Herod the Great 73-4 BC
Herod was the smooth talking, jealous, and murderous type. He was Arabic by blood, Jewish by religion, Roman by citizenship, and king of Judaea by trade.
Herod became famous for his many building projects and infamous for killing all boys two years and under in Bethlehem and its neighborhood in an attempt to get rid of Jesus, a possible rival to the throne, or so it was gossiped.
Herod became famous for his many building projects and infamous for killing all boys two years and under in Bethlehem and its neighborhood in an attempt to get rid of Jesus, a possible rival to the throne, or so it was gossiped.
Herod was a skilled horseman, military commander, diplomat, and warrior. One year he even partook in the Olympic Games.
Herod's Political Alliances and Career
Of course, Herod was pro-Roman because Palestine was part of the Roman Empire at the time. In fact, Herod's family was granted Roman citizenship by Julius Caesar. Brown-nosing the Roman rulers was a tricky business because they changed so rapidly and could be each other's enemies.
But Herod kept up with the changes and skillfully switched his allegiances from Julius Caesar to Gaius Cassius to Mark Antony to Octavian (Augustus Caesar.)
Herod became governor of Galilee in 47 BC. In 41 BC Herod was made tetrarch of Galilee.
But Herod kept up with the changes and skillfully switched his allegiances from Julius Caesar to Gaius Cassius to Mark Antony to Octavian (Augustus Caesar.)
Herod became governor of Galilee in 47 BC. In 41 BC Herod was made tetrarch of Galilee.
Civil war broke out in Palestine in the year 40 BC. Herod fled to Rome, where the Romans declared him king of the Jews and equipped him with an army to back up this decision at home.
Herod went back, made good use of his troops, and ruled as king of Judaea from 37 BC until his death in 4 BC.
Herod's Building Projects
Herod's building projects were many and most impressive. Among them were the entire city of Caesarea including its artificial port, and the city of Sebaste (formerly Samaria.)
Herod also built an abundance of temples, for instance the temple for the Jews in Jerusalem (which was completed in 64 AD, four years before the Romans destroyed it again,) many temples in honor of Caesar Augustus, and a temple at Rhodes in honor of Apollo.
Herod's Death
Herod became very ill and died in Jericho.
On his deathbed, Herod had a feeling that not too many tears would be shed upon the news of his death. To make sure the day of his death would be a really bad day for the Jews and to increase the general amount of mourning, Herod imprisoned the Who's Who of Jewish society and ordered to execute the entire bunch of them the second he died. When he finally died, however, his orders were not carried out and the prisoners were sent home unharmed.
On his deathbed, Herod had a feeling that not too many tears would be shed upon the news of his death. To make sure the day of his death would be a really bad day for the Jews and to increase the general amount of mourning, Herod imprisoned the Who's Who of Jewish society and ordered to execute the entire bunch of them the second he died. When he finally died, however, his orders were not carried out and the prisoners were sent home unharmed.
In May 2007, Israeli archaeologist Ehud Netzer claimed to have found Herod's tomb at Herodium (today's Israeli-occupied West Bank.)
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