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 beating of infants. Therefore, today the very word "Herod" is a phraseological unit, meaning a mean and unprincipled person.
Nevertheless, the personal portrait of this monarch would not be complete if he began and ended with the mention of the massacre of infants. Herod the Great received his nickname for his active work on the throne in an era difficult for Jews. This characteristic is contrary to the image of a bloodthirsty killer, so it’s worth taking a closer look at the figure of this king.
A family
By its origin, Herod did not belong to the royal Jewish dynasty. His father Antipater the Edomite was governor of the province of Edom. At this time (I century BC), the Jewish people found themselves on the path of Roman expansion, which paved 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 years. Antipater had to choose between applicants for power in the Senate. He supported Julius Caesar. When he defeated Pompey, his supporters received significant dividends for loyalty. Antipater was awarded the title of procurator of Judea and, although he was not formally king, actually became the main Roman governor in this province.
Back in 73 BC. e. a son was born of the Edomite, the future Herod the Great. Besides the fact that Antipater was a procurator, he was also the guardian of King Hirkan II, whom he had a great influence on. 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 viceroy loyal to the Roman supreme authority. Such relationships were condemned by the conservative part of Jewish society. 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 BC e. Herod, as the tetrarch of Galilee, had to face the invasion of the Parthians. They captured all the defenseless Judea, and in Jerusalem they appointed their henchman as the puppet king. Herod safely fled the country in order to gain support in Rome, where he hoped to get an army and expel the invaders. By this time, his father Antipater Idumeyanin had already died of old age, so the politician had to make independent decisions and act at his own risk.
The expulsion of the Parthians
On the way to Rome, Herod stopped in Egypt, where he met with Queen Empress Cleopatra. When the Jew finally found himself in the Senate, he managed to negotiate with the powerful Mark Anthony, who agreed to provide the guest with an army for the return of 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 whole country, as well as its capital, Jerusalem. Until that moment, the kings of Israel belonged to the ancient monarch of the dynasty. Even in Rome, Herod received consent to become a ruler himself, but his pedigree was arrogant. Therefore, the applicant for power married the granddaughter of Hyrcanus II Miriamne in order to legitimize in the eyes of compatriots. So, thanks to Roman intervention, in 37 BC. e. Herod became king of Judea.
The beginning of the reign
Throughout 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 the empire. At the same time, the tsar 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 one - he mercilessly cracked down on his internal and external opponents so as not to show his own weakness. Repression began immediately after Roman troops recaptured Jerusalem from the Parthians. Herod ordered the execution of the former king Antigonus, who was seated on the throne by the interventionists. For the new government, the problem was that the ousted 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, along with dozens of close associates, was executed.
Way out of the crisis
The centuries-old history of Jews has always been full of tragedies and difficult trials. The era of Herod was no exception. In 31 BC e. in Israel there was a devastating earthquake that claimed the lives of more than 30 thousand people. Then the southern Arab tribes attacked Judea and tried to plunder it. The state of Israel was in a deplorable state, but always active Herod was not at a loss and took all measures to minimize the damage from these misfortunes.
First of all, he managed to defeat the Arabs and expel them from his land. Nomads attacked Judea also because the political crisis continued in the Roman state , the echo of which extended to Israel. In that memorable 31 BC e. the main defender and patron of Herod, Mark Anthony, was defeated in the battle of Actium against the fleet of Octavian Augustus.
This event had the longest-running consequences. The king of Judea sensed a change in the political wind and began to send ambassadors to Octavian. Soon this Roman politician finally seized power and proclaimed himself emperor. The new Caesar and the king of Judea found a common language, and Herod was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Urban development activities
A devastating earthquake destroyed many buildings throughout Israel. In order to lift the country out of ruins, Herod needed to take the most decisive measures. In the cities began the construction of new buildings. Their architecture received Roman and Hellenistic features. The center of such construction was the capital of Jerusalem.
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 regarded the temple as the cradle of their nation and religion, so its reconstruction became the work of Herod's whole life.
The king hoped that this perestroika would help him enlist the support of an ordinary people, who for many reasons did not like his ruler, considering him a cruel tyrant and a 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 rest at all.
Restoration of the Second Temple
The city of Jerusalem for several years was preparing for the 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 everyday life of the temple was full of sacred rituals that could not be broken even during the restoration. So, for example, there was a separate internal section where only Jewish clerics could get. Herod ordered them to be trained in building skills so that they themselves could do all the necessary work in the restricted area.
The first one and a half years were spent on rebuilding the main temple building. When this procedure was completed, the structure was consecrated and religious services continued. Over the next eight years, restoration of courtyards and individual rooms was underway. The interior was changed so that visitors were comfortable and comfortable in the new church.
The unfinished king Herod outlived his mastermind. Even after his death, the reconstruction still continued, although most of the work was already completed.
Roman influence
Thanks to Herod, the ancient Jews received in their capital the first amphitheater in which classical Roman spectacles - gladiatorial fights - took place. 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 to sit on the throne until his death.
Hellenization did not like the policy of many Jews who believed that by imposing Roman habits, the king insulted his own religion. Judaism in that era was in crisis, when false prophets appeared throughout Israel, persuading ordinary people to accept their own teachings. The Pharisees, members of a narrow stratum of theologians and priests, who tried to preserve the old religious order, fought against heresy. Herod often consulted with them in especially sensitive issues of his politics.
In addition to symbolic and religious buildings, the monarch improved roads and tried to give his cities everything that was necessary for the convenient life of their inhabitants. He did not forget about his own wealth. The palace of Herod the Great, built under his personal control, astounded the imagination of compatriots.
In a critical situation, the king could act extremely generously, despite all his love of luxury and greatness. In the year 25, a massive famine began in Judea, suffering poor people 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. With each passing 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 character traits of Herod faded with age. By old age, the monarch turned into a merciless and suspicious tyrant. Before him, the kings of Israel often became victims of conspiracies. This is partly why Herod became paranoid, not even trusting his loved ones. The clouding of the king’s mind was marked by the fact that he ordered the execution of two of his own sons, who were victims of a false denunciation.
But another story related to the painful outbursts of Herod's anger became much more famous. 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 pretender to power scared Herod. He gave an order that the history of the Jews did not yet know. The king ordered all the newborn babies of Bethlehem to be killed , which was done. Christian sources give different estimates about the number of victims of this massacre. Thousands of babies may have been killed, although modern historians dispute this theory because of 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 heading, survived. He was Jesus Christ, the central figure of the new Christian religion.
Death and funeral
Herod did not live long after the story of the beating of infants. He died around 4 BC. e. when he was 70 years old. For the ancient era, it was an extremely respectable age. The old man left this world, leaving behind several sons. He bequeathed to the eldest offspring Archelaus his throne. However, this candidacy was 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 and thus split the country. This was the next step of the emperor on the road to the weakening of Jewish authority in Judea.
Herod was not buried in Jerusalem, but in the fortress of Herodion, named after him and founded in his reign. The organization of mourning events was undertaken by the son of Archelaus. Ambassadors from various provinces of the Roman Empire arrived to him . 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 deceased king continued for another week. The state of Israel for a long time escorted to the last journey its first ruler from the dynasty of Herodias.
The tomb of the king was recently discovered by archaeologists. This happened in 2007. The find made it possible to compare many facts cited in ancient written sources with reality.
Conclusion
Herod's personality was controversially 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 the integration of his country with the Roman Empire, as well as maintaining peace in Judea.
The researchers obtained the most reliable information about Herod from the works of the historian Josephus Flavius, who was his contemporary. All the successes achieved by the sovereign during the reign became possible thanks to his ambition, pragmatism and confidence in the decisions made. There is no doubt that the king often sacrificed the fate of his specific subjects when it came to the viability of the state.
He managed to hold out on 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 for the whole of Christian history, although his influence is often not so obvious, because he died on the eve of events related to the work of Christ. Nevertheless, the whole New Testament story took place in the Israel that this ancient king left behind.