My Scripture reading this morning brought me by Matthew's account of the flight to Egypt & the slaughter of the innocents (2.13-18). This passage is profound in its connection with the Exodus narrative, yet the circumstances almost seem to work backwards. In Exodus, the slaughtering of the infants was given as a decree from the king of Egypt. Moses' has to be secretly saved. The immediate danger lies in Egypt. The move in the Exodus story is to get the people out of Egypt. In Jesus' case, the decree was given within the boundaries of what the Israelites considered to be the promised land and the safe place was in Egypt, so Jesus, Joseph and Mary had to go back to the original land of slavery because it meant survival. We can see, then, how Jesus in all stages of his life has reconstituted the story and people of Israel. "Out of Egypt I have called My Son." (Matthew 2. 15; cf. Hosea 11.1).
Appropriately this passage is part of the infancy narratives, which are in view during the time between Christmas and Epiphany (January 6). I have brought up St. Ephrem because one of the hymns he composed on the infancy narratives makes reference to the passage mentioned above. It's Hymn #7 in his 'Hymns on the Nativity.' The reference to the Matthew passage comes in stanza 12, though there are several references throughout the hymn that reveal the 'typology' of seeing Christ through the eyes of the story of Israel.
1. At the birth of the Son a great clamor
took place in Bethlehem, for Watchers descended
to give praise there; a great thunder
were their voices. With this voice of praise
the silent ones came to give praise to the Son
Refrain: Blessed is the Babe by whom Adam and Eve grew young again.
2. Shepherds, too, came carrying
the good things of the flock: sweet milk,
fresh meat, fitting praise.
They divided [the gifts] and gave to Joseph the meat,
to Mary the milk, to the Son the praise.
3. They carried and offered to Him: suckling lamb
to the Paschal Lamb, the first-born to the First-born,
a sacrifice to the Sacrifice, a temporal lamb
to the True Lamb. A fitting sight
that a lamb to the Lamb should be offered.
4. The lamb bleated while being offered
to the First-born. He thanked the Lamb
that came to free sheep and oxen
from sacrifices, even the traditional
paschal lamb that served as a symbol of the Son.
5. The shepherds approached to worship Him.
With their staffs they greeted Him,
prophesying, "Peace, O Greatest
of shepherds! The staff of Moses
acknowledges Your staff, Shepherd of the universe."
6. For You [are the One] Moses acknowledged - he whose
lambs became wolves and whose sheep became
like dragons and his ewes [like]
savage beasts. In the fearful wasteland
his flock became rabid and attacked him.
7. You, then, the shepherds will acknowledge,
for You reconciled wolves and lambs
in the flock. You are the newborn
Who is older than Noah and younger than Noah,
Who pacified all in the ark.
8. For the sake of a lamb, David, Your father
killed a lion. O Son of David,
You have killed the hidden wolf
that killed Adam, the innocent lamb
who grazed and bleated in paradise.
9. By that song of praise brides awoke suddenly
and chose chastity, and virgins
preserved their chastity, and even young girls
were purified. They rose early and came
in throngs to worship the Son.
10. The old women to the town of David came
to the daughter of David, speaking blessings:
"Blessed is our native land whose streets are made light
by the ray of Jesse! Today the throne of David
is established by You, the Son of David."
11. Old men cried out, "Blessed is the Babe
Who restored Adam's youth; he was displeased to see
that he grew old and wasted away, yet the serpent who killed him
shed [his skin] and recovered his youth. Blessed is the Babe
by whom Eve and Adam were restored to youth."
12. The chaste women said, "Blessed Fruit,
bless our fruits, given to You
as first fruits." Aglow, they prophesied
about their children, who, when they were killed,
would be plucked by Him as first fruits.
13. The barren women hovered over and held Him.
They caressed [Him] and said, "O Blessed Fruit [conceived]
without intercourse, bless our wombs
during intercourse. Have pity on our barrenness,
Miraculous Child of virginity."
The footnote on the 12th stanza says this: "The mothers of the slain innocents address Jesus. Their children are types of the resurrected faithful. They are the first fruits of the resurrection, to be plucked by Jesus immediately after his resurrection." That's an interesting way of putting it. Upon the arrival of the Life on earth, the first innocents who are murdered/killed are given a prominent place in the resurrection. From the arrival of the Life on earth, the first reference to death is met with the promise of resurrected life.
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