“Massacre of the Innocents” by Peter Paul Rubens

“Massacre of the Innocents” by Peter Paul Rubens depicts an episode from the biblical Massacre in Bethlehem, as told in the Gospel of Matthew. According to the Gospel, Herod the Great, the Roman appointed King of the Jews, ordered the execution of all male children two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem. He ordered this brutal act to protect himself from the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth had been announced to him by the Magi.

In Matthew’s account, the Magi from the east go to Judea in search of the newborn king of the Jews, having “seen his star in the east.” King Herod directs them to Bethlehem and asks them to let him know who this king is when they find him. They see Jesus and honor him, but an angel tells them not to alert Herod, and they return home by another way.

This biblical account of infanticide by Herod was seen as the fulfillment of the words of Jeremiah, the prophet, who said:

“A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because her children are no more.”

The theme of the “Massacre of the Innocents” has provided many artists with the opportunity to compose depictions of mass violent action. The topic was revived in the more significant works of the Renaissance and later periods, as the horrific subject matter provided a comparison of these ancient brutalities with more recent massacres during the period of religious wars.

Peter Paul Rubens was a Flemish artist who is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens specialized in making altarpieces, portraits, landscapes, and history paintings of mythological and allegorical subjects. His compositions referenced classical and Christian history and emphasized movement, color, and sensuality.

Herod the Great

Herod (74 BCE – 4 BCE) was a Roman client king of Judea with a legacy that has polarized opinion. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his renovation of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the expansion of the Temple Mount and the construction of the port at Caesarea Maritima.

Herod also appears in the Gospel of Matthew as the ruler who orders the Massacre of the Innocents at the time of the birth of Jesus. However, a majority of Herod biographers do not believe this event to have occurred.

Herod’s reign polarizes opinion, some viewing his legacy as evidence of success, and some as a reminder of his tyrannical rule. After Herod’s death, the Romans divided his kingdom among three of his sons and his sister.

Massacre of the Innocents

Title: Massacre of the Innocents
Artist: Peter Paul Rubens
Year: 1612
Medium: oil on oak
Dimensions: H: 142 cm (55.9 in); W: 182 cm (71.6 in)
Type: Biblical Art
Museum: Art Gallery of Ontario

Peter Paul Rubens

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens
Born: 1577 – Siegen, Nassau-Dillenburg, Holy Roman Empire
Died: 1640 (aged 62) – Antwerp, Spanish Netherlands
Nationality: Flemish
Movement: Flemish Baroque, Baroque
Major Works:
- The Judgment of Paris
- Adam and Eve
- Samson and Delilah
- Massacre of the Innocents
- The Last Supper
- Miraculous Catch of Fish
- Honeysuckle Bower

A Virtual Tour of Famous Bible Paintings

The Creation Of Adam – Michelangelo
The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci
Pietà by Michelangelo
“The Holy Trinity” by El Greco
“Christ in the House of His Parents” by John Everett Millais
Saint Helena by Andrea Bolgi
Saint Longinus by Bernini
Saint Andrew by Francois Duquesnoy
Saint Veronica by Francesco Mochi
“Saint Michael and the Dragon” by the Sienese School
Black St George Icon
“The Repentant Saint Peter” by El Greco
“The Tears of Saint Peter” by El Greco
“Saint Jerome as Scholar” by El Greco (The MET)
“Saint Jerome Penitent” by El Greco
“Saint Francis in the Desert” by Giovanni Bellini
“Saint Luke painting the Virgin” by Master of the Holy Blood
“Christ Falling on the Way to Calvary” by Raphael
“Crucifixion” by Giovanni Donato da Montorfano
Crucifixion Diptych” by Rogier van der Weyden
“The Virgin and Child with St. Anne” by Leonardo da Vinci
The Crucifixion and The Last Judgment Diptych by Jan van Eyck (MET)
Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) by Robert Campin (MET)
The Belles Heures of Jean of France, Duke of Berry
Wilton Diptych
“The Raising of Lazarus” by Sebastiano del Piombo
“Salvator Mundi” by Albrecht Dürer
“Salvator Mundi” by Andrea Previtali
“Baptism of Christ” by Jacopo Bassano
“Crucifix” by Master of Saint Francis
“The Virgin and Child” by Master of the Clarisse
“The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Narrative Scenes” by Margarito d’Arezzo
“Samson and Delilah” by Peter Paul Rubens
“The Annunciation” by Duccio
“The Healing of the Man Born Blind” by Duccio
Christ by Emmanuel Lambardos
Pilgrim’s Bottle of Saint Menas
“Massacre of the Innocents” by Peter Paul Rubens
“Christ and the Woman of Samaria” by Rembrandt
“The Last Supper” by Ugolino di Nerio
“The Madonna of the Pinks” by Raphael
“Mary Magdalene” by Girolamo Savoldo
“Supper at Emmaus” by Caravaggio
“Virgin of the Rocks” by Leonardo da Vinci
“Saint George and the Dragon” by Tintoretto
Madonna in the Meadow by Raphael
The Alba Madonna by Raphael
Small Cowper Madonna by Raphael
“Adoration of the Magi” by Botticelli
“Judith Slaying Holofernes” by Artemisia Gentileschi
“Christ in the House of Martha and Mary” by Diego Velázquez
“The Finding of the Savior in the Temple” by William Holman Hunt
Maestà by Duccio
Susanna and the Elders
The Finding of Moses
“Belshazzar’s Feast” by Rembrandt
10 Famous Madonna and Child Paintings by Raphael
“Moses with the Tablets of the Law” by Rembrandt
“The Prodigal Son” by Rembrandt
“The Prodigal Son in the Brothel” by Rembrandt
“The Raising of Lazarus” by Rembrandt
“The Raising of Lazarus” by Vincent van Gogh
“The Woman Taken in Adultery” by Rembrandt
“The Feast in the House of Levi” by Paolo Veronese

~~~

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”
– Matthew 2:16-18

~~~

Photo Credit: 1) Peter Paul Rubens [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

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