The Massacre of the Holy Innocents
A quick look at the eclipse, Holy Innocents, and Herod
The Holy Innocents are the sainted infants and children killed by Herod in fear of Jesus. They are liturgically sung as martyrs, but, are not really martyrs in that the children did not die for the faith. They were killed because they were born around the time of Jesus because Jesus was born. So, how were they canonized? There are two possible reasons: One is that they are a divine exception to the normal rules of martydom. Another is that this is the Church and Heaven showing that children two years and under go to Heaven when they die (a saint is simply someone in Heaven).
The birth of Jesus is dated by finding the death of Herod. Herod’s death is written as occurring shortly after the massacre of the Holy Innocents, in Matthew 2. The ancient historian Josephus, wrote Herod died shortly after a lunar eclipse, but before the Passover of that year. Historians who refuse to date anything as making sense with the Gospels, use a partial lunar eclipse in 5 BC as being the date. Smart historians who knows nobody notices partial eclipses and are not afraid of dating things to agree with the Gospels use the 1 BC total lunar eclipse.
Herod ordered the death of all male Jews 2 years old and younger. This only makes sense if the magi reported to Herod the birth ocurred two years ago. This works with the 3 BC birth date of Jesus.
Jupiter semisextile Juno = Death (Juno) of King (Jupiter). Juno is in trine with Venus = “Death of Children or Innocents.”
Mars-Saturn opposition is a transit of death and killing. Of note, Herod ordered the execution of his son, Antipater, days before Herod died. Mars-Saturn can also be “Injure/Stab (Mars) Self (Saturn).” Josephus records that Herod was overcome with despair and stabbed himself in a suicide attempt.
Josephus records that Herod ordered the death of prominent Jewish leaders before dying. This aligns with the Gospel account of Herod ordering the children to be killed for fear of a new Jewish king.
The feast days of the octave Christmas were chosen for liturigical reasons, rather than historical. The historical celebrations range from various dates in Christmastide to the Epiphany. This does indicate, with the Gospel account being so prompt, that Herod’s death and the massacre, and the eclipse were quite close in time, perhaps days or a month apart.
The feast day of December 28 being the memorial is seen in Johndro’s rulership:
Sun at 7 Capricorn is Neptune, Mars, Saturn, Venus. “Catholic (Neptune) Day (Sun) of Children (Venus) Slaughtered (Mars) to Death (Saturn).” This is not to say the massacre ocurred on this day. Rather, the degree rulers plus the Sun (Day) allows for December 28 to be the memorial. The Sun acts as a light on such events.