Complete Luther Library

On the day of the innocent children. *)

Volume 12 from the one-column St. Louis Edition English DOCX texts, reformatted for mobile reading on Last Christian Ministries.

Source text used with permission from Back to Luther.

Volume 12

On the day of the innocent children. *)

Return to Volume 12

Held 1516.

Matth. 2, 18.

In Rama there was a shouting, much weeping and crying.

1. Ramah in Hebrew means high; therefore Abraham is called a high father. Is therefore the cry in Ramah so much as a cry on the heights. This is what Lucas, after his manner, is wont to call the mountains, because the land of promise is mountainous. So the cry of Rachel was heard on the mountain of Bethlehem.

2. Herod, a bloodthirsty king, has killed many Jews, because he has always been a thirsty king.

*) Löscher I, 775; Erl. A. opp. var. arZ. I, 164 sy.

D. Red.

He feared that someone would attack the kingdom; therefore he killed his three sons and his own wife. So he also looks for Christ among the children, because he perhaps suspected that the wise men, on the advice of Christ's parents, had mocked him. For he knew that the Jews were waiting for a king, and that he, namely Herod, was an abomination to everyone. Therefore he also wanted to frighten them by the death of the children, so that they would not easily worry about a king. We come to our intention etc.