THE
      SLAUGHTER
      OF
      INNOCENCE
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      DAVID
      WEALE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AND
      IN
      ALL
      THE
      HOUSES
      THE
      MOTHERS
      LAMENTED
      LOUDLY,
      WAILING
      FOR
      THEIR
      BABIES,
      WHICH
      WERE
      NO
      MORE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      any
      of
      the
      statements
      of
      Jesus
      were
      disturbing;
      cal-
     
     
      Mees
      to
      shock
      and
      awaken.
      But
      of
      all
      his
      sayings
     
    

    
     
      perhaps
      the
      most
      startling
      was
      directed
      against
      those
     
     
      who
      abuse
      children.
      “If
      anyone
      causes
      one
      of
      these
      little
      ones
     
     
      to
      stumble,”
      he
      said,
      “it
      would
      be
      better
      for
      such
      a
      one
      if
      a
     
     
      millstone
      were
      hanged
      around
      his
      neck,
      and
      he
      were
      cast
      into
     
     
      the
      depths
      of
      the
      sea.”
      End
      of
      lesson.
     
    

    
     
      The
      cruel
      treatment
      of
      children
      is
      a
      theme
      which
      shows
     
     
      _up
      early
      in
      the
      life
      of
      Jesus,
      and
      while
      it
      is
      not
      a
      scene
      you
      will
     
     
      ever
      find
      on
      a
      Christmas
      card,
      the
      gruesome
      ‘slaughter
      of
      the
     
     
      innocents’
      is
      included
      in
      the
      Gospel
      of
      Matthews
      as
      part
      of
      the
     
     
      Christmas
      narrative.
      Like
      many
      things
      dark
      and
      horrific
      we
      try
     
     
      not
      to
      think
      of
      it,
      but
      it
      is
      there,
      in
      the
      original
      story,
      a
      brilliant
     
     
      allegorical
      reminder
      of
      how
      the
      forces
      of
      ego-fear
      and
      power
     
     
      addiction
      always
      resist
      the
      subversive
      energies
      of
      the
      child.
     
    

    
     
      According
      to
      the
      account
      it
      was
      the
      Wise
      Men
      from
      the
     
     
      east
      who
      inadvertently
      precipitated
      the
      tragedy.
      It
      appears
      they
     
     
      were
      asking
      around,
      attempting
      to
      discover
      where
      the
      infant
     
     
      “King
      of
      the
      Jews”
      was
      to
      be
      born,
      little
      realizing
      the
      effect
     
     
      this
      would
      have
      on
      the
      reigning
      monarch,
      a
      certifiable
      psy-
     
     
      chopath
      named
      King
      Herod,
      who
      would
      do
      anything
      to
      hold
     
     
      on
      to
      power.
      When
      he
      got
      word
      of
      the
      possible
      appearance
      of
     
     
      a
      rival
      “king”
      his
      legendary
      paranoia
      was
      greatly
      inflamed.
     
     
      He
      summoned
      the
      wise
      men,
      and
      gave
      instructions
      that
      when
     
     
      they
      discovered
      the
      infant
      they
      should
      immediately
      report
     
     
      back
      to
      him.
      “I
      too
      will
      go
      and
      pay
      him
      homage,”
      he
      declared
     
     
      with
      a
      straight
      face,
      disguising
      his
      murderous
      intentions.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Wise
      Men
      probably
      did
      not
      realise
      they
      were
      deal-
     
     
      ing
      with
      a
      man
      who,
      out
      of
      fear
      for
      this
      throne,
      had
      already
     
     
      executed
      tow
      of
      his
      own
      sons;
      a
      man
      who
      would
      later
      pre-
     
     
      arrage
      the
      cold-blooded
      killing
      of
      a
      number
      of
      his
      own
      promi-
     
     
      nent
      subjects
      to
      coincide
      with
      his
      own
      death.
      The
      purpose,
      it
     
     
      seems,
      was
      to
      ensure
      a
      mood
      of
      sadness
      and
      mourning
     
    
   
   
    
     
      throughout
      the
      Kingdom
      when
      he
      died.
      Oh,
      yes!
      Herod
      was
     
     
      a
      monster
      all
      right,
      but
      an
      unmistakablely
      human
      one.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Wise
      Men
      continued
      their
      star-led
      journey
      and
     
     
      discovered
      the
      infant
      Jesus
      in
      Bethlehem.
      It
      was
      their
      inten-
     
     
      tion
      to
      report
      back
      to
      Herod
      as
      requested,
      but
      being
      warned
     
     
      in
      a
      dream
      that
      they
      should
      stay
      away
      from
      the
      King,
      they
     
     
      returned
      home
      a
      different
      way.
     
    

    
     
      The
      thwarted
      Herod
      was
      infuriated.
      In
      his
      deranged
     
     
      mind
      the
      failure
      of
      the
      wise
      men
      to
      honour
      his
      request
      was
     
     
      further
      evidence
      of
      the
      threat
      to
      his
      sovereignty.
      Believing
     
     
      the
      child
      had
      been
      born
      in
      Bethlehem,
      but
      not
      knowing
     
     
      what
      child
      it
      was,
      he
      issued
      to
      his
      soldiers
      a
      terrible
      blanket
     
     
      order
      -
      kill
      them
      all!
      According
      to
      the
      story,
      every
      male
     
     
      child
      in
      Bethelhem
      was
      put
      to
      the
      sword,
      so
      that
      Herod,
      at
     
     
      least
      for
      the
      time,
      could
      go
      back
      to
      sleeping
      easily.
     
    

    
     
      The
      massacre,
      despite
      its
      malefic
      thoroughness,
     
     
      failed
      in
      its
      purpose.
      Jesus’s
      father,
      like
      the
      Wise
      Men,
      was
     
     
      warned
      in
      a
      dream
      of
      the
      impending
      danger.
      Under
      cover
      of
     
     
      darkness
      the
      little
      family
      slipped
      away,
      and
      journeyed
      out
     
     
      of
      the
      country
      to
      Egypt.
      The
      child
      was
      saved,
      and
      would
     
     
      one
      day
      return,
      to
      announce
      the
      coming
      of
      a
      new
      Kingdom,
     
     
      which
      could
      only
      be
      seen
      and
      entered
      by
      those
      who
      were
     
     
      able
      to
      become,
      “as
      little
      children.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      historical
      accuracy
      of
      these
      events
      is
      a
      moot
     
     
      historical
      point,
      but
      whether
      or
      not
      they
      actually
      happened
     
     
      does
      not
      detract
      from
      the
      mythic
      power
      of
      the
      account.
      The
     
     
      Herod
      story
      reveals
      starkly
      a
      universal
      aspect
      of
      human
     
     
      experience;
      namely,
      the
      repression
      of
      innocence
      and
      exu-
     
     
      berance
      in
      the
      interest
      of
      social
      and
      institutional
      continuity.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      To
      greater
      or
      less
      degree,
      the
      spirit
      of
      every
      child,
      in
      every
     
    
   
   
    
     
      age,
      must
      be
      sacrificed
      to
      the
      sensibilities
      of
      any
      number
      of
     
     
      authority
      figures,
      and
      the
      exigencies
      of
      the
      established
     
     
      order.