Category:Herod the Great

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Herod the Great - (Matthew 2:1-22; Luke 1:5; Acts 23:35), the son of Antipater, an Idumaean, and Cypros, an Arabian of noble descent. In the year B.C. 47 Julius Caesar made Antipater, a "wily Idumaean," Procurator of Judea, who divided his territories between his four sons, Galilee falling to the lot of Herod, who was afterwards appointed tetrarch of Judea by Mark Antony (B.C. 40), and also king of Judea by the Roman senate. He was of a stern and cruel disposition. "He was brutish and a stranger to all humanity." Alarmed by the tidings of one "born King of the Jews," he sent forth and "slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under" (Matthew 2:16). He was fond of splendor, and lavished great sums in rebuilding and adorning the cities of his empire. He rebuilt the city of Caesarea (q.v.) on the coast, and also the city of Samaria (q.v.), which he called Sebaste, in honor of Augustus. He restored the ruined temple of Jerusalem, a work which was begun B.C. 20, but was not finished till after Herod's death, probably not till about A.D. 50 (John 2:20). After a troubled reign of thirty-seven years, he died at Jericho amid great agonies both of body and mind, B.C. 4, i.e., according to the common chronology, in the year in which Jesus was born. After his death his kingdom was divided among three of his sons. Of these, Philip had the land east of Jordan, between Caesarea Philippi and Bethabara, Antipas had Galilee and Peraea, while Archelaus had Judea and Samaria. See table of descendants: GENEALOGICAL TABLE OF THE HERODIAN FAMILY Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1) Married Mariamne, the Asmonean, Grand-daughter of John Hyrcanus Mariamne, Daughter of Simon, the high priest Malthace, A Samaritan Cleopatra of Jerusalem Aristobulus Herod Philip I (Matthew 14:3) Herod Philip II, tetrarch (Matthew 16:13; Luke 3:1) Salome (2.) by Herodias (Matthew 14:6; Luke 3:19) Agrippa I. (Acts 12:1) Herodias (Matthew 14:3) Herod Antipas (Luke 3:1, Luke 3:19; Luke 9:7, etc.) Archelaus (Matthew 2:22) Agrippa II. (Acts 25:13) Bernice (Acts 25:13) Drusilla (Acts 24:24)