The Flight into Egypt
Joseph, Mary, and Jesus flee into Egypt to avoid the slaying of all infants under the age of two, ordered by Herod in order to kill Jesus. An angel warned Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt. The Office of Vespers, for 6 p.m., is the seventh of the eight “Hours of the Virgin” (or Offices). Vespers is for The Flight into Egypt. (Thorpe, 1976) Photo of painting by Bartolomeo Esteban Murillo, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan, 2025.