Jewish King Herod the Great remains one of the most controversial figures in ancient history. He is best known for the biblical story of the massacre of babies. Therefore, today the very word "Herod" is a phraseological unit, meaning a vile and unprincipled person.
Nevertheless, the personal portrait of this monarch would be incomplete if it began and ended with a mention of the massacre of babies. Herod the Great got his nickname for being active on the throne in a difficult era for the Jews. This characterization runs counter to the image of a bloodthirsty killer, so you should take a closer look at the figure of this king.
Family
By origin, Herod did not belong to the royal Jewish dynasty. His father Antipater the Idumean was governor of the province of Idumea. At this time (1st century BC), the Jewish people found themselves on the path of Roman expansion, which made its way to the east.
In 63 B. C. e. Jerusalem was taken by Pompey, after which the Jewish kings became dependent on the republic. During the civil war in Rome in 49-45. Antipater had to choose between contenders for power in the Senate. He supported Julius Caesar. When he defeated Pompey, his supporters receivedsignificant loy alty dividends. Antipater was awarded the title of procurator of Judea and, although he was not formally king, in fact became the main Roman governor in this province.
Back in 73 BC. e. an Edomite had a son, the future Herod the Great. In addition to being a procurator, Antipater was also the guardian of King Hyrcanus II, over whom he had great influence. It was with the permission of the monarch that he made his son Herod the tetrarch (governor) of the province of Galilee. This happened in 48 BC. e., when the young man was 25 years old.
First steps in politics
Tetrarch Herod the Great was a governor loyal to the Roman supreme power. Such relationships were condemned by the conservative part of Jewish society. The nationalists wanted independence and did not want to see the Romans on their land. However, the external situation was such that Judea could have protection from aggressive neighbors only under the protectorate of the republic.
In 40 B. C. e. Herod, as tetrarch of Galilee, had to face the invasion of the Parthians. They captured the whole defenseless Judea, and in Jerusalem they installed their protege as a puppet king. Herod fled safely from the country in order to enlist support in Rome, where he hoped to get an army and drive out the invaders. By this time, his father Antipater the Idumean had already died of old age, so the politician had to make independent decisions and act at his own peril and risk.
Expulsion of the Parthians
On the way to Rome, Herod stopped in Egypt, where he metqueen Cleopatra. When the Jew finally ended up in the Senate, he managed to negotiate with the powerful Mark Anthony, who agreed to provide the guest with an army to return the province.
The war with the Parthians went on for another two years. The Roman legions, with the support of Jewish refugees and volunteers, liberated the entire country, as well as its capital, Jerusalem. Up to this point, the kings of Israel belonged to an ancient royal dynasty. Even in Rome, Herod received consent to become the ruler himself, but his pedigree was poor. Therefore, the contender for power married the granddaughter of Hyrcanus II Miriamne in order to legitimize himself in the eyes of his compatriots. So, thanks to Roman intervention, in 37 BC. e. Herod became king of Judah.
Start of reign
All the years of his reign, Herod had to balance between the two polar parts of society. On the one hand, he tried to maintain good relations with Rome, since his country was actually a province of the republic, and then of the empire. At the same time, the king needed not to lose authority among his compatriots, most of whom had a negative attitude towards newcomers from the west.
Of all the methods of maintaining power, Herod chose the most reliable - he mercilessly cracked down on his internal and external opponents, so as not to show his own weakness in any way. Repression began immediately after the Roman troops recaptured Jerusalem from the Parthians. Herod ordered the execution of the former king Antigonus, who was placed on the throne by the interventionists. For the new government, the problem wasthat the deposed monarch belonged to the ancient Hasmonean dynasty, which had ruled Judea for more than a century. Despite the protests of disgruntled Jews, Herod remained adamant, and his decision was put into practice. Antiochus was executed along with dozens of close associates.
Out of the crisis
The centuries-old history of the Jews has always been full of tragedies and hardships. The era of Herod was no exception. In 31 BC. e. A devastating earthquake hit Israel, killing more than 30,000 people. Then the southern Arab tribes attacked Judea and tried to plunder it. The state of Israel was in a deplorable state, but the always active Herod did not lose his head and took all measures in order to minimize the damage from these misfortunes.
First of all, he managed to defeat the Arabs and drive them out of his land. The nomads attacked Judea also because the political crisis continued in the Roman state, the echo of which extended to Israel. In that memorable year 31 BC. e. Herod's chief defender and patron, Mark Antony, was defeated in the battle of Actium against the fleet of Octavian Augustus.
This event had the longest lasting impact. The king of Judea sensed a change in the political wind and began to send envoys to Octavian. Soon this Roman politician finally seized power and proclaimed himself emperor. The new Caesar and the king of Judea hit it off, and Herod was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Urban planning activities
A devastating earthquake destroyedmany buildings throughout Israel. In order to raise the country from ruins, Herod had to take the most drastic measures. The construction of new buildings began in the cities. Their architecture received Roman and Hellenistic features. The capital of Jerusalem became the center of such construction.
The main project of Herod was the reconstruction of the Second Temple - the main religious building of the Jews. Over the past centuries, it has become very dilapidated and seemed outdated against the backdrop of new magnificent buildings. The ancient Jews treated the temple as the cradle of their nation and religion, so its reconstruction became the life work of Herod.
The king hoped that this restructuring would help him enlist the support of ordinary people, who for many reasons did not like their ruler, considering him a cruel tyrant and protege of Rome. Herod was generally distinguished by ambition, and the prospect of being in the place of Solomon, who built the First Temple, did not give him peace at all.
Restoration of the Second Temple
The city of Jerusalem has been preparing for several years for restoration, which began in 20 BC. e. The necessary construction resources were brought to the capital from all over the country - stone, marble, etc. The daily life of the temple was full of sacred rituals that could not be violated even during restoration. So, for example, there was a separate inner section, where only Jewish clergymen could enter. Herod ordered them to be trained in building skills so that they themselves could do all the necessary work in the forbidden zone for the laity.
The first year and a half went toto rebuild the main temple building. When this procedure was completed, the building was consecrated and religious services continued in it. Over the next eight years, the courtyards and individual rooms were being restored. The interior was changed to make visitors feel cozy and comfortable in the new temple.
The long-term construction of King Herod outlived his mastermind. Even after his death, the reconstruction was still going on, although the bulk of the work had already been completed.
Roman influence
Thanks to Herod, the ancient Jews received the first amphitheater in their capital, which hosted classic Roman spectacles - gladiator fights. These battles were held in honor of the emperor. In general, Herod tried in every possible way to emphasize that he remained loyal to the central government, which helped him sit on the throne until his death.
The Hellenization policy was not to the liking of many Jews, who believed that by inculcating Roman habits, the king offended his own religion. Judaism in that era was going through a stage of crisis, when false prophets appeared throughout Israel, convincing the common people to accept their own teachings. Heresy was fought by the Pharisees, members of a narrow stratum of theologians and priests who tried to preserve the old religious order. Herod often consulted with them on particularly sensitive issues of his policy.
In addition to symbolic and religious buildings, the monarch improved roads and tried to give his cities everything that was necessary for a comfortable life for their inhabitants. He did not forget about his own prosperity. Herod's PalaceGreat, built under his personal control, struck the imagination of compatriots.
In a critical situation, the king could act extremely generously, despite all his love for luxury and grandeur. In the year 25, a massive famine began in Judea, the suffering poor flooded Jerusalem. The ruler could not feed them at the expense of the treasury, since all the money at that time was invested in construction. Every day the situation became more and more frightening, and then King Herod the Great ordered to sell all his jewelry, with the proceeds from which tons of Egyptian bread were bought.
Massacre of the Innocents
All the positive traits of Herod's character faded with age. By old age, the monarch turned into a merciless and suspicious tyrant. Before him, the kings of Israel were often the victims of conspiracies. This is partly why Herod became paranoid, distrustful even of those closest to him. The darkening of the mind of the king was marked by the fact that he ordered the execution of two of his own sons, who turned out to be victims of a false denunciation.
But another story has become much more famous, connected with the painful outbursts of anger of Herod. The Gospel of Matthew describes an episode according to which mysterious magi came to the ruler. The magicians told the ruler that they were going to the city of Bethlehem, where the real king of Judea was born.
The news of an unprecedented contender for power frightened Herod. He gave an order that the history of the Jews did not yet know. The king ordered to kill all the newborn babies in Bethlehem, which was done. Christian sources give different estimates of the numbervictims of this massacre. It is possible that thousands of babies were killed, although modern historians dispute this theory due to the fact that there could not have been so many newborns in an ancient provincial town. One way or another, but the "king of Judea", to whom the Magi were sent, survived. It was Jesus Christ, the central figure of the new Christian religion.
Death and funeral
Herod did not live long after the story of the massacre of babies. He died about 4 BC. when he was 70 years old. For the ancient era, this was an extremely respectable age. The old man left this world, leaving behind several sons. He bequeathed his throne to the eldest offspring Archelaus. However, this candidacy had to be considered and approved by the Roman emperor. Octavian agreed to give Archelaus only half of Israel, giving the other half to his brothers, thus splitting the country. This was another step of the emperor on the way to the weakening of Jewish power in Judea.
Herod was buried not in Jerusalem, but in the fortress of Herodium, named after him and founded in his reign. The organization of mourning events was taken up by the son Archelaus. Ambassadors came to him from various provinces of the Roman Empire. The guests of Judea witnessed an unprecedented spectacle. The deceased was buried magnificently - in a golden bed and surrounded by a large crowd of people. Mourning for the dead king continued for another week. The State of Israel saw off its first ruler from the Herodiad dynasty for a long time.
The tomb of the king was found by archaeologists recently. This ishappened in 2007. The find made it possible to compare many facts given in ancient written sources with reality.
Conclusion
Herod's personality was ambiguously accepted by his contemporaries. The epithet "Great" was given to him by modern historians. This was done in order to emphasize the great role that the king played in integrating his country with the Roman Empire, as well as maintaining peace in Judea.
Most of all reliable information about Herod, the researchers drew from the works of the historian Josephus Flavius, who was his contemporary. All the successes achieved by the sovereign during his reign became possible thanks to his ambition, pragmatism and confidence in the decisions he makes. There is no doubt that the king often sacrificed the fate of his particular subjects when it came to the viability of the state.
He managed to hold on to the throne, despite the confrontation between the two parties - the Roman and the nationalist. His heirs and descendants could not boast of such success.
The figure of Herod is important throughout Christian history, although his influence is often not so obvious, because he died on the eve of events related to the activities of Christ. Nevertheless, all New Testament history took place in the Israel that this ancient king left behind.
