HEROD THE GREAT

 

(From my book "In and Around Jerusalem for Everyone. The Best Walks, Hikes and Outdoor Pools")

 

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. 

On the other hand, he delivered his country to Rome and destroyed any hope of Jewish independence. He eliminated all members of the Hasmonean dynasty even when they were his own flesh and blood. His appointment of 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 also 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 raised as a Jew in Rome. 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.  

 

The Hasmoneans destroyed their own dynasty, and with it hopes for Jewish independence when the two sons of Alexander Yannai engaged in a civil war for kingship. This struggle allowed Antipater to take control of Judea by becoming an advisor to one of the brothers, Hyrcanus, and by strongly allying Hyrcanus' kingdom with Rome. Antipater was poisoned, but Herod would follow the devious machinations of his father and his strong pro-Roman policies.

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When the Parthians invaded Judea and defeated the legions of Rome, Antigonus, a nephew of Hyrcanus, reopened the previous rift in the family by allying with the Parthians and taking over Jerusalem. Hyrcanus accepted the situation, but Herod, who by now had a governmental role, escaped to Rome and persuaded his childhood friend Mark Anthony to appoint him king of the Jews with the intention of realigning the Jewish kingdom with Rome. The Roman Senate ratified his appointment. Herod then raised an army and spent the next 3 years fighting Antigonus until he succeeded in conquering Jerusalem. Antigonus was beheaded and his supporters were massacred.

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Following the assassination of Julius Cesar, Mark Anthony and Octavian vied for power, and in the Battle of Actium the forces of Mark Anthony were defeated and Mark Anthony 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. This close friendship 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 palaces displayed the best of Roman décor and he entertained guests to Herodium in his theater and fed them with the finest of imported foods and wines. 

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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 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 the Maccabean Hyrcanus, to provide legitimacy to his rule. However, he was paranoid, perhaps with some 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 associated with a palace intrigue and he had her put to death. Whether Mariamne was actually guilty of conspiring against Herod or if she was framed due to Herod's paranoia is a matter of historical debate. There are no contemporary records that definitively establish her guilt or innocence, and much of what we know about her comes from later historical accounts. His two sons by Miriam were also suspected of treachery and were strangled.

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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. And not the Roman procurators appointed by Rome who lacked the sensitivity to dampen the messianic yearnings of the Jewish people. Within 74 years of his death the Jews had 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.