male children two and under in and around Bethlehem. Although we have no other evidence of this massacre, it is consistent with some other acts of Herod. Because these children suffered for Jesus’ sake, the church has regarded them as martyrs.
Sentence, Prayers and Readings as in A New Zealand Prayer Book - He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa, page 677-678