What Early Christians Said About Herod and Jesus
Early Christian writers present Herod as the ruler who tried to destroy Jesus at his birth and later as the man tied to John the Baptist’s death. Justin Martyr, Tatian, Origen, Peter of Alexandria, and Archelaus all repeat the Bethlehem story and the flight to Egypt. Matthew 2 is the key Bible passage, with later writers mainly explaining and repeating it. The witness is broad and early, but it is mostly tied to Matthew’s account.
88 early-church witnesses · 157 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about herod and the Birth of Christ?
Early Christians usually treated Herod as the ruler who tried to kill Jesus at his birth and then murdered the infants in Bethlehem. Justin Martyr, Tatian, Origen, Peter of Alexandria, and Archelaus all repeat that Herod learned of the child, acted in fear or anger, and then the child was taken to Egypt until Herod died. They also connect Herod with John the Baptist’s death and with Herod Antipas’ mockery of Jesus later in his ministry.
The evidence is broad and early, but it is mostly a retelling and exposition of Matthew, with much less independent detail about Herod beyond the Gospel story. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Early Christians tied Herod to the attempt on Jesus’ life in Bethlehem and the killing of the infants.
- Justin Martyr and Tatian give early, clear retellings of Matthew 2.
- Origen and Peter of Alexandria also link Herod to John the Baptist’s death and to the escape into Egypt.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians say Herod tried to kill Jesus after the Magi came?
The strongest sources say Herod learned from the Magi that a king had been born, then plotted to kill the child. They also say Joseph took Jesus and Mary into Egypt by divine warning.
-
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching
At the time when King Herod was visited by the Magi from Arabia, they told him they had seen a star in the sky indicating that a King had been born in his country, and they had come to worship Him. Herod learned from the elders of his people that it was written about Bethlehem in the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come the leader who will shepherd my people.’ The Magi from Arabia went to Bethlehem, worshipped the Child, and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. However, they did not return to Herod because they were warned in a revelation after worshipping the Child in Bethlehem. Joseph, the husband of Mary, initially wanted to break off his engagement to Mary, thinking she became pregnant through relations with a man, i.e., through fornication. But in a vision, he was instructed not to leave his wife. The angel who appeared to him told him that what was in her womb was of the Holy Ghost. So, he was afraid and did not leave her. During the first census in Judea, under Cyrenius, Joseph went up from Nazareth, where he lived, to Bethlehem, which was his ancestral home, to b
-
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching
As soon as He was born in Bethlehem, as I previously remarked, king Herod, having learned from the Arabian Magi about Him, made a plot to put Him to death, and by God’s command Joseph took Him with Mary and departed into Egypt.
-
Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching
for which reason it is related that Herod, on inquiring at the chief priests and scribes of the people, heard from them that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem of Judea, whence David was.
-
Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching
...im, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I speak to you, for Herod is about to seek the child to kill him.” So Joseph got up in the night, took the child and his mother, and fled to Egypt. He remained there until the time of Herod’s death, so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Then Herod, when he saw that he had been deceived by the Magi, was very angry. He sent out men and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and all its surrounding region, from two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
-
Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness
But when Herod the king died, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream in Egypt. He said to him, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life have died.” So Joseph rose, took the child and his mother, and came to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus had become king over Judea in place of Herod his father, he was afraid to go there. And he saw in a dream that he should go to the land of Galilee, and live in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken in the prophet might be fulfilled: that he would be called a Nazarene.
-
Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness
Then Herod secretly called the Magi and asked them exactly when the star had appeared to them. He sent them to Bethlehem and said to them, "Go and search carefully for the child. When you have found him, come and tell me, so that I also may go and worship him." When they heard the king, they departed. And look, the star they had seen in the east went before them until it came and stood over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with very great joy. They entered the house and saw the child with Mary his mother. They fell down and worshiped him, and they opened their saddle-bags and offered him gifts: gold, myrrh, and frankincense. In a dream they were warned not to return to Herod, and they traveled back to their country by another way.
-
Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness
Matthew 2:14 And Joseph arose and took the child and his mother in the night, and 15 fled into Egypt, Matthew 2:15 and remained in it until the time of the death of Herod: that that might be fulfilled which was said by the Lord in the prophet, which said, From 16 Egypt did I call my son.
-
Matthew 2:16 Direct teaching
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
-
Matthew 2:13 Direct teaching
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
-
Matthew 2:15 Direct teaching
And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
-
Matthew 2:1 Direct teaching
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,
-
Matthew 2:7 Direct teaching
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
More related quotations from this section 6 shown
-
Matthew 2:3 Direct teaching
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
-
Matthew 2:2 Direct teaching
saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
-
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness
For at the time of His birth, Magi who came from Arabia worshipped Him, coming first to Herod, who then was sovereign in your land, and whom the Scripture calls king of Assyria on account of his ungodly and sinful character.
-
Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness
...monstrated this from John's own words. Matthew also acknowledges the same Jesus Christ, showing His birth as a man from the Virgin, just as God promised David that He would bring forth from his lineage an eternal King, having previously made the same promise to Abraham. He states: "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." Then, to dispel any doubts about Joseph, he says: "But the birth of Christ happened in this way. When His mother was engaged to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child of the Holy Ghost." When Joseph considered divorcing Mary because she was pregnant, Matthew tells us about the angel of God appearing to him, saying: "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Ghost. She will give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. This took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which means God with us." This clearly signifies that the promise made to the forefathers was fulfilled, that the
-
Matthew 2:20 Supporting witness
Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.
-
Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness
And this being Herod's condition, he both believed that a king of the Jews had been born, and yet cherished a purpose contradictory of such a belief;
Did early Christians teach that Herod killed the infants in Bethlehem?
Multiple early writers explicitly say Herod killed the Bethlehem infants in an effort to destroy Jesus. The Bible cards give the direct Bible passage in Matthew 2:16, and several fathers repeat or comment on that event.
-
Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Direct teaching
Matthew 2:11-13 Hence the bloodthirsty Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding angry, and sent forth, he says, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coast thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time that he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
-
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness
And the expression, ‘They opened their mouth upon me like a roaring lion,’ designates him who was then king of the Jews, and was called Herod, a successor of the Herod who, when Christ was born, slew all the infants in Bethlehem born about the same time, because he imagined that amongst them He would assuredly be of whom the Magi from Arabia had spoken;
-
Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness
and here, at the time of the birth of Jesus, every male among the Jews suddenly perished by reason of the treachery of Herod.
-
Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Supporting witness
the soldiers who kept Peter; the infants who were massacred by Herod on account of Christ;
-
Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Direct teaching
... as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers over what had become of Peter." And when Herod had looked for him and did not find him, he questioned the guards and ordered that they should be put to death, Acts 12:18-19. Yet no blame is laid on Peter because of them. For it was in their power, when they saw what had happened, to escape. In the same way, all the infants in Bethlehem, Matthew 2:13-16, and in all that region, might have escaped if their parents had known what was going to happen. They were killed by the murderer Herod to make sure that one Infant, whom he was seeking, would die. But that Infant also escaped by the command of the angel of the Lord. He now began quickly to spoil and to hasten the prey, according to the name by which He was called. As it is written, "Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz: for before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria." Then, as now, the Magi were despoiled and divided as prey. Humbly, and in the manner of suppliants, they worship the Child. They opened their treasuries and offered Him very fitting and m
-
Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background
...men were considered unfit for war, but that the males should be killed, because he suspected strong young men. But the child was beautiful, and his parents secretly nursed him for three months, because natural affection was stronger than the king's cruelty. At last, however, they feared that they might be destroyed along with the child. So they made a basket from the papyrus that grew there, put the child in it, and set it on the bank of the marshy river. The child's sister stood at a distance and watched to see what would happen. In this crisis, the king's daughter came that day to the river to bathe and wash herself. She had not been pregnant for a long time and longed for a child. When she heard the child crying, she ordered that he be brought to her. Moved with pity, she looked for a nurse. At that moment, the child's sister ran up and said that, if she wished, she could find for her one of the Hebrew women who had recently given birth. When the princess agreed and asked her to do so, she brought the child's mother to serve as nurse for an agreed payment, as though she were someone else. Then the queen gave the baby the name Moses, and this fit the meaning of the name, becau
-
Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Supporting witness
These were put to death by the murderer Herod, in order to secure the death of one Infant whom he sought, which Infant itself also escaped at the commandment of the angel of the Lord, who now began quickly to spoil, and to hasten the prey, according to the name whereby he was called: as it is written, Call his name Maher-shalal-hash-baz: for before the child shall have knowledge to cry, My father and my mother, the riches of Damascus and the spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria.
-
Irenaeus, Connection to Matthew 2:16 Supporting witness
He, since He was Himself an infant, so arranging it that human infants should be martyrs, slain, according to the Scriptures, for the sake of Christ, who was born in Bethlehem of Judah, in the city of David.
-
Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
The nativity of Christ witnessed at once the martyrdom of infants, so that they who were two years old and under were slain for His name's sake.
More related quotations from this section 3 shown
-
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching
...y opened their mouths at me like a roaring lion" refers to the king of the Jews at that time, named Herod. He was the successor of the Herod who, when Christ was born, killed all the infants in Bethlehem born around the same time, because he thought that among them would be the one of whom the Wise Men from Arabia spoke; for he didn't understand the will of Him who is stronger than all, how He had commanded Joseph and Mary to take the Child and go into Egypt and stay there until they received a revelation to return to their land. And they stayed there until Herod, who killed the infants in Bethlehem, died and Archelaus succeeded him. He died before Christ came to the assignment on the cross given to Him by His Father. When Herod succeeded Archelaus and received the authority designated to him, Pilate sent Jesus to him in a gesture of respect, bound; and God, knowing this would happen, had spoken: "And they brought Him to the Assyrian, a present to the king." Or, He may have meant the devil as the roaring lion against Him: whom Moses calls the serpent, but in Job and Zechariah he is called the devil, and Jesus addresses him as Satan, showing that his name comes from the deeds he
-
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness
And there they did remain until Herod, who slew the infants in Bethlehem, was dead, and Archelaus had succeeded him.
-
Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Supporting witness
Matthew 2:16 Together with whom, having sought to kill another infant that had been previously born, and not being able to find him, he slew the child's father Zacharias between the temple and the altar, the child having escaped with his mother Elisabeth.
How did early Christians read the flight into Egypt and Herod’s death?
The sources present Joseph’s flight into Egypt as a response to Herod’s threat and as a fulfillment of Scripture. They also preserve the return to Israel after Herod’s death and the move to Galilee because of Archelaus.
-
Origen, Commentary on Matthew Direct teaching
Matthew’s narrative is as follows. Herod had laid hold on John and bound him in the prison, Matthew 14:3. In reference to these things, it seems to me that, just as the law and the prophets were until John, Luke 16:16, after whom the grace of prophecy ceased from among the Jews, so also the authority of those who ruled among the people existed until John. This included the power to kill those whom they thought worthy of death. And when the last of the prophets was unlawfully killed by Herod, the king of the Jews was deprived of the power of putting to death. For if Herod had not been deprived of it, Pilate would not have condemned Jesus to death. Herod would have sufficed for this, along with the council of the chief priests and elders of the people, gathered for that purpose. And then, I think, what Jacob spoke to Judah was fulfilled: "A ruler shall not depart from Judah, nor a leader from Israel, until that come which is laid up in store, and he is the expectation of the Gentiles," Genesis 49:10. And perhaps the Jews also were deprived of this power, the Providence of God arranging for the spread of the teaching of Christ among the people, so that even if this were hindered by th
-
Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus and of all the things that happened by his hand, and he marveled, because he had received excellent information about him. Some men said that John the Baptist had risen from among the dead. Others said that Elijah had appeared. Others said, Jeremiah. And others said that a prophet from the old prophets had risen, and others said that he was a prophet like one of the prophets. Herod said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist, whom I beheaded. He has risen from among the dead. Therefore mighty works are done by him." For Herod himself had sent and taken John, and had cast him into prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had taken. And John said to Herod, "You have no authority to take your brother's wife." And Herodias avoided him and wished to kill him, but she could not. For Herod feared John, because he knew that he was a righteous man and a holy man. He kept him safe, listened to him much, and obeyed him gladly. And he wished to kill him, but he feared the people, because they held to him as the prophet. And there was a celebrated day, and Herod made a feast for his great men on the day of
-
Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness
... For it was not suddenly proposed, but had its root in the John mentioned earlier. For John rebuked Herod because he had unlawfully married the wife of his dead brother, who had a daughter by her. The law allowed such a marriage only in the one case where the brother died childless. In that case it even prescribed such a marriage, so that by his own brother, and from his own wife, seed might be reckoned to the dead husband. Deuteronomy 25:5-6 As a result, John was cast into prison, and at last was even put to death by the same Herod. Therefore the Lord, having made mention of John, and of course of the event of his death, hurled His censure against Herod in the form of unlawful marriages and adultery. He pronounced as an adulterer even the man who married a woman put away from her husband. He said this in order to load Herod with guilt all the more severely. For Herod had taken his brother's wife after she had been loosed from her husband no less by death than by divorce. He had been driven to it by lust, not by the rule of the levirate law. For since his brother had left a daughter, marriage with the widow could not be lawful for that very reason. And when the prophet asserted
-
Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness
When Herod saw Jesus, he rejoiced greatly. He had wanted for a long time to see him, because he had heard many things about him, and he hoped to see some sign from him. He questioned him at length, but Jesus did not answer him a word. The scribes and chief priests were standing there, accusing him fiercely. Then Herod and his soldiers mocked him. After mocking him, they dressed him in scarlet robes and sent him to Pilate. On that day Pilate and Herod became friends, because before that there had been enmity between them.
-
Tertullian, Against Marcion Supporting witness
Herod was exceeding glad when he saw Jesus, but he heard not a word from Him.
-
Mark 6:21 Direct teaching
But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
-
Matthew 14:6 Direct teaching
But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.
More related quotations from this section 1 shown
-
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching
...to the barn; but the chaff He will burn up with unquenchable fire.’ And this very prophet your king Herod had imprisoned; and when his birthday was celebrated, and the niece of the same Herod by her dancing had pleased him, he told her to ask for anything she wanted. Then the mother of the girl prompted her to ask for the head of John, who was in prison; and having asked it, [Herod] sent and ordered the head of John to be brought in on a platter. Therefore also our Christ said, [when He was] on earth, to those who were claiming that Elijah must come before Christ: ‘Elijah shall come, and restore all things; but I say to you, that Elijah has already come, and they knew him not, but have done to him whatever they chose.’ And it is written, ‘Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them about John the Baptist.’"
Common Questions
Did early Christians believe Herod tried to kill Jesus as a baby?
Yes. Justin Martyr, Tatian, Origen, Peter of Alexandria, and Archelaus all say Herod sought the child and that Jesus was taken into Egypt until Herod died.
Did early Christians say Herod killed the infants in Bethlehem?
Yes. Several early writers repeat that Herod slew the infants in Bethlehem after learning from the Magi.
Did early Christians connect Herod with John the Baptist?
Yes. Justin Martyr and Origen both link Herod with John’s imprisonment and death.
Source Index for Herod and the Birth of Christ
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 149 ranked source links from 157 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 149 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 88
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 69 included
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
Related Resources
Course Lesson
"Was What Happened in the Night Sky the Year of Christ's Birth Completely Insignificant?"
Open a related course lesson for more teaching connected with Herod and the Birth of Christ.
Site Page
The Magi and the Birth of Christ
Compare another early Christian topic page with related source quotations.