Did Herod’s Masacre Of The Innocents Really Happen?

The events of epiphany and what followed are not well understood by many Christians. For sure the wise men did not arrive at the stable to pose with the shepherds as we often assume. The Bible is clear they came months later as we see from Herod’s asking when the star appeared so he could kill the potential rival king of Bethlehem. Many secular scholars question whether or not any of this is truly historical.

The new Logos Bible Software is a great tool to look into questions like this. I thought I would show you how I was able to find good resources using the latest version:

Three wise men following the star — The Wise Men brought a new danger to the baby Jesus Image: Pixabay

“What is the historical evidence for the massacre of the innocents?”

Thats the question I asked Logos Bible Software’s AI search tool the above question. Interestingly different versions of the question produced very different outputs in the AI synopsis so it is worth fiddling around to find the best question for your subject of study. Here is quite a nice summary of the situation regarding the question of whether or not the Bible’s account of Herrod murdering the babies of Bethlehem who were under two years old has historical confirmation outside the Bible.

Logos Bible Software’s AI Synopsis

“The historical evidence for the Massacre of the Innocents, as described in the Gospel of Matthew, is a subject of debate among scholars. While some ancient sources support the event’s occurrence, others question its historical accuracy. According to one article, a 2nd-century apocryphal gospel mentions Herod sending agents to murder male children two years old and under near Jesus’ birthplace[1]. Additionally, a pagan Roman author writing around 400 AD referred to the massacre, recording Augustus’ saying, “I would rather be Herod’s pig than his son”[1]. However, the event is not recorded in major Roman historical works of the 1st century AD[1]. Some scholars suggest that the story may serve Matthew’s theological purpose, connecting Jesus’ birth with Hosea 11:1[2]. While Herod was known for his cruelty, having even executed his own sons[3], the exact scale of the massacre is debated. Archaeological data suggests the number of victims may have been around twenty or less, rather than the tens to hundreds of thousands claimed by the early Church[4]. Despite the lack of confirmation in sources like Josephus’ detailed documentation of Herod’s final years, some argue that the event aligns with Herod’s known paranoia and cruelty[4].

[1] Kennedy, T. (2022) Excavating the Evidence for Jesus. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, p. 56.
[2] De Spirito, G. (2017) “Massacre of the Innocents,” The Eerdmans Encyclopedia of Early Christian Art and Archaeology. Edited by P.C. Finney. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
[3] Foufelle, D. (2021) The Little Book of the Nativity. New York, NY: Chronicle Books LLC, p. 40.
[4] Myers, A.C. (1987) The Eerdmans Bible dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.”

This gives a great introduction to the question, but theology nerds like me are going to want to dig a bit deeper, and obviously with Logos Bible Software you can see the original quotes that have given rise to the AI summary. One of the best sources seems to be Excavating the Evidence for Jesus After talking about the apocraphy gospel and pagan Roman author mentioned above the article concludes:

“Therefore, the evidence from ancient written sources indicates that rather than an allegory, mistake, or conflation of events, the “Massacre of the Innocents” recorded by Matthew was an actual historical event.” Excavating the Evidence for Jesus

These two later mentions are not seen as so important by other authors, and some scholars do not believe there is enough evidence to support the idea that this event really did happen.

“The early Church numbers the victims in the tens to hundreds of thousands, but population figures based on archaeological data suggest that the figure may actually have been twenty or less. Although the incident is not recorded in Josephus’ detailed documentation of Herod’s final years, it accords completely with other evidence of Herod’s paranoia and cruelty” Myers, A.C. (1987) The Eerdmans Bible dictionary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

This view is supported by other material that ordinary Logos Bible Software search identified:

“Estimates of the number of victims range from 20 to 30 to as high as 60 or 70 (the numbers 3,000 and 144,000 mentioned in some early Christian writings have no support). The objective and detached manner in which the narrative is presented indicates its historicity. It fits perfectly the character and deeds of Herod, especially in his later years; for Josephus mentions even worse atrocities committed by the king in his obsession for power.”

Silva, M. and Tenney, M.C. (2009) The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, H-L. Revised, Full-Color Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: The Zondervan Corporation.

The motive Herod had to kill a potential rival is very much consistent with other clearly recorded actions of his:

“Although Matthew does not specify Herod’s motive, secular historians record ample evidence of Herod’s jealousy for his throne. He feared his own family as rivals of his power to such an extent that he put his wife and several of his sons to death.”

Elwell, W.A. and Comfort, P.W. (2001) Tyndale Bible dictionary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers (Tyndale reference library).

Why does this whole story matter?

“The fact that Jesus was a refugee on African soil should teach us many lessons. God was not ashamed to let his son become a refugee. By sharing the plight of stateless refugees, Jesus honoured all those who suffer homelessness on account of war, famine, persecution or some other disaster. There are millions of refugees on the African continent and many of them have a terrible life. In Zambia there are three generations of Angolan refugees living in the Meheba Resettlement Scheme. Neither the Zambian nor the Angolan government is prepared to recognize them as citizens. The result is that these people are stateless and are condemned to live out their years as virtual prisoners on a piece of land in north-western Zambia.

The sad thing is that far too many Christians are either unconcerned or believe the lie that every refugee is a troublemaker. Yet the Bible is full of men and women who knew what it meant to be refugees: Abraham, Moses and Jacob, as well as the whole nation of Israel in Egypt and Babylonia. God not only identifies with those who are suffering this particular plight, but he also uses people from among the landless and stateless. We must not despise refugees or other marginalized people.”

Adeyemo, T. (2006) Africa Bible commentary. Nairobi, Kenya; Grand Rapids, MI: WordAlive Publishers; Zondervan, p. 1138.

As this final quote suggests, the idea that Jesus parents Joseph and Mary saved him from state-sponsored murder by becoming refuges ought to have an impact on our own view of asylum seekers, and undocumented immigrants. Human beings deserve our respect, our compassion, and our help. That is not to say that we should be advocates for unlimited immigration, nor that justice should be ignored. Just that we must not denigrate, or badly treat our fellow human beings. Jesus was welcomed into Egypt. Let’s welcome those who are suffering into our lands too.