Character Studies - ElectronicGospel

Character Study of the Herodsa character study by Jeff S. SmithIntroductionThe Herods are a familiar and villainous family to New Testament readers, although that name itselfactually indicates heroism. The Herods were a political family whose history of greatness wasovershadowed by its penchant for cunning, immorality and trickery.DiscussionI. Their CharacterA. History1. Herod is not a proper name, but a family and political name and thus many Herods cross theNew Testament stage before they are effectively extinguished along with Judaism at the hands of theRomans in A.D. 702. the Herodians were not Jewish by blood, although their patriarch, Herod the Great, encouragedthat myth in order to gain the favor of the people he came to rulea. they were Idumeans, nominal Jews in that they were subdued by John Hyrcanus in 125B.C. and compelled to adopt circumcision as a result, but still antagonistic toward the Hebrew peopleb. Antipas was the forefather of the Herods, a governor of Idumea, whose son, Antipater, wasappointed to govern Judea in 47 B.C.3. when Antipater died, his second son, who became known as Herod the Great, began his ascenta. Herod the Great began his political career as the governor of Galilee before beingpromoted to tetrach of Judea and finally its king through gaining the favor of Caesar in 37 B.C.b. Herod slaughtered his rivals, even killing his own wife, mother-in-law and sons, and sawhis kingdom expand by devouring the Arabiansc. Herod the Great “continually offended and defied his Jewish subjects, by the introductionof Roman sports and heathen temples in his dominion. His influence on the younger Jews in this regardwas baneful, and slowly a distinct partly arose, partly political, partly religious, which called itself theHerodian party, Jews in outward religious forms but Gentiles in their dress and in their whole view of life.They were a bitter offense to the rest of the nation, but were associated with the Pharisees and Sadduceesin their opposition to Christ (Matthew 22:16; Mark 3:6; 12:13).” 584. Herod tried to win the admiration of his Jewish subjects by charity and appeasement, but theycontinued to view him as a usurper of David’s throne, whose grave he robbed of its treasures to enrich hisRoman overlordsa. this he tried to balance by reconstructing the temple of Zerubbabel and making it moremagnificent than even Solomon's temple had been, a project that was mostly completed a decade or twobefore the time of Jesus, but which remained under renovation almost until it fellb. “It was so transcendently beautiful that it ranked among the world's wonders, and Josephusdoes not tire of describing its glories (BJ, V, v). Even Titus sought to spare the building in the final attackon the city (BJ, VI, iv, 3).” 595. Herod had one more rival that he wanted to kill before his own death brought about thedivision of his kingdom among his survivors (Matthew 2:1-8, 12, 16-18)B. Archelaus and Antipas1. the death of the Herod the Great is noted in Matthew 2:19, the occasion upon which Jesus’sparents return him from Egypt, but the danger has not completely subsided (Matthew 2:22-23)a. this is Herod Archelaus, the eldest son and a man of violent temperb. his rule was canceled by a rare alliance of the Jews and Samaritans who obtained relieffrom Rome, which banished Archelaus to Vienna2. Herod Antipas was his brother and ruled as tetrarch of Galilee and Perea from 4 B.C. to A.D.39a. Jesus described him as “cunning like a fox” (Luke 13:32), but this was not quite acompliment, for Antipas was as immoral, violent and selfish as anyone else who wore the nameb. he was somewhat partial to John the baptizer, but the fact that he had married his ownsister-in-law and lusted for her daughter, who was, of course, also his own stepdaughter and niece,brought him under further condemnation (Matthew 14:1-12)221