Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 2:16

"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the Wise-men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had exactly learned of the Wise-men." — Matthew 2:16 (ASV)

Pseudo-Chrysostom: When the infant Jesus had subdued the Magi—not by physical power, but by the grace of His Spirit—Herod was exceedingly wrathful. He was enraged that those whom he, sitting on his throne, could not influence were obedient to an infant lying in a manger.

Then, by their contempt for him, the Magi gave further cause for his anger. For when a king's wrath is stirred by fear for his crown, it is a great and inextinguishable wrath.

But what did he do? He sent and slew all the children. Like a wounded beast that attacks whatever it meets as if that were the cause of its pain, Herod, having been mocked by the Magi, spent his fury on the children. He said to himself in his rage, "Surely the Magi have found the Child whom they said would be King." For a king who fears for his crown fears and suspects all things. He therefore sent and slew all those infants, so that he might destroy the one among so many.

St. Augustine of Hippo: And while he persecuted Christ in this way, he unwittingly furnished an army of martyrs, clothed in white robes and of the same age as the Lord.

Behold how this unrighteous enemy could never have benefited these infants as much by his love as he did by his hate. For just as iniquity abounded against them, so much more did the grace of blessing abound for them.¹

O blessed infants! Only someone who doubts that the baptism of Christ benefits infants will doubt your crown in this suffering for Christ. He who at His birth had angels to proclaim Him, the heavens to testify, and Magi to worship Him, could surely have prevented them from dying for Him, had He not known that in that death they did not truly die, but rather lived in higher bliss. Far be it from us to think that Christ, who came to set people free, did nothing to reward those who died on His behalf, especially when, hanging on the cross, He prayed for those who put Him to death.²

Rabanus Maurus: He was not satisfied with the massacre at Bethlehem but extended it to the adjacent villages, sparing no age from a child one night old to one of two years.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The Magi had seen this unknown star in the heavens not just a few days before, but two years before, as they had informed Herod when he inquired. This caused him to set the age at "two years old and under," according to the time about which he had diligently inquired of the Magi.³

Glossa Ordinaria: Alternatively, Herod may have feared that the Child—to whom even the stars ministered—might change His appearance to look older or younger than His actual age, or that He might be concealed among all the other children of that age. Therefore, it seems, he slew all children from one day to two years old.⁴

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, perhaps Herod was disturbed by the pressure of more imminent dangers, and his attention was drawn to matters other than the slaughter of children. He might have supposed that the Magi, unable to find the one they believed had been born, were ashamed to return to him. This would explain how the Holy Family, after the days of purification were completed, could go up to Jerusalem in safety. Who cannot see how, for that one day, they might have escaped the notice of a king occupied with so many cares? It would be afterward, when the events in the Temple became widely known, that Herod discovered he had been deceived by the Magi and then sent his men to kill the children.⁵

The Venerable Bede: This death of the children prefigures the precious death of all Christ's martyrs. The fact that they were infants signifies that only by the merit of humility can we attain the glory of martyrdom. That they were slain in Bethlehem and its surrounding areas signifies that persecution will occur both in Jerusalem, from where the Church originated, and throughout the entire world. Those who were two years old prefigure the perfect in doctrine and works, while those under that age prefigure the neophytes. Finally, the fact that they were slain while Christ escaped signifies that although the bodies of the martyrs may be destroyed by the wicked, Christ Himself cannot be taken from them.⁶

1. Serm. 220. App.
2. Serm. 373, 3
3. Serm. 132, App.
4. ord.
5. de Cons. Evan., 2, 11
6. Hom. in Nat. Innocent