14,000 Holy Innocents - how did the Church define the number?

Dewi Sant

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Christ is Born!


This is weighing on me as late.
The Church celebrates the 14,000 Holy Innocents, the first martyrs for Christ.

I am intrigued and troubled by the number traditionally proposed.

Considering the infants were below the age of 2 *and* in Bethlehem, that would suggest a fairly massive metropolis and not a first century Levantine village.


I am aware of the auspicious number '14,000' (14 tribes x 1000), but is there something more to this?
Are the innocents of abortion also meant to be added to the number? (which would vastly outgross 14000).


The scriptures as far as I am aware do not mention 14000 anywhere, but I am always willing to defer to Church tradition provided I am aware of the sources. I trust the Church has a reasonable explanation for so great a number.
 
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gzt

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That's a pretty good question - there are of course other medieval sources that give different numbers and the 14,000 figure is rather late (and unknown in the West). It is almost certainly inflated, just as is the case with OT army and battle figures, in accord with their genre. And hagiographies in general inflate things. However, I haven't seen any thoughts about that number in particular - the numerology of it or whatever. The Catholic Encyclopedia suggests that it was probably on the order of dozens rather than thousands.
 
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buzuxi02

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The Slaughter of the Innocents by Herod and the Symbolism of the 14,000 Infants | MYSTAGOGY RESOURCE CENTER

There has been different numbers offered mostly symbolic. The Acts and Martyrdom of St. Matthew puts it at 3000, a syrian tradition has it at 64000, an italian manuscript has it at 11,000. Secular estimates would place the number at as low as 6 to as high as 50.

The chapel of the Holy Innocents in Bethlehem contain some of the skeletons of the Holy Inncents (including older children). This video shoes the chapel which is a cave type burial site:
(86) Weekend in & around Bethlehem Part 4: Cave of the Holy Innocents - YouTube
 
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Dewi Sant

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Thank you buzuxi.

I suppose one should be aware of two things; the influence of Jewish apocalyptic numerology, but also the fact the Gospel makes no mention of the number of children killed.

There are two realities being played out with different narratives.
14000 makes a comparison between the ruthlessness of Herod's heart and the typological totality of the company of Israel.


The 'secular' estimate makes sense, though fifty still feels rather high when one considers only males (just 'how' fertile were those women?!).


It would be interesting to read the results of archaeological surveys on the church of the YouTube video.
 
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buzuxi02

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One of the articles on the mystagogy blog has a scholar estimating 6 or 7 boys under two years of age. The pagan writer Macrobius in his Saturnalia mentions Herod ordering the killing of boys of Syria 2 years and under right before he killed his eldest son.
 
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