Herod the Great

Herod the Great (73-4 bc), king of Judaea (37-4 bc) supported by Rome, and portrayed as a tyrant in both Christian and Jewish tradition.

Herod was born in southern Palestine, of Arab parents. His father, Antipater, was made procurator of Judaea by Julius Caesar in 47 bc; Pompey the Great had previously deposed the Hasmonaean dynasty. Despite Hasmonaean opposition, the Roman Senate recognized Herod as king in 39 bc, but his actual rule began two years later. He then sought to consolidate his position with the Jews by marrying Mariamne, a princess of the Hasmonaean line, whom he later put to death.

The first years of Herod's reign were troubled by hostility between two Jewish sects, the Sadducees and Pharisees, and by the enmity of surviving members of the Hasmonaean house, who secured an ally in Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. Herod ultimately prevailed against his opponents, mainly because Cleopatra and Mark Antony were defeated by Octavian, later Emperor Augustus. Although Herod had supported Mark Antony in his struggle against Octavian, he nevertheless confirmed Herod as king in 31 bc convinced that he would continue to rule according to the dictates of Rome.

The years between 25 and 13 bc were for the most part prosperous. During this period Herod devoted himself to a great number of architectural projects, including the construction at Jerusalem, Jericho, and Caesarea of theatres, amphitheatres, and circuses for the games inaugurated in honour of Augustus. To protect the Judaean frontier against Arab incursions, he built or refurbished a chain of fortresses, which were later to prove of great value to the Jews in their insurrection against Rome. He began the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem paying close attention to the religious scruples of the people. The final years of Herod's reign were embittered complicated palace intrigues.

On his death in Jericho in March or April, 4 bc, Herod's kingdom was divided between his three sons—Herod Antipas, Archelaus, and Herod Philip. Although himself a practising Jew, and despite his attempts to win their favour, Herod was hated by the Jews as a foreigner and a friend of the Romans. According to Matthew 2:16 he tried to kill the infant Jesus by massacring all male babies in Bethlehem.