Summary Outline -- Lecture 18
Augustus reportedly remarked, “It is better to be Herod’s pig than his
son.” This is actually a pun in Greek because the words “pig” and “son”
are very close. It also suggests, by the way, that Herod observed the
biblical dietary laws and didn’t eat pork. It’s better to be Herod’s pig
than his son, because you’re safer; he won’t kill you.
The sectarian settlement at Qumran was established during the
Hasmonean period and continued through the Roman takeover and
. the reign of Herod the Great. How did this very important transition
from the Hasmonean period to the reign of Herod come about? When civil
war broke out between the two sons of Salome Alexandra, both of them
turned to Rome for help. The Romans then simply came in and took over
the country.
The Romans took apart the Hasmonean kingdom, leaving the older son of
Salome Alexandra, the high priest Hyrcanus II, in control only of areas with
concentrations of Jews or Judaized non-Jews: Judea, Galilee, ldumaea, and
Peraea. How was this area with the large Jewish population administered?
Hyrcanus II, the high priest, received the title ethnarch of the Jews, but
Antipater, an Idumaean Jew, was titled procurator. Antipater, the son of Antipas,
is best known to us as the father of Herod the Great. Herod and his older brother
Phasael assist Antipater in administering this territory.
In 40 B.C., Syria and Palestine were suddenly overrun by the great power
to the east, the Parthians. With this invasion came a son of Aristobulus II,
Mattathias Antigonus, who took over the country. He captured Hyrcanus II
and Phasael. Antigonus bit off the ear of Hyrcanus II so that he could no
longer serve as high priest; Phasael committed suicide; and Herod tied the
country after depositing his family at the Hasmonean fortress of Masada.
He went south to the Nabataean kingdom to ask for help because his mother
was a Nabataean. When his request was refused, he made his way to Egypt,
where Cleopatra greeted him in magnificent manner, hoping that he would
help her regain Palestine for the Ptolemaic kingdom. Uninterested, Herod
sailed to Rome.
When Herod appeared before the Roman Senate, the influence of Mark
Antony moved the Senate to appoint Herod the king of Judea and give
him some forces to iight Mattathias Antigonus and the Parthians. He spent
three years lighting Mattathias Antigonus and the Parthians; eventually, the
Romans got involved, and in 37 B.C., Jerusalem fell after a siege. There was
great slaughter in the city, and the Romans carried Mattathias Antigonus off
to Mark Antony, who beheaded him. It was unprecedented for the Romans
to execute captive kings, but Antony believed it necessary so that the Jews
would accept Herod.
Herod was now able to govern the kingdom he’d been given. After the defeat
of Cleopatra and Mark Antony by Octavian in 31 B.C., the kingdom even
expanded. Herod convinced Octavian that he would be loyal to the emperor,
and he eventually ruled as far north as the Golan Heights and into Syria.
However, Herod knew that many Jews didn’t like or trust him. His family
was also trouble: He had at least nine wives, and they jockeyed for position
throughout his life, trying to influence who his successor would be. Herod’s
suspicions led to a great deal of family bloodshed, including the deaths of
his favorite wife, the Hasmonean Marianme, and that of his oldest son. In
fact, Herod eliminated a large number of his own household, and it may be
this bloody reputation that underlies the famous story of the massacre of the
innocents reported in Matthew.
Important Term
Masada: Herodian fortified palace by the southwest shore of the Dead Sea.
Questions to Consider
1. Why would Augustus have remarked, “I would rather be Herod’s pig
than his son”?
2. Do you think Herod was really as horrible as our ancient sources
portray him?
Lecture 18-Transcript
From Roman Annexation to Herod the Great
The sectarian settlement at Qumran was established during the Hasmonean
period. It continued to be occupied through the period when the Romans
come in and take over the country and through the reign of Herod the Great.
What I’d like to do now is turn to consider this very important transition
from the Hasmonean period to the reign of Herod. How does this all come
about? Our transition actually starts with the death of Salome Alexandra,
who, as you may recall, had two sons-Aristobulus II, the younger son, and
Hyrcanus II, the older son. Hyrcanus had served as the high priest when
Salome Alexandra was queen of the Hasmonean kingdom.
With the death of Alexandra, a civil war broke out over the succession to the
throne between her two sons. Ordinarily, in dynastic succession, what should
happen is the older son becomes king. But, Aristobulus, the younger son, was
much more energetic and ambitious than his older brother. A war develops
between them over who’s going to become the next king. Both of them then
turned to an outside power for help. The outside power, of course-at this
point we’re in the middle of the 1st century B.C.-is Rome, which already
was expanding its control into the Eastern Mediterranean. Both brothers
turned to the Romans for help.
What the Romans then do is simply come in and take over the country.
This occurs in the year 63 B.C. The annexation of the Hasmonean kingdom
was done by a very famous general in Rome at the time whose name was
Pompey. Parenthetically, I would point out that, at this period, middle of the
1st century B.C., what you have going on in Rome is a series of civil wars.
They are followed by the division of rule between very powerful generals,
as the late republic is beginning to break up. Pompey, one of these powerful
generals in Rome at this time, comes in, in 63, and simply takes over. He
annexes the Hasmonean kingdom.
When the Romans come in and take over the Hasmonean Kingdom, what
do they do? They rightfully suspect that the Hasmoneans will not be loyal
to them. Therefore, they remove the Hasmoneans pretty much from control.
They dismember, take apart, the Hasmonean kingdom. Basically, what they
do is leave the high priest in control only of areas with concentrations of
Jews. That would be Judea, Galilee, Idumaea, and Peraea. Peraea is the
territory on the eastern side of the Jordan River and the eastern side of the
Dead Sea. These are areas that were either Jewish or had been Judaized
during the Hasmonean period. Those areas with those high concentrations of
Jews were left under the control of Hyrcanus II, the high priest.
One of the things that the Romans wanted to do was to strengthen the non-
Jewish, the Hellenized elements in Palestine. They did this then by detaching
the most Hellenized cities and forming them into their own independent
league. This league of cities-originally numbering 10, but not always
numbering 10-became known as the Decapolis. Of course this, league of
10 Hellenized cities called the Decapolis is known from the New Testament.
The Decapolis cities included, for example, Beth-Shean or Scythopolis-
which is to the south of the Sea of Galilee today in the Jordan valley-and
the cities of Pella and Abila, which are in the area of Jordan today on the
other side of the Dead Sea and the Jordan River.
The Decapolis cities then were put under the administration of a newly
established province in Rome, the province of Syria. Basically, what we
have is the area where there are high concentrations of Jews being Linder
the administration of the Jewish high priest. But, the most Hellenized parts
of the country, in the north, are detached and put into a league of their own
which is Lmder the administration of the Roman province of Syria.
How is this area with the large Jewish population administered? Hyrcanus
II, the high priest, is given the title ethnarch of the Jews. This basically
means he’s sort of like a local Jewish ruler or administrator of the Jews.
The governor was a man named Antipater. He was given the title procurator.
Who exactly was Antipater? Antipater was an ldumaean Jew whose father
had been named Antipas. Antipater, the son of Antipas, is best known to
us because he was the father of Herod the Great. What we have here is a
very interesting succession. In the Hasmonean period, an Idumaean named
Antipas had been forcibly converted to Judaism by the Hasmonean kings.
His son, Antipater, becomes procurator on behalf of the Romans-governor
on behalf of the Romans-in this heavily Jewish district with Hyrcanus H
as high priest. Antipater was then assisted in administering this territory by
his two sons, Herod and Phasael. This then is the picture that we have in
these very heavily Jewish territories after the Roman annexation in the year
63 B.C.
In 40 B.C., the picture is upset by an outside event that is a little bit
unexpected for us. In 40 B.C., Syria and Palestine were overrun by a
people called the Parthians. Who were the Parthians? The Parthians were
basically the successors of the Ancient Persians, way out to the east in the
area of Iran. As the Romans had increased and expanded their control over
territories further and further through the eastern Mediterranean, they began
to get closer and closer to the Parthians. There was a constant series of wars,
pretty much, conflicts between the Parthians to the east and the Romans
throughout this period. In 40 B.C., the Parthians overran Syria and Palestine.
What happens with the Parthian invasion? One of the successors of the
Hasmoneans, the son of Aristobulus II, whose name is Mattathias Antigonus,
comes in and takes over the countly. He captures Hyrcanus II and Phasael.
Phasael, Herod’s older brother, commits suicide.
What happens with Hyrcanus II? Josephus tells us that Mattathias Antigonus
pulls a Mike Tyson on Hyrcanus. Here is what Josephus says.
Antigonus himself bit of Hyrcanus’s ears with his own teeth, as heRemember we talked about this at Qumran? In order to be a high priest in
fell down on his knees to him, so that he might never be able upon
any change of affairs to assume the high priesthood again, for the
high priests who officiated were to be perfect and without blemish.
(War l.270)
the Jerusalem temple, you had to be an unblemished adult male. Mattathias
Antigonus bites off Hyrcanus’ ears so that Hyrcanus can never again serve
as high priest-basically getting Hyrcanus out of the way as any potential
future threat.
What happens to Herod in 40 B.C.? Hyrcanus is disfigured. Phaesael,
Herod’s older brother, commits suicide. What happens to Herod? Herod
flees the country in a very, very interesting way. He Bees south to Idumaea.
Remember, Herod’s family on his father’s side of the family was Idumaean.
He flees south to Idumaea. He goes to Masada, on the shore of the Dead Sea,
where there is a Hasmonean fortress. There, he leaves his family, holed up
for safekeeping. Then, he goes south to the Nabataean kingdom.
Why did Herod go to the Nabataean kingdom? Although Herod was Jewish
on his father’s side of the family through forced conversion and therefore
Idumaean-he was Idumaean-Jew on his father’s side of the family-Herod’s
mother was not Jewish. She was a Nabataean. Thus, Herod, in 40, goes down
to the Nabataean kingdom and asks the Nabataean king for help. When the
Nabataeans refused to help Herod, what does he do? He then makes his way
to Egypt. What happens when he gets to Egypt? As Josephus says, Herod
was greeted with a magnificent reception from Cleopatra, who hoped to
entrust him with the command of an expedition which she was preparing.
We’re now in 40 B.C. What is happening? Cleopatra’s in Egypt. This, by
the way, is Cleopatra VII. Cleopatra is going to be a very key flgure for us.
Cleopatra was a descendent of the Ptolemys. Like the Hasmonean kingdom,
by this point, the Ptolemys had also been absorbed by Rome. Cleopatra,
as a descendent of the Ptolomys, apparently wanted to revive Ptolemaic
independence. She wanted to revive an independent Ptolemaic kingdom. Not
only that, but remember that back in the 3” century B.C., Palestine had been
under the rule of the Ptolemys. Cleopatra has her sights on the same territory
that Herod has been administering. Thus, they have a conflict of interest here.
Herod gets to Egypt. Cleopatra greets him with a magnificent reception and
offers to assist him. Herod, however, didn’t trust Cleopatra-rightfully so,
by the way. Therefore, he refuses her offer of assistance and sets sail from
Egypt for Rome.
When Herod gets to Rome, what’s happening in Rome? We’re, again, in
40 B.C. At this point, Rome is being ruled by a triumvirate-a coalition of
three men. Eventually, this triumvirate, this coalition of three men, will be
reduced to two very important figures: Mark Antony and Octavian. Octavian
later becomes known as Augustus. Eventually, Mark Antony will become
the ruler of the eastern half of the Roman Empire, setting up his base of
administration in Egypt. Octavian will become the ruler of the western half
of the lands of Rome.
We’re in the year 40 B.C. One of these very powerful men who’s now
ruling Rome is Mark Antony. When Herod gets to Rome, he goes before the
Roman senate. It was through the influence of Mark Antony that the Roman
senate then agrees to appoint Herod the King of Judea. That is, they give him
literally the title King of Judea. They give him some forces and send him
back to Palestine to fight Mattathias Antigonus and the Parthians.
It’s 40 B.C. and Herod then goes back to Judea. He is now officially King
of Judea on behalf of the Romans’ client king. The first thing, of course, that
he has to do is fight Mattathias Antigonus and the Parthians. He spends three
years, until the year 37 B.C., waging a war. At this point, the Roman province
of Syria and the Decapolis cities to the north were under the administration
of a Roman official called a legate. A legate is a high-ranking Roman official
who is high ranking enough to be able to command a legion. The highest
ranking Roman official in this area at this point is the legate based in Syria-
specifically based in Antioch-who commands one or more legions. It is this
legate who is going to now help Herod to fight against Mattathias Antigonus
and the Parthians. As Josephus says, “Now Antony entrusted Syria to Sosius
(the legate of Syria) with instructions to aid Herod. And so Sosius sent
two legions ahead to Judea to assist Herod, and himself followed with the
greater part of his army.” (Ant. l4:447)
You know, Herod wasn’t a legate, so he couldn’t command a legion. In
order to have the assistance of a legion, the legate had to come down from
Syria, which is what happens. Sosius, the legate, assists Herod in this war
that Herod is now going to be waging for the next three years. This war
goes on for three years until finally 37 B.C. when Jerusalem falls after a
siege. Josephus describes in very graphic terms the fall of Jerusalem with the
massacre of the inhabitants as follows:
Soon every quarter was filled with the blood of the slain, for the
Romans were furious at the length of the siege, while the Jews on
Herod’s side were anxious not to leave a single adversary alive.
And so they were slaughtered in heaps, whether crowded together
in alleys and houses or seeking refuge in the temple; no pity was
shown either to infants or the aged, nor were weak women spared.
(Ant. 141480)
There’s a massacre in Jerusalem in 37 B.C. After a siege, the city falls. What
happens to Mattathias Antigonus? Mattathias Antigonus surrenders and then
begs for mercy, begs for his life, and Josephus also describes this. “Then
Antigonus, without any regard to his former or to his present fortune, came
down from the citadel and threw himself at Sosius’ feet. Without pitying
him at all upon the change of his condition, he [Sosius] laughed at him, at
Antigonus, beyond measure and called him Antigone.” Notice the mocking,
the pun, here. Antigone is the female form of the name Antigonus. He
mocked him as if he was a woman-you’re not behaving bravely like a man,
groveling for your life here. Thus, he mocks him and calls him Antigone.
Yet, he did not treat him like a woman by letting him go free. He put him
into bonds and kept him in custody.
“Then Sosius dedicated a crown of gold to God and withdrew from Jerusalem,
leading Antigonus away in chains to (Mark) Antony.” Then, what’s very,
very interesting is that Josephus tells us that, in the end, Mark Antony had
Antigonus executed. Josephus says, “Then the ax brought to his end one who
still had a fond desire of life and some vain hopes of it to the last, but who,
by his cowardly behavior, well deserved to die by it.” (War l:353, 357)
It’s very interesting also-Josephus actually tells us that the beheading of
royalty by the Romans was something that was not usual. Here is what
Josephus says, “Mark Antony then became the first Roman who decided to
behead a king, since he believed that in no other way could he change the
attitude of the Jews so that they would accept Herod.” (Ant. 1519) Basically,
according to Josephus, Mark Antony does something very unusual. Instead
of simply taking Antigonus into captivity, he has him beheaded. This is
because he believed that only in that way would the Jews accept Herod as
client king on behalf of the Romans.
We’re now in 37 and Herod is able to actually start governing the kingdom
that he’s been given. One of the problems that Herod has throughout his
reign is the fact that Hasmoneans are now part of his household. Why is
this a problem? This is because Herod, in many ways, was a upsurper to the
throne. He was, first of all, half Jewish on his father’s side of the family,
through forced conversion. That’s one thing.
But, more importantly, he was not part of the Hasmonean line. He was
not part of the Hasmonean dynasty. He did try to many his way into the
Hasmonean dynasty to gain legitimacy in the eyes of the Jews-although,
as we’ll see, that didn’t work. But, he always struggled against the fact
that many Jews did not accept Herod as a legitimate king. Throughout his
reign, Herod feared a Jewish revolt against him because he knew that many
Jews didn’t like and trust him. Part of the problems that Herod had came
from within his own household because there were Hasmoneans in his own
household. Among the people who wanted to see a Hasmonean dynasty
restored and independence from the Romans, were, of course, members of
the Hasmonean family.
Who were these Hasmoneans who were part of Herod’s household? The
foremost one was one of his wives. One of Herod’s wives was a Hasmonean
woman named Mariamne. We hear a lot about her. We also hear a lot about
her mother, whose name was Alexandra. One of the important things, by the
way, to know about Herod is that he had wither 9 or 10 wives, depending on
how you read Josephus. Anyone who has 9 or 10 wives has problems-not
just because they have 9 or 10 wives, but they also have 9 or 10 mothers-in-
law. That’s exactly one of the things that Herod had a problem with. What
was the problem? The problem was jockeying for position within Herod’s
household. This is because, for the most part, these women-the mothers
and their daughters-didn’t really care how much Herod liked them or not.
What they were concerned about was who Herod was going to designate as
his heir or successor-who was going to succeed Herod to the throne. If you
have that many wives, mothers, and children, you can imagine there’s going
to be a lot of internal jockeying going on for positioning.
Unfortunately for Mariamne, she actually was Herod’s favorite wife. He
loved her best of all. She apparently was a very beautiful woman and Herod
was madly in love with her. This was unfortunate because Herod therefore
was also insanely jealous of her. He believed that, because she was so
beautiful and he was so insanely in love with her, that everybody else also
wanted her.
One of the problems, in addition to Herod’s love for Mariamne, was the fact
that Alexandra, Mariamne’s mother, continually schemed about jockeying
the Hasmoneans back into control. One of the things that Alexandra did,
very early on, to try and make this come about was to position Mariamne’s
brother in the position of high priest. Mariamne had a younger brother whose
name was Aristobulus III. Alexandra wanted Aristobulus III to be high priest,
because, of course, this was a very important position. It could potentially
develop into something else. Herod, as you can imagine, did not want
Aristobulus III to be high priest because he saw Aristobulus III as a potential
threat. Eventually, Alexandra actually contacts Cleopatra. Because of her
pressure and contact with Cleopatra, Herod reluctantly made Aristobulus III
the high priest.
This actually ended up badly for Aristobulus III. What happens? Aristobulus,
who at this time is a 17-year-old young man, appears as high priest at the
Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem. Josephus describes what happens.
Aristobulus was a youth of 17 when he went up to the altar toIn other words, this event plays right into Herod’s worst fears-that
perform the sacrifices in accordance with the Law, wearing the
ornamental dress of the high priests and carrying out the rites of
the cult, and he was extraordinarily handsome, and taller than most
youths of his age, and in his appearance, he displayed to the full the
nobility of his descent.
And so there arose among the people an impulsive feeling of
affection toward him. Being overcome, they gradually revealed
their feelings, showing joyful and painful emotion at the same
time, and they called out to him good wishes mingled with prayers,
so that the affection of the crowd became evidence, and their
acknowledgement of their emotions seemed too impulsive in view
of their having a king. (Ant. 15: 1-52)
Aristobulus III is going to be so popular that this is going to threaten Herod’s
position as king of Judea. What does Herod do? Almost immediately, Herod
gives instructions to have Aristobulus put to death. This happened in one
of the swimming pools in the palace at Jericho. The main Hasmonean and
Herodian winter palaces were located at the oasis at Jericho, a nice, warm
location not too far from Jerusalem. In one of the swimming pools there,
Herod gives orders to have Aristobulus III drowned. Here is how Josephus
describes it:
For although he (Herod) had given him the high priesthood at theHerod eliminates Aristobulus III, the younger brother of Mariamne.
age of 17, he killed him quickly after he had conferred that dignity
upon him.
When Aristobulus had put on the holy vestments and had approached
the altar at a festival, the multitude in great crowds fell into tears.
Thereupon the youth was sent by night to Jericho, and was plunged
there by the Gauls, at Herod’s command, in a pool until he drowned.
(War l:437)
While all of this is going on, there are other things going on outside, in the
Roman Empire, that are going to affect Herod. First of all, in 36, 37-in
that winter-Cleopatra VII, who’s down in Egypt, married Mark Antony.
At this point, Mark Antony had set up his base of administration in Egypt.
It’s in Egypt that Mark Antony meets and falls in love with Cleopatra. They
get married. Once Cleopatra was married to Mark Antony, she was able to
capitalize on her ambitions.
Remember, her ambitions include trying to revive the Ptolemaic kingdom.
She has her sights set on the same territory that has been given to Herod.
Little by little, Cleopatra gets Mark Antony to give her pieces of Herod’s
territory. Eventually, Cleopatra received from Mark Antony the Decapolis
cities, most of the Palestinian coast, the balsam plantations at Jericho-
which were very lucrative-and the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. Of
course, Herod couldn’t do anything about this. Remember, it was through
the influence of Mark Antony that Herod had been appointed King of Judea.
Ironically, what’s happening at this point is that Herod’s greatest threat is
coming from his big supporter Mark Antony. He can’t do anything about it.
All of this changes in the year 31 B.C. with a battle called the Battle of
Actium. Eventually, tensions between Mark Antony and Octavian reach the
point where they tight a big battle, a naval battle, off the coast of Greece. In
this battle, the Battle of Actium, the forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra
were decisively defeated by the forces of Octavian. Subsequently, Mark
Antony and Cleopatra go back to Egypt, where they both commit suicide.
Octavian then become sole ruler of all of the lands of Rome. A few years
later, in 27 B.C., he is given the title of Augustus by the Roman senate.
The Battle of Actium is very important for Herod because Herod had been
appointed King of Judea through the influence of Mark Antony. After the
Battle of Actitun, the last thing that you want is to be associated with Mark
Antony in any way. Herod, realizing this, immediately, after the battle of
Actium, goes to the island of Rhodes to meet with Octavian. What Herod
does, when meeting with Octavian, is basically to say, listen, we all know
that I was appointed King of Judea because of my friendship with Mark
Antony. But, he says, and this is what Josephus tells us, he says, “Do not
be concerned with whose friend I was, but with how loyal a friend I was.”
Basically, what Herod says is, if you give me a chance, I will prove to you
that I will be just as loyal as I was to Mark Antony.
Herod is so persuasive that not only does Octavian reconiirm Herod as King
of Judea, but he actually increases the size of his kingdom. Eventually, Herod
then rules over a very substantial kingdom that included not just those core
areas of Judea, Samaria, Idurnaea, Galilee, and Peraea, but also territories
going far into the north, far into the area of the Golan Heights and Syria.
Before Herod left for Rhodes to meet with Octavian, he placed Mariamne
and Alexandra under guard in one of his fortresses. After he retumed from
Rome, Herod suspected that Mariamne had had an affair with her guard.
What does he do then? He gives orders to have her put to death. But, after
Herod has Mariamne put to death, he has second thoughts. ln fact, according
to Josephus, he’s actually haunted by Mariamne. He imagines that he sees
her, even though she’s dead. He goes through this delusional period. What
happens then? While Herod is in this sort of delusional period, Alexandra
takes advantage of this situation and gains control of the Jerusalem garrison.
When Herod hears that, he has Alexandra executed. Notice that, by this
point, Herod has had executed Alexandra, Mariamne, and Aristobulus III.
Before Mariarrme was put to death, she bore Herod tive children. Two of
them are very important because they were sons, sons whose names were
Alexander and Aristobulus. Herod sent them to Rome in order to be educated.
This, by the way, is a very interesting thing. It was very common in these
royal families to send your kids to Rome to be properly educated. Herod
sends them, at a very young age, to Rome to be educated. In the year 17
B.C., these two sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, return to Jerusalem. Herod
then arranges marriages for them.
Because they were Hasmonean princes, Herod’s non-Hasmonean relatives,
including his other wives and their children, were jealous of these two
princes. They start to mount a campaign of slander against these two princes.
Herod believes the slander. In the year 12 B.C., Herod denounces the two
princes, Alexander and Aristobulus, before Augustus. He has them taken into
prison, accusing them of treason. In the year 7 B.C., he has them strangled
at Samaria Sebaste. In fact, just five days before Herod died, in the year 4
B.C., he also had his oldest son, the son of his first wife, executed because of
a perceived threat.
Augustus reportedly remarked about Herod, “It is better to be Herod’s pig
than his son.” This is actually a pun in Greek because the word pig and son
are very close-hus and huios. This, by the way, suggests that, if Augustus
really said this, he knew Greek well enough to pun in Greek. It also suggests,
by the way, that Herod observed the Biblical dietary laws and didn’t eat pork.
It’s better to be Herod’s pig than his son, because you’re safer; he won’t
kill you.
The fact of the matter is that Herod eliminated, as we’ve seen, large numbers
of members of his own household. It may be this which underlies the famous
story of the massacre or slaughter of the innocence reported in Matthew,
where we read:
After Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem of Judea during the reign of KingMany scholars believe that there is little or no historical basis to the story of
Herod, astrologers from the east arrived one day in Jerusalem
inquiring, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We observed his
star at its rising and have come to pay him homage? At this King
Herod became greatly disturbed, and with him all Jerusalem...Once
Herod realized that he had been deceived by the astrologers, he
became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys two years
old and under in Bethlehem and its environs, making his calculations
on the basis of the date he had learned from the astrologers.
the slaughter of the innocence. There are various problems with it, including
problems of chronology which don’t work. That is the date of Herod’s death
versus the date of Jesus’ birth, for example, astrological problems. There is
also the fact that we simply don’t have any evidence from any other sources
for an episode like this. Probably what we have here is some sort of a legend
that arises with the kernel of truth in this legend apparently being the fact that
it was known that Herod had slaughtered many members of his own family,
many members of his own household, including his very own sons. When
we look at the slaughter of the innocence, what we’re probably looking at is
something that’s an embellishment of the reputation that Herod had for being
so ruthless that he even massacred his own sons.
