The massacre of the innocents Flashcards
What does King Herod do to protect his rule against a rival King who might come to threaten him?
Orders his soldiers to go to Bethlehem and kill all the boys under the age of two
Why is Matthew’s account of the massacre of the innocents often disputed?
- Outside of Matthew’s gospel, there is no historical evidence for it
- Josephus Flavius describes Herod’s reign in antiquities of the Jews but never mentions this atrocity, although he describes how Herod murdered his own sons, wife and mother-in-law
Give some arguements in favour of the idea that the massacre of the innocents actually happened?
- A murder spree would be in keeping with Herod’s character
- Since the population of Bethlehem was only 20,000 at this time, the massacre could have involved no more than 20 children
How does R.T France explain the fact that the massacre is not mentioned by historians?
‘The murder of a few infants in a small village is not on a scale to match the more spectacular assassinations recorded by Josephus
What is Raymond Brown’s view on the massacre of the innocents?
Argues it is supposed to echo the story of Moses, where the Pharaoh gives the order to kill of the children of the hebrew slaves in Exodus 1:22. The fact that Moses and Jesus both narrowly escaped murder by a despotic King at a young age presents Jesus as a ‘second Moses’. Believes the story is symbolic rather than historical
Which OT passage does Matthew refer to in the massacre of the innocents?
Jeremiah 31:15
State Jeremiah 31:15
‘A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more’
What is the meaning of Jeremiah 31:15
The Jews of Judah were assembled in a town called Ramah before being exiled. Jeremiah imagines the weeping mothers who will be separated from their children
How does Jeremiah link Rachel to the Babylonian exile?
She was the wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph. She died in childbirth near Bethlehem and was buried there. Dying, she wept that she would never see her sons again
Explain the preterist interpretation of Jeremiah 31:15
Rachel represents all the women of the Jewish nation grieving throughout history. Here, Rachel is weeping for the exile of the Jews to Babylon
Why can Rachel’s tears also be seen as tears of joy?
Because the midwife told her she had delivered a healthy boy. This is also the case in Jeremiah’s prophecy, because the exiled Jews will eventually return to their homeland
