Good morning. As we have become accustomed to on Thursdays, I would like to share thoughts about a character of the Bible. This particular fellow was indeed a character, but not the good kind. His name is Herod, and by his own command he was granted the title “Herod the Great”.
Herod was born around 72 BC, the son of Antipater and Cypros. Antipater was by descent an Edomite and was a high-ranking Roman official of the region that included Judea. Although he was an Edomite, Antipater converted to Judaism, or at least something like Judaism. The Antipater household accepted the idea of Jehovah as the One true God but rejected most of the teachings and commands of Mosaic Law and other scripture. Cypros was a princess from the region of what is now called Jordan, and her family thought of themselves as true Arabs. We do not know if she ever embraced Judaism on any level.
Because Antipater had a good political relationship with Julius Caesar, Herod was appointed general governor of Galilee in 47 BC. Galilee was known for rabble rousers and renegades who were constantly trying to raise insurrections against the rule of Rome. The newly appointed young Herod dealt with the Galileans with incredible brutality. At one point the road that ran past the community of Nazareth, which was something of a hotbed for the insurrectionists, was lined for 12 miles with the crosses of the crucified. Hatred for Rome and for its emissary Herod was extreme.
Herod’s brutal and murderous work was greatly appreciated by Rome and in time he was named the “King of the Jews” by the Roman Senate. This was condemned by the Jewish ruling council in Jerusalem, which was called the Sanhedrin. At that time Jerusalem was not yet fully under Roman control. In his 3rd year as king, Herod sent an army to crush the Jerusalem resistance. He was greatly hated throughout Judea, especially the leadership, but that was soon to change.
Herod realized that his rule would be marred by constant challenges and uprisings because he was so greatly hated by the people Rome had placed under his authority. His solution was to tax the people at an unheard of rate. When he had taxed them to the point where there was nothing left to steal, he used the majority to build himself an incredible palace half way between Jerusalem and the smaller city of Bethlehem. He used another portion of those funds to rebuild what would be known known as “Herod’s temple”. This was the temple of Jesus’ day, the temple that stood until it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. He also expanded the site to the north of the temple which was known as “Temple Mount.” This was the site of the first temple, which was built by Solomon, whose pinnacle was the location of the Holy of Holies. This, along with other building programs in Jerusalem, and accompanied by generous bribes to the Sanhedrin officials, made Herod a favorite of the Jewish leadership.
However, even though he had made peace with the Jewish leaders, he continued to be hated by most of the Jewish people. He had a personal bodyguard of 2,000 specially trained soldiers. He spent his life living in fear of the people under his rule, certain that one day they would rise up against him.
Imagine, then, how he felt when magi from the east appeared one day to pay him the required tribute and to ask about the location of the new babe who was born. This was, they explained, the child of prophecy, the anointed one of God, the Messiah, the true King of the Jews.
Herod’s response to their inquiry is found in Matthew 2:7-8 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”
The magi were guided to the Christ child by the star: And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Matthew 2:11-12
As for Herod’s reaction: Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” Matthew 2:16-18
Not long after these events Herod died after an excruciatingly painful, putrefying illness of uncertain cause, known to posterity as “Herod’s Evil”. Historian Josephus states that the pain of his illness led Herod to attempt suicide by stabbing, and that the attempt was thwarted by his cousin.
So, when you read in scripture about Herod, and especially of his murderous slaughter of the infant children, you now know the “rest of the story.”
Have a great and blessed day!
Vern