Here are the details of one of the textbook Christmas stories, where blood and severed limbs are in abundance, this is the heading “disgusting art history.
I tell everything strictly according to the canon (in the original sense of the word, not fandom; but by the way …).
So, we know this story from one of the four Gospels - from Matthew. Once, in one distant, distant state, three wise adherents of the bright side of the Force, in other words, the Magi, looked into the sky and saw that the galaxy was rotating. They also saw some amazing astronomical phenomenon, either a comet, or a supernova similar to Tycho Brahe's supernova, or the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign of Pisces. The interpreters are not sure exactly what the wise men saw then, so we will call this event for simplicity the "star of Bethlehem", as the great Wikipedia teaches us.
Rogier van der Weyden, Bladelinsky triptych, right wing. 1450th.
These Magi received an excellent astrological education in their academy, so they immediately understood what this sign was announcing. They put on sturdy boots, stuffed their backpacks with gifts and set off on a journey to a distant land. Instead of a compass or navigator, they had the very star that showed them the way - judging by some paintings, hanging over the earth like a ball of lightning.
Sassetta. Journey of the Magi, 1430s.
The Magi arrived in the Holy Land, which at that time was not yet "holy" and, since astrological signs foreshadowed the birth of a new Messiah-King, went to the royal palace, guided by understandable logic. In the palace they did not hear about any messiah, King Herod was very upset with his ignorance. He fed the Magi, watered them, took them to the bathhouse, found out that in fact their path lay in the town of Bethlehem, where, in fact, that Baby should be. The Magi promised on the way back to report to him about the success of their mission, whether they managed to find, to see. They really found Mary with the Baby in the stable, gave him gifts. But since the angel sent by God told them in a quiet voice: “do not go to Herod anymore, you don’t need to,” they went to their home by a detour road, not looking into the capital, where Herod was waiting for them with news in a high tower, counting the days.
James Tissot. Magi in Herod's house, 1880s.
Promotional video:
He waited, waited, waited, waited, shed tears.
Then he realized that the Magi had thrown him, and was very saddened. Here a political crisis was still brewing: as a prudent ruler, Herod could not allow all competitors there to be born without supervision. He even slaughtered his own sons in order to avoid unnecessary competition, and then there were some outside boys in Bethlehem.
But Herod did not have any other input, except for geographic data and approximately age. And so he decided to act according to the Sonderkommando method, by means of a mass purge.
German miniature, approx. 1340. If the name Beating of Babies, then I do not sign it further in the illustrations.
And he ordered to kill all the boys under the age of two in the designated geographical location.
Nicolas Poussin, 17th century.
The exact death toll is unknown.
Rubens School, 17th century.
Byzantine tradition says that there were 14 thousand of them.
Master of the Augsburger Heimsuchung, approx. 1480.
The Syrian list of saints says 64,000 children were killed.
Ghirlandaio. 1480th.
According to Coptic sources, 144 thousand died.
Giotto, 1310th.
And scientists, in short, here figured out what population in the 1st century BC. was in Bethlehem (about a thousand people) and okay, plus also in the Bethlehem region within the circular ring.
And how many, with such a number of people, there were boys under two years of age - it turned out, 20 people maximum.
Not a hecatomb comes out, definitely.
Unknown Spanish artist, 12th century.
Well, okay, there was also a census, in fact, because of which Joseph and the pregnant Mary came to the city. Let's say the population has grown five times - then there will be about a hundred boys. But this is already large-scale, the bloody picture is still typed, call the jury of World Press Photo!
Matteo de Giovanni, 1488.
Oh yes, the census …
Let me note that conversations about whether Jesus Christ existed in reality is a completely separate story, and these are already worldview disputes.
But conversations about how much folklore and inventions are crammed into the details of his biography, especially in the story about his childhood, these are completely normal disputes, and theologians are waging them.
And they generally agree that these are all fairy tales.
Rubens. OK. 1637.
There was no census.
And in general, Herod did not order the killing of any Bethlehem babies.
Black PR! The person was slandered!
Arcimboldo (att.). Herod's head. 1580th. (Usually Archimboldo made faces of flowers and fruits, but he blinded Herod's head from the corpses of babies).
Such a cool and colorful political action, as you understand, could not fail to be reflected in some other written sources of that era, besides the Gospel. All around the Roman Empire, where only the lazy did not scribble on Facebook, even the Emperor Claudius wrote 20 volumes of history.
Duccio. Maesta (detail), 1308-11.
But no one, not a single enemy of Herod, mentioned this crime.
But they described in detail and in detail how he killed some of his eight wives, children, many friends and associates.
So all this is "Beating up babies", citizens, linden!
Don't worry about these children, take it easy.
Sebastiano Galvano, 16th century.
More precisely, poetic liberty.
Why did the authors of the Gospel need it?
The fact is that by the time Jesus Christ came, the Jews had a certain list of prophecies about the coming Messiah, compiled on the basis of extracts from the sayings of the prophets of the Old Testament (a very long list).
Giusto de Menabuoi, 1370s.
For example, according to the prophet Micah, he was obliged to be born in Bethlehem. But Jesus was from Nazareth, everyone knew that! Therefore, the authors come up with this census, and thanks to it they “force” Joseph and his wife to get up from their homes so that the birth will take place in the designated city.
Bruegel, 1580s.
There's a lot more to it: with fitting parts.
In general, if you delete from the story of Christ details that were not mentioned by the prophets, little will remain of the key milestones of the story. So, at the Crucifixion, they predicted the darkness that came from the Mediterranean Sea, neighbors with a criminal record, a poker game of his clothes by soldiers, piercing with a spear, last words, etc.
But this, of course, does not matter, from the point of view of a believer - was it or was not, fit or not.
Nicolas Poussin. 1627.
The main thing, citizens, is that during the creation of all these pictures, not a single infant, as well as a child of an older age group, was harmed!
King Herod on the throne. Book of Hours of Ferdinand of Aragon, 16th century.
German fresco, 13th century.
Bonifacio de Pitati, 16th century.
I especially liked the young man in red velvet, so contemplative.
Andrea di Bartolo, 1380s.
Cornelis Cornelissen. 1590th.
Greek icon, 17th century.
Book of Hours of Queen Bona, 1528.
Niccolo Bambini, 17th century.
Klosterneuburger Evangelienwerk, 1340s.
Fra Angelico, 1450.
Guido Reni, 1611.
Master Bertram, 1410s.
Daniele da Volterra, 1557.
Cranach, approx. 1515.