Jan 4, 2022
The nightmare after Christmas
In the Gospel of Matthew, Herod, the Roman-appointed king of the Jews, orders the killing of all the children in Bethlehem age two or younger — his attempt to eliminate a prophesied newborn Christ. Warned by an angel, the father of the infant Jesus escapes with his family to Egypt. The account in Matthew inexplicably makes no attempt to explain why God’s angel saves Jesus at the expense of so many innocent children. It’s also puzzling that the other gospels make no mention of the infanticide.
The painting above, from the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, was made in 1842 by Italian artist Carlo Arrienti.