Pilate’s Heirs

Rulers Ancient & Modern Who Kill the Innocent for Peace & Security

The Holy Innocents of Bethlehem are commemorated in the Western and Eastern church calendars on December 28 and December 29 respectively. They are either the first martyrs of the New Testament or the final martyrs of the Old Covenant.

When Herod the King dispatched the soldiers to Bethlehem to kill its baby boys, one child escaped only because his foster-father, Joseph, had a dream. Both Joseph the carpenter and his distant ancestor Joseph the patriarch were dreamers. In Genesis, the patriarch Joseph brought his father and brothers into Egypt to save their lives; in Matthew’s Gospel, the carpenter brought Jesus into Egypt to rescue the life of the future Deliverer.

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James M. Kushiner is the Director of Publications for The Fellowship of St. James and the former Executive Editor of Touchstone.

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