The Massacre of the Innocents: Studies in the Cultural Afterlife of a Gospel Scene

Warren Carter's "The Massacre of the Innocents" explores fifty interpretations of the Matthean scene, highlighting the agency of interpreters in addressing tragic circumstances. The triad of power relations in the scene facilitates this "thinking with" across different contexts and media.

Format: Hardback
Length: 414 pages
Publication date: 15 February 2023
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

The Massacre of the Innocents: Studies in the Cultural Afterlife of a Gospel Scene by Warren Carter explores fifty interpretations of the Matthean "Massacre of the Innocents" (Matt 2:16-18). Carter emphasizes the agency of interpreters who, in their specific contexts and media, engage with the shocking scene to address the often tragic circumstances of their audiences. He contends that the structure of the Gospel scene facilitates this "thinking with" by presenting a triad of power relations involving a tyrant (Herod), victims (infants and parents), and violent means of tyranny (the massacre). Interpreters utilize this triad to identify tyrants, victims, and means of tyranny in their own situations. Carter demonstrates the application of this triad across two millennia, in various socio-political contexts, and diverse media, including sermons, images, poems and hymns, dramas and festivals, films, novels, Christmas carols, and Children's Bibles.

Weight: 454g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978714106