OVERVIEWS

HEROD THE GREAT

Herod ruled Judea, Samaria and the Galilee from 37 to 4 BCE. Most of his Jewish subjects hated him. Nevertheless, it is possible to see both positive and negative aspects to his reign. Many of these would impact the Jewish people well after his death.

Herod succeeded in bringing prosperity to a favored semi-independent province of Rome. He was genuinely concerned about the welfare and religious freedom of his Jewish subjects, and Judaism was able to flourish under the leadership of sages such as Hillel and Shammai. He rebuilt the Temple, and this magnificent edifice brought knowledge of monotheism to the entire Roman world. This encouraged conversions to Judaism and laid the ground for the proselytizing of the early Christians. 

However, he also delivered his country to Rome and destroyed any hope of Jewish independence. His power was backed by Roman legions. He eliminated all members of the Hasmonean dynasty even when they were his own flesh and blood. His appointing high priests diminished the prestige of the priesthood and encouraged corruption. The large sums of money flowing into his kingdom aggravated social tensions.  

Attempting to analyze his psychological state leads in contradictory directions. He was a cruel and vindictive egomaniac. Yet these same attributes enabled him to keep a tight lid on Jewish aspirations for independence, maintain peace throughout his reign, and bring fame and wealth to his kingdom. 

He was sent to Rome during his childhood where he was regarded as Jewish. His father, Antipater, was from a noble family in Idumaea who had converted to Judaism with his family when the Maccabees conquered Idumaea and forcibly converted the population. Herod's mother was Nabatean. Many in his kingdom regarded him as no more than half-Jewish.  

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The Hasmoneans destroyed their own dynasty, and with it hopes for Jewish independence when the two sons of Alexander Yannai, Aristobulus II and Hyrcanus II, fought a civil war for kingship. Both sides appealed to Rome for support. The Roman general Pompey the Great, already reorganizing the eastern Mediterranean, intervened. In 63 BCE, he besieged and captured Jerusalem, entered the Temple precincts, and ended Judean independence. Rather than ruling directly, Rome reduced Judea’s territory, placed it under Roman oversight, installed Hyrcanus II as high priest and ethnarch (not king), and left real power with Antipater. In other words, Rome presented itself as an arbiter, not a conqueror, but kept ultimate control. For the family’s loyalty Herod was also appointed governor of Galilee, where he gained a reputation for decisive ruthless action. Antipater was eventually poisoned.

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The Parthians invaded Judea and defeated the legions of Rome. Antigonus, a nephew of Hyrcanus, chose to ally with the Parthians and took over Jerusalem. He pursued Herod, catching up with him and his entourage close to Bethlehem. Herod barely survived the desperate battle, and fled to Rome. He was received by his patron Mark Antony and with his backing the Roman Senate proclaimed him “King of the Jews.” Herod now spent the next 3 years fighting Antigonus with a Roman army until he succeeded in conquering Jerusalem. Antigonus was beheaded and his supporters were killed.

Following the assassination of Julius Cesar, Mark Anthony and Octavian vied for power, and in the naval Battle of Actium the forces of Mark Anthony were defeated and Mark Anthony and Cleopatra committed suicide. Octavian renamed himself Augustus and began the process of changing Rome from a republic to an empire. Herod had been the protégé of Mark Anthony but he ingratiated himself with Augustus, who saw the usefulness of such a ruthless person, and a close friendship developed between them that was advantageous to both during Herod's 34-year reign.

Herod maintained his close connections to Rome by adopting the ways of a Roman aristocrat. His palace displayed the best of Roman decor. Guests to Herodium were entertained in its amphitheater and fed with the finest of imported foods and wines. 

To satisfy his egomania and curry favor with his subjects, Herod began building on a lavish scale. The best technological building skills of the Roman Empire were brought to his kingdom. For the Jews, he built a tomb over the Cave of Machpela, the site where the Jewish patriarchs and matriarchs were buried, and he rebuilt the Temple. Jews from throughout the Empire flocked to its precincts. Its construction was one of the wonders of the Roman world and Jerusalem became famous as a tourist site, even for non-Jews. For the pagans in his kingdom, he built Sabastia in Samaria and the port of Caesarea. 

His personal life was a shamble. He was fond of women and had 10 wives. He married Miriam, a granddaughter of Hyrcanus, to provide legitimacy to his rule. However, he was paranoid, perhaps with justification, of a Hasmonean attempt to return to power. He appointed Miriam's brother, Aristobulus III, as High Priest, but when Aristobulus flaunted his popularity Herod invited him to his winter palace in Jericho and drowned him in a pool. He genuinely loved Miriam, but she was framed as being associated with a palace intrigue and he had her put to death. His two sons by Miriam were suspected of treachery and were strangled.

Following his death, no ruler after him was able to replicate his ability to create some form of modus vivendi between Jewish and Roman culture. Not his son Herod Archelaus who reigned after him, but who was fired by Augustus for cruelty and divisiveness. Nor for the Roman procurators appointed by Rome who lacked the sensitivity to be able to dampen the messianic yearnings of the Jewish people for independence. Within 74 years after his death the Jews revolted against Rome in the Great Revolt of 70 CE. The glorious Temple he had erected was destroyed and the Jerusalem he had helped beautify was burned to the ground.