The Cave of Treasures 74
The Flight into Egypt; Herod and John the Baptist
After learning the Magi had returned home, Herod slew all the young children in Bethlehem and the villages round about.
1nd straightway the angel said unto Joseph, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt.” And when the registration was completed, the Jews were dismissed, so that each man might depart to his own district and to his own village. Then did Herod enquire for the Magi, and when he was told, “they have gone back to their own country,” he was exceedingly wroth, and he sent straightway and slew all the young children in Bethlehem, and in all the villages round about.
2 And when Herod had passed among the slain children, and they did not find there [the body of] John, the son of Zacharias, he said, 1 This is the order in which this paragraph appears in the text, though in the ‘Genealogy of our Lord” (see below, page 233) the circumcision and the presentation in the Temple precede the flight into Egypt.
3 “Truly, his son will reign over Israel.” For he had heard of what had been said unto Zacharias by the angel, when he announced to him concerning [the birth of] John. And Herod sent to Zacharias [and commanded him] to bring John, and Zacharias said, “I am a priest, and I minister in the Temple of the Lord; I do not know where the Child and his mother are.” And because of these words Zacharias was slain between the bench (or, steps) and the altar. Now, Elizabeth had taken John and gone forth into the desert.
Did You Know?
After learning the Magi had returned home, Herod slew all the young children in Bethlehem and the villages round about.
When Herod passed among the slain children he did not find the body of John the son of Zacharias.
Herod believed John would reign over Israel because he had heard the angel announcement to Zacharias.
Zacharias was slain between the bench or steps and the altar after saying he did not know where John was.
Elizabeth took John and fled into the desert while Herod sought the child among the murdered infants of Bethlehem.
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