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http://ocafs.oca.org/Icons/december/1229-14000innocents02.jpg
Is it of the Holy Innocents?
Is it of the Holy Innocents?
It certainly IS used in the Liturgy. Both Catholic & Orthodox. It is quoted from in the texts of Orthros & Vespers for many feasts of the church.Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
Yes, this is an icon of the slaughter of the Holy Innocents. It also depicts the death of Zachariah and the saving of St. John the Baptist and St. Elizabeth from the troops of King Herod. The imagery is from the description in the Protoevangelion of St. James. The Protoevangelion is considered non-canonical by both the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. It was declared non-canonical in the Gelasian Decretal. Thus it cannot be read in the Liturgy. The Protoevangelion has been used as the source of many traditions in the feasts of the Church. The Nativity of the Theotokos, the Presentation of Our Lady at the Temple and much of the imagery of the icon of the Nativity of Our Lord come from the Protoevangelion.
I disagree that it has been used as the source, rather, that it records the Traditions passed down by the Church regarding Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah.The Protoevangelion has been used as the source of many traditions in the feasts of the Church.