On one of the hot and stuffy days of the 4th year of the new era, which had just begun, the territory of the Herodion fortress, located 15 km from Jerusalem, was filled with thousands of people. Everyone's gaze was directed towards the golden bed raised above the ground, on which rested the dead body of the one who ruled Judea for almost forty years, causing horror mixed with admiration in his subjects. This was King Herod the Great, whose name has become in our days a kind of phraseological unit meaning a cruel and ruthless person.
Ancestors of the future king
By birth, Herod the Great did not belong to any royal family. His father, whose name was Antipater, was only a high-ranking official who served as the Roman governor of Idumea, a small territory in the southern Israelite highlands. Once upon a time, in ancient times, it was inhabited by the pagan tribes of the Idumeans (the name of the area came from them), to which the grandfather of the future king Herod, the father of Antipater, belonged.
At the end of the 1st century BC. e. Idumea was conquered by the Jews, and, having expressed loyalty to the victors, and most importantly, accepting their faith - Judaism, the prudent grandfather was appointed to rule over all his compatriots. From him, power with all the due privileges was inherited by his son Antipater, the father of the future king Herod.
Restoration of the Second Temple
The city of Jerusalem prepared for several years 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 daily life of the temple was full of sacred rituals that could not be violated even during restoration. For example, there was a separate internal section where only Jewish clergy could enter. Herod ordered to train them in construction skills so that they themselves could do all the necessary work in the area forbidden to the laity.
The first year and a half was spent rebuilding the main temple building. When this procedure was completed, the building was consecrated and religious services continued there. Over the next eight years, restoration of the courtyards and individual premises took place. The interior was changed to make visitors feel cozy and comfortable in the new temple.
The long-term construction of King Herod outlived its inspiration. Even after his death, reconstruction was still ongoing, although the bulk of the work had already been completed.
Prudent Antipater
It should be noted that this same Antipater inherited from his ancestor not only power, but also a heightened political sense, coupled with complete unprincipledness. Just as he at one time easily renounced the religion of his ancestors and, having accepted the faith of the Jews, entered into cooperation with them, so he was not slow to express support for the Romans, who captured in 63 BC. era Jerusalem. Having thus earned favor from the Roman commander Pompey, he was made governor of all Judea.
In 49-45 Doctor of Science era, Rome was engulfed in a civil war that broke out between two contenders for the then vacant imperial throne - the prominent military leader Pompey and his rival Julius Caesar. As a high-ranking official, Antipater was obliged to publicly express support for one of them. It was a choice on which the entire subsequent career, and possibly life, depended. Having guessed with his inner instinct the future winner - Julius Caesar, he supported him, thus betraying his former benefactor Pompey.
Having come to power, the new emperor generously thanked all his supporters, including Antipater. From now on, he acquired the title of procurator of Judea, behind whom the invincible Roman legions stood in powerful ranks. He shared his power with only one person - the then king Hyrcon II, who simultaneously performed the duties of the high priest.
Herod was not so much a king as a governor
The problem arose essentially because calling Herod king is a bit of a misnomer. He was a viceroy, that is, a person in charge of a certain territory under the rule of Rome. In essence, he was the ruler of the people he ruled. The average biblical peasant will most likely not encounter a real emperor during his lifetime.
But King Herod was in a strange and precarious position. According to biblical accounts, he ruled the gigantic and important territory of Judea. He was responsible for many people over quite a large area of land. But he was still only a protege of Rome. He had to please the emperor at all times and know which way the political wind was blowing if he wanted to maintain his power.
And to keep his Roman overlords happy, he had to keep the situation under control. And defend what was then the edge of the empire. He conquered territories, built fortresses... But the local Jewish population never recognized him as their king, and this infuriated him.
Tetrarch of Galilee
In 73 B.C. era, Antipater had a son - the future king Herod the Great. When he was 25 years old, his father easily obtained from the king the position of tetrarch (governor) of Galilee, the northern and very large province of Judea. Already at the very beginning of his career, the young official distinguished himself by brutally suppressing the uprising of local residents, raised by them under the leadership of their leader Hezekiah.
The inhabitants of Galilee tried to put an end to the Roman rule they hated, but Herod the Great (as his descendants began to call him) always remembered from whose hands he received power and gold. By the defeat and subsequent execution of the “Galilean rebels,” the tetrarch rose even more in the eyes of his Roman masters, but at the same time earned the hatred of the Jews.
The key moment that changed the course of Herod’s entire future life was what happened in 40 BC. e. the invasion of Galilee by the Parthians - inhabitants of the Parthian kingdom, an ancient state located southeast of the Caspian Sea. Unable to resist them, the tetrarch fled first to Jerusalem and then to Idumea. Having thus found himself in safety, he nevertheless did not calm down, but decided to take advantage of the current situation and benefit even from the invasion of foreigners.
Expulsion of the Parthians
On the way to Rome, Herod stopped in Egypt, where he met Queen Cleopatra. When the Jew finally found himself in the Senate, he managed to come to an agreement with the powerful Mark Antony, who agreed to provide the guest with an army to return the province.
The war with the Parthians continued for two more years. Roman legions, with the support of Jewish refugees and volunteers, liberated the entire country, as well as its capital Jerusalem. Until this moment, the kings of Israel belonged to an ancient royal dynasty. While still in Rome, Herod received consent to become a ruler himself, but his pedigree was of low birth. 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 Judea.
Before the Roman Senate
For this purpose, the fugitive tetrarch went to Rome. Since his path ran through Egypt, he did not miss the opportunity to get an audience with Queen Cleopatra, which was later very useful to him. Having finally arrived in the capital of the greatest empire in the world at that time, Herod the Great first of all enlisted the support of the consul Mark Antony. He gained favor with him by conveying a tender message from the Egyptian queen, with whom he was on close terms.
Further, having such an influential ally on his side, Herod was able to easily convince the Senate that the blame for the occupation of Galilee lay entirely with King Hyrcanus II, who, through his passivity and inaction, allowed the enemy to win such an easy victory. He sees the only way out of this situation as the removal of the negligent ruler and his appointment to the vacant position.
The senators reacted favorably to his arguments, but, according to their decision, before he began to reign, he had to (with their support, of course) liberate Judea from the invaders. They did not give him troops at that moment, but they generously provided him with money, with which, having arrived in Ptolemais (the present-day Israeli city of Acre), Herod the Great assembled an army consisting of mercenaries, as well as Jewish refugees from the occupied territories.
The long-awaited accession
Having liberated most of the country with their help, he finally approached the walls of Jerusalem, which was impossible to take with the forces at his disposal. Herod was rescued by the Roman senators, who vigilantly followed the course of events from afar. At a critical moment, they sent 11 legions of the regular army to help him under the command of the experienced military leader Sosius.
Arriving at the place, they besieged Jerusalem according to all the rules of military art, and soon forced its defenders to surrender. Among other trophies, in the hands of the winners was the then-ruling protege of the invaders, King Antigonus, and 45 of his active supporters.
This is how Herod the Great came to reign in Judea, becoming one of the most famous historical figures of the ancient world. His name is mentioned repeatedly both in the Jewish Holy Scriptures and on the pages of the Gospel. Ancient historians Josephus, Appian and many others report about it.
Their writings also often include the wife of Herod the Great, Mariamne, who was the granddaughter of the former king and high priest Hyrcanus II, who was displaced as a result of her husband’s intrigues. He married her in order to gain greater legitimacy in the eyes of the Jews who inhabited the country.
The cruel ruler of Judea
It should be noted that the reign of Herod the Great was by no means cloudless. He always had to maneuver between two polar forces. On the one hand, he had to show unquestioning submission to Rome, since at that time Judea was essentially his distant province, and on the other hand, he had to keep the local population, the vast majority of whom hated foreigners, in unquestioning obedience.
As a result, King Herod the Great, submissive and servile to his Roman masters, was cruel and merciless with his own people. He began his reign with mass executions of the defenders of Jerusalem. By his order, even King Antigonus, who belonged to the ancient and highly respected Hasmonean family among Jews, was put to death. Despite many petitions in his defense, Herod was adamant, and the deposed king climbed to the scaffold along with his entourage. He strengthened his authority in subsequent years with equally inhumane measures.
King Herod died a terrible death
The Bible says that King Herod was eaten by worms because he did not respect God enough. It may be a metaphor, but his actual death wasn't much better.
He most likely died of kidney disease. He complained of stomach pains, suffered from cramps and never seemed to stop itching. The “worms” may have been dry skin. He may also have developed an infection and/or contracted gonorrhea.
Before he died, King Herod took one last heinous step. He gathered all the most prominent people in every village of his region and locked them in the hippodrome of Caesarea. It was like a big Roman style stadium on the seashore. Which often became home to protests when the situation became tense.
King Herod ordered Salome to kill all the village leaders as soon as he died. So that the Jews of his kingdom would mourn him.
But Salome freed everyone as soon as it became clear that Herod had died. Then there was such a terrible uprising that Rome was forced to send an army to suppress it.
Palace of Herod the Great in Jerusalem
It is known that the ruler of Judea attached great importance to the external attributes of his power. One of them was the palace of Herod the Great, Herodion, erected 15 kilometers from the former border of Jerusalem. Now on the site of the artificial mountain that was its foundation, there is a national park, and in those ancient times the gigantic structure amazed the eyes of visitors with marble columns, a luxurious amphitheater and many different buildings. It was designed in such a way that in case of war it could be used as a fortification structure. For this, in addition to high walls, various tunnels and secret passages were provided.
The vicissitudes of fate
Soon after Herod's accession to the throne, Judea faced a whole series of difficult trials. It began with an earthquake that occurred in 31 BC. era, which destroyed many Jerusalem buildings and claimed the lives of 30 thousand inhabitants of the country. Before the Jews had time to survive this misfortune, a new one knocked on their doors.
That same year, Judea was invaded from the south by numerous Arab tribes. Their unexpected invasion was a consequence of the weakening of Rome, caused by the civil war that was blazing in it and the defeat that Herod’s main patron, Mark Antony, suffered in a naval battle with Octavian Augustus. The Arabs took advantage of this and, foreseeing the possibility of unpunished robberies, invaded the borders of a state previously inaccessible to them. Only the extraordinary determination and leadership talent of King Herod helped save the country.
Having made incredible efforts and expelled the uninvited guests, he directed all his energy to take advantage of the political changes that had taken place in Rome with the greatest benefit. Immediately after the defeat of his recent patron Mark Antony, Herod broke all relations with him and began sending ambassadors to Octavian Augustus. His efforts were not in vain: having soon taken the imperial throne, the new patron provided Herod with the same strong position as his predecessor.
Way out of the crisis
The centuries-old history of the Jews has always been full of tragedies and difficult trials. The era of Herod was no exception. In 31 BC. e. A devastating earthquake occurred in Israel, killing more than 30 thousand people. At the same time, 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 to minimize the damage from these misfortunes.
First of all, he managed to defeat the Arabs and expel them from 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 main defender and patron, Mark Antony, was defeated in the battle of Actium against the fleet of Octavian Augustus.
This event had the most long-lasting consequences. 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 found a common language, and Herod was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
The King is the Builder of Jerusalem
Herod the Great, whose biography is filled with many deeds that left a mark in the memory of descendants, went down in history as an outstanding builder. The impetus for the beginning of this activity was given by the earthquake mentioned above. To eliminate its consequences and raise the once prosperous country from the ruins, the most energetic measures were required.
Despite the fact that the recent war with the Arabs had pretty much emptied the treasury, Herod found the means to attract many foreign architects to the capital, where the main work took place. As a result, the architecture of the newly erected buildings largely acquired Roman and Greek features.
The main construction project of his entire life was the reconstruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, which had become very dilapidated over many centuries. By completing this ambitious project, the king hoped to raise his authority among the Jews, who regarded the temple as the cradle of their religion and the nation as a whole. In addition, ambitious by nature, he was haunted by the glory of King Solomon, who built the First Temple, and to remain in the memory of his descendants as a successor to his work was the secret dream that Herod the Great cherished within himself.
Betrayal
It would seem that the peace and prosperity that had finally established in Israel should have made the further reign of Herod the Builder calm and happy.
But Mariamm and her relatives could not forgive him for ordering the murder. The rest of the king's life was completely overshadowed by conspiracies and attempts on his life. Josephus describes in detail how Herod conducted investigation after investigation, uncovering plans for one palace coup after another. In yet another marital quarrel, Mariamm humiliated the king, calling him a half-breed, hinting that he was no match for her famous Hasmonean family. Herod, in a fit of anger, killed his wife, and then mourned her death for a long time. It was at this moment that a breakdown occurred in his psyche, making him the suspicious, vindictive and extremely cruel tyrant that we now remember him as. He executed all the instigators of the assassination attempts, including his own son, pretty much thinned out Mariamm’s relatives, and saw conspiracies against himself everywhere and in everything. Often these suspicions turned out to be far from unfounded. According to the chronicle of Josephus, the last bloody act of Herod, who was already almost completely defeated by a serious illness, was the order to kill thousands of married men, mostly from noble families. Having dedicated his entire life to the glory and prosperity of Israel and its people, Herod was now left completely alone. He was deeply worried that he was never recognized by the Jews, who continued to consider him an unworthy half-breed, confirming those fateful words of the late Mariamm. Herod was afraid that even after all that he had done for Israel, his name would be forgotten and there would not be anyone at his funeral to mourn his death. Then he ordered the death of a thousand men on the day of his death, hoping that their wives would shed tears, which he could perceive as grief in himself. The order was carried out. The Gospel story about the beating of infants by Herod in order to kill Jesus does not find any historical evidence. Probably, the authors of the Gospel took the king’s last order as a basis and reworked this story into a religious myth, which everyone eventually believed. And Herod died a year before the birth of Jesus, so even if he wanted to, he could not have organized a hunt for him. Another argument against this version is the fact that Bethlehem, where this biblical tragedy unfolded, was a rather small settlement, more like a village, and there simply could not have been such a large number of infants. Herod was named the Great after his death. He received this title for the grandiose construction that he launched throughout Judea and beyond, for the diplomatic talents that allowed him to remain in power, despite all the political and military vicissitudes of the Roman Empire. We can say with complete confidence: if Israel had not had this controversial, but definitely strong and influential personality, its history would have gone in a completely different direction, and today the rebels in Syria would simply have nothing to destroy, because almost all of its architectural and historical the monuments were erected by Herod the Great. Read us in Zen
Massacre of the innocents
King Herod owes much of his fame today to an episode described in detail in the Gospel of Matthew. We are talking about how Herod heard from the wise men hurrying to Bethlehem about the birth of Jesus Christ, the new king of Israel. Taking their words literally and fearing that he had a competitor, he set out to destroy the newborn.
However, not knowing exactly who they were talking about and where to look for him, he gave an order unprecedented in its cruelty. Herod ordered the killing of all male babies in Bethlehem up to the age of two, believing that among them would certainly be the one he feared so much. Evangelist Matthew is silent about the number of victims, but Holy Tradition speaks of 14 thousand killed.
This atrocity overshadowed in the memory of descendants all the good that Herod the Great did in his life. The babies, innocently destroyed by him, forever created the king’s reputation as the evil genius of the Jewish people, making him a symbol of tyranny and inhumanity.
King Herod made the temple much more beautiful
To understand how important this is, you must understand the importance of the Temple in Jewish culture. For Jews expelled from various countries, it was very important to have a place of worship that no one could take away. It is still considered sacred by modern Jews in the form of the Western Wall. The remains of the Temple survived centuries later.
According to biblical history, the temple that King Herod restored was the second temple. The first was built by King Solomon, but was destroyed by the Babylonians. This was the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. This was the most important place for the Jews in Herod's kingdom. And making it bigger and more beautiful was very important to them.
But King Herod generally loved to build. He earned his title of “Great” because he started so many useful architectural projects during his reign. During his reign, many cities and military fortifications were built. He also gave money to cities such as Antioch and Sparta so that they could develop.
The end of the life of the great king
In the last years of his life, Herod was an example of pathological cruelty, vindictiveness and suspicion, which sometimes went beyond common sense. So, one day, on the basis of only empty speculation, the sons of Herod the Great - Alexander and Aristobulus - were executed. In those days, his magnificent palace was plunged into an atmosphere of general fear, in which none of its inhabitants knew whether he would live to see the next day.
The death of Herod the Great, which followed in the 4th year of the new era, was the result of a serious illness that tormented him in his last months. Wanting to leave behind a good memory, shortly before his death he ordered the payment of salaries to all his soldiers and those who performed various duties in the public service.
He also took care of a successor, appointing Archelaus, one of his sons, who miraculously escaped his father’s wrath and therefore survived. Herod appointed his brother Antipas tetrarch of Galilee - the very region where he himself once began to reign.
The funeral of the deceased king was arranged with extraordinary pomp. Archelaus covered his father's body with precious purple and placed it on the golden bed, which was mentioned at the very beginning of the story. Around him, with their heads bowed, stood a guard of honor, consisting of several hundred Thracian, German and Gallic warriors, who had recently faithfully served their master. According to his last will, Herod the Great was buried on the grounds of his own palace-fortress of Herodion, where his tomb was discovered in 2007 by Israeli archaeologists.
