Massacre of the Innocents

Saints

Holy Innocents
Saints; 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, Herodian Kingdom of Judea, Roman Empire
Died	c. 7–2 BC; Bethlehem, Herodian Kingdom of Judea, Roman Empire (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 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. It is modeled by the story of 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. Most scholars find no support for the historicity of Matthew’s account of the Massacre of the Innocents.

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.