Did Herod Kill Children?
A Look at Herod the Great and the Massacre of the Innocents
Is the tale of Herod killing newborn babies and those children under 2 years of age true? Did Herod the Great order a genocidal raid on Bethlehem after Jesus' birth?
Did Herod kill children? The story of King Herod the Great and the infamous "Massacre of the Innocents" is among the most provocative episodes of the Bible and one of the most hotly contested events of ancient history. Did Herod actually kill babies and children in Bethlehem around the time of Jesus' birth?
The account of King Herod and the "Massacre of the Innocents" comes from the Bible, specifically the first book of the New Testament - the Gospel of Matthew. According to the author of Matthew, Herod was disturbed when emissaries from the East came to Jerusalem, talking about a star and the prophecy of a new king of the Jews.
According to the Gospel of Matthew, Herod asked these emissaries (or "wise men") to confirm the prophecy by searching out the child and then to bring back news of his whereabouts. The dignitaries agreed and departed. After discovering Jesus and presenting him with gifts, the writer of Matthew reports that they were warned by God not to return to Herod.
When Herod realized the wise men would not be returning, he ordered a raid on the village of Bethlehem with the specific purpose of killing all of the town's children up to the age of two years.
Those who believe the Bible to be divinely inspired accept this tale with little question. Historians, however, must analyze ancient texts more skeptically. The following questions and considerations should guide such an analysis:
1. Is there any other evidence to support the account?
While a Syrian text and early Byzantine liturgy speak of such an event, these references are likely quite embellished. The Syrian reference, for example, speaks of 64,000 "innocents" being massacred. Moreover, they were written well after the time frame of Herod's alleged atrocity. As to contemporary evidence, there is none. Aside from the Gospel of Matthew, no document from the first century A.D. (or before) attests to this event. Consequently, most secular, mainstream historians have looked upon the "Massacre of the Innocents" as more legend than factual history.
2. Is the Gospel of Matthew itself a credible and trustworthy source of information?
The fairest and most reasonable way to assess Matthew's credibility is to examine it with the same standard that one would bring to any ancient text. Yet determining the credibility of Matthew is often premised on what presuppositions one brings to the exercise itself.
If a person is inclined to accept the existence of God and the possibility of miracles, then the Gospel of Matthew receives a more benign examination - and usually comes off quite well. If, however, a person leans agnostic and discounts miracles, then the Gospel of Matthew is often dismissed immediately as religious legend.
This much is certain: the Gospel of Matthew was written sometime between the death of Jesus (the third decade of the first century A.D.) and the close of the first century. The early church attributed the Gospel to Matthew, an eyewitness disciple of Jesus, and there is no record of anyone in the first century challenging Matthew's authenticity, particularly with respect to Herod's alleged genocide.
3. Is the episode consistent with the nature of King Herod?
One of the reasons why no contemporary of Matthew appears to have challenged the tale is that it's very consistent with the ruthless king at the center of the story.
Writing for the British-based Daily Mall, Peter Stanford explains: "Any threat of an uprising was put down with brutal and bloody ferocity. Encouraged by his Roman masters, Herod believed in singling out individuals for public execution as well as the mass slaughter of opponents."
While Stanford's article casts some doubt on Herod's massacring babies, it does nevertheless conclude (as do most historians) that such an atrocity was not beyond Herod.
The bottom line is that there is no evidence for the "massacre of the innocents" story outside of the Bible. This fact, however, does not disprove the tale. King Herod may very well have issued such a terrible order, and we may one day uncover additional evidence to confirm it.
