The book of origins is unique, within the New Testament (and, indeed, within the whole literature of antiquity) in reporting a savage, indiscriminate pogrom, ordered by King Herod, and carried out under his watch—the murder of all infant males under two years of age within Bethlehem (Matt 2:16-18). The story hardly ever features in any … Continue reading Herod waiting, Herod watching, Herod grasping, holding power (Matt 2; Christmas 1A)