About Herod and the babies.

Always and everywhere I wanted to expound the spiritual word, obeying the word of Paul: “Knowing the spiritual with the spiritual” (“spiritual with spiritual understanding”) (1 Cor. 2:13); but he found himself in debt (to you), especially for the previous resurrection, in the name of the Lord. I don’t know how it happens to me that my poverty is never freed from debt, from you, thirsty for the spiritual, moneylenders, demanding debt with interest. However, I do not weep over this, beloved, but rather rejoice; I am a slave of a rich Master, having good hopes. Therefore, I am not asking for forgiveness, but I am urging you to a truce. I have the giver of the word God, who says: “Open your mouth, and I will fill them” (“Wide your mouth, and I will do it”) (Ps. 80:11), - and not according to the dignity of the speaker, but according to the pious curiosity of the listeners. So, you listened to the words of the Evangelist Matthew: “Then Herod, seeing himself ridiculed by the Magi, became very angry, and sent to beat all the children in Bethlehem and throughout its borders, from two years old and below, according to the time that he found out from the Magi” (“When King Herod saw that he had been mocked by the Magi, he became very angry and sent to beat all the children existing in Bethlehem and in all its environs, from two years ago and from the very beginning, in time, the hedgehog was tested by the wise men" (Matthew 2:16). This is at the time of the birth of Christ in the flesh. But listen to how it was said a long time ago: “Then was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, who said: A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and mourning and great crying; Rachel weeps for her children" ("that what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet may be fulfilled, saying: A voice was heard in Ramah... Rachel weeping for her children" (Matthew 2:17-18). You see how many generations earlier the madness of Herod was announced in the last days: "he sent to kill all the children in Bethlehem and in all its borders" ("having sent to kill all the children, existing in Bethlehem and in all its borders" (Matthew 2:16). Oh, the madness of Herod, or, better, the wickedness of the devil! After all, it was his business, he armed Herod against the children. However, he raised the sword of infanticide against himself; Herod, who had many plans, did not kill Jesus, whom he sought; Herod's failure is a misfortune for the devil. “Then Herod, seeing himself ridiculed by the wise men, became very angry, and sent to kill all the infants in Bethlehem and throughout all its borders.” Oh, Herod, why are you so irritated? Why are you arming yourself against children? You are ridiculed by the wise men, and you kill babies. Did the babies show the way to the Magi? The star showed them the born Lord. Unable to aim at the star, do you kill babies? Or did you receive the kingdom to show your strength against those who are breastfeeding? Are you fighting with children, Herod? Are you orphaning mothers? Are you drying your nipples? Do you bare your arms? Are you hurting hearts? Do you add more crying to women suffering from childbirth? Do you kill babies two years old and younger? Is there somewhere to stick a sword? This (means) not to kill, but to cut prematurely. Show the children the sword; if, frightened, they become afraid, then kill, cut; and if they run up to the sword cheerfully, then why do you take out the sword against those smiling at the sword? Do you think, Herod, to overtake the Savior and kill Him? Since you have completely decided (on this), then issue a command, call the Magi, hold back the star, imprison Gabriel, question the prophets, find the Virgin mother; if you master this, then you can find Christ. Do you not glorify, but seek him who is born without seed? Are you fighting God, king? Are you worried about the Tsar? Do you want to take possession of the one who owns you? Do you want to destroy, who wants to save you? Are you plotting to seize the One who stands next to you and does not want you to see Him, through your wickedness? He, O Herod, is the One who cried out a long time ago: “They will seek me and will not find me” (“They will seek me in evil and will not find me”) (Prov. 1:28). How can you (can) despise this Child? According to his deity, he is much older than Abraham, not only older than Abraham, but also the creator of Adam. He is not clothed with fear, but goes for stewardship. Why are you so irritable, Herod? The self-interest of vain anger is a fall. Why are you doing like Pharaoh? In Egypt he commanded that male children be thrown into the river, and you command that in Bethlehem male children of Judah be killed. Oh, the same spirit! Oh, equal ruthlessness! O similar wickedness! Or rather, Herod is much more ferocious than Pharaoh. Likewise, Herod’s spear-bearers are much more burdensome than Pharaoh’s shield-bearers. Pharaoh in Egypt, even if he ordered that Jewish male babies be killed, however, he decided to do this as a foreigner, out of fear that the Israeli clan would strengthen and destroy the Egyptians. He spares the children of Egypt and kills the children of Israel; he fights out of fear, and not out of envy he kills. Pharaoh was more philanthropic than Herod (so much so) that he even canceled the law that he had declared and became a violator of his own command. He found Moses alone floating along the river in a box; Through his daughter he took him, and not only did not kill him, but he nursed him like a son; spares the baby, breaking his law. What are you saying, Herod? Pharaoh saves Moses, and you decide to overtake the Lord Christ; he saves the future punisher of Egypt, and you want to kill the Savior of the universe? And the shield bearers of Pharaoh are more honorable than the spear bearers of Herod. The grandmothers, having received orders to strangle male Jewish babies at the time of (their) birth, did not do this out of piety - although they were Egyptian by birth; their insides turned over at the thought of what mothers experience when they are deprived of their babies by violent death. They decided to offend the temporary king rather than oppose the greater King and God. Herod showed his wickedness in relation to no other tribe, but acted foolishly towards his fellow tribesmen. Pharaoh only discovered such rage in Egypt, no further; and Herod ordered the beating of tender infants, not only in Bethlehem, but throughout all its borders. Oh, the unjust command of the one who then immediately rebelled against the city, villages, fields and streets! Mothers had no place to hide their children; They could not stay outside their mother’s embrace. If, when a mother wanted to hide her child, it would give itself away by crying, it would attract death to itself by attachment to the nipples. Just as a fish cannot live out of water, so the baby soon dies, deprived of its mother’s breasts. Oh, that universal lamentable song! I don’t find how to describe the types of maternal lamentations. If there had been a barbaric attack, the mothers would have endured grief more easily; the shared misfortune torments the sufferer more moderately. But (that) was not a barbaric attack, but an internecine war; was violence that did not allow request; was lawlessness having the law as its protector. The mothers screamed, and there was no listener; the babies wept, and there was no one to pity them; the teats poured milk on the ground; and Herod, like a stone, became more and more hardened. The king's spearmen attacked the babies even more bloodthirsty here and there in different ways: they tortured some at the walls, threw others onto rocks, and strangled others. They were worried about the devil, the culprit of such a thing. In this and the like, the mothers weakened and, forgetting themselves from suffering, did not care about decency. They tore their clothes, spread their braids in the air, exposed their breasts, which had to be hidden, struck their breasts with stones, scratched (their) cheeks like executioners, called the sky, the silent judge, as a witness, made a request to the general Judge and Lord with the words: “What is this bloodthirstiness of the king, Lord? He rages over Your creation; You created, he never stops stabbing; You gave, he harms. Why did we give birth to children if the death of children is so bitter? If (this is) Your command, command us to die with them; if (this is) the enterprise and order of a lawless king, why don’t you attack him sooner?” But, of course, mothers scream like that, tormented by suffering, (and) out of ignorance of the benefit for their chicks. In fact, what is more blessed than those who endure plans because of the Lord Christ? What is more blessed than these children - since they were slaughtered not only for their own sake, but also as if Christ himself was killed? Truly it is timely to say the word of the Lord to mothers: do not cry, mothers, do not cry; for a short time they lost your bosom, but they received Abraham’s bosom. Don't cry, mothers, don't cry; “Do not hinder them from coming to Me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (“Do not hinder the little children from coming to Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven”) (Matthew 19:14), in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and in the Patrology of Min, classified as Spuria. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith”