History of Childermas: Feast of the Holy Innocents

Childermas, from an Old English word meaning the Mass of the Infants, is the festival in the church calendar begun in the fifth century — celebrated in the Western Church on December 28 and in the Eastern Church on December 29. It commemorated the date when King Herod ordered the massacre of the children under two years of age in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill the baby Jesus, who “was born King of the Jews,” according to the Wise Men as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2.

How many were killed? Some traditional claims involve as many as 6,000 or 14,000 or even 144,000, though based on the population of male children in Bethlehem at that time, a few dozen is more likely.

Did this actually happen, do we have any evidence from outside the Gospel story?

Jewish History behind Childermas

There are other accounts outside the Bible contemporary with King Herod that show insight into his character. The historian Josephus relates numerous episodes where Herod would kill leaders as well as have various members of his own family killed, prompting Caesar Augustus back in Rome to quip “I’d rather be Herod’s pig than his son” playing on the Greek homonyms pig (hus) and son (huios) in addition to the well-known Jewish law against consuming pork. Additionally, the…