The Herod’s

 

Herod became a family name..

 

NT Herod’s:

            Herod the Great

Herod Archaelaus (2nd Generation)

Herod Antipas (2nd Generation)

Herod Philip II (2nd Generation)

Herod Agrippa I (3rd Generation)

Herod Agrippa II (4th Generation)

 

Julius Caesar makes Antipater the procurator (“manager of Caesar’s affairs”) in:

            Judea

            Samaria

            Galilee

 

Antipater was the father of Phasail and Herod.

            Phasail was appointed governor of Jerusalem

            Herod was appointed governor of Galilee

 

Herod the Great

a. He was an Idumaean, (Edomite) a descendant from Esau.

b. The Idumaeans came up out of the Negeb (southern Palestine about 125 BC.

c. They became Jewish by religion

d. Jews considered them ½ Jews

e. Herod the Great was appointed procurator (or, governor for emperor) in Galilee at age 25.

f.  He was given a tetrarchy.

            -a tetrarchy is ¼ of a Roman province.  A Tetrarch is the Roman Governor of that ¼ part.

g. Mark Antony made him King of Palestine.

h. Augustus Caesar enlarged his territory

i.  Herod did not become King until he captured Jerusalem in 37 BC.

j.  He had a passion for architecture.

k. He built up the capital city of Jerusalem greatly.

l.  He built up the temple to gain favor and access to the public genealogies so that he could destroy the genealogy of the expected Messiah.

m. He paid for the building of the temple himself.

n.  Herod was given permission to take Zerubbabel’s temple down to its foundation.

o.  He had 9 wives.

p.  He killed his favorite wife Marianne and it haunted him.

q.  5 days before his death he killed his son Antipater II.

r.   In Mt. 2:13,16 he had killed many of the boys in Bethlehem.

s.  On his death he had all the Jewish leaders come to him.  Then he them looked up in one of the theaters and ordered that they be killed upon his death so that the people would be mourning at his death.

 

Herod’s Building of the Temple:

a. Began in 20 BC

b.  Used 1,000 wagons to draws stones. 

            10,000 workers trained the priest in carpentering and stone cutting

c.  The temple building itself was built with white stones 37.5 feet long and 12 feet high.

d.  A great white dome sat high above it with a gold pinnacle

e.  The temple took 1 ½ years to be built by the priest.

f.  The rooms, arches colonnades and outer enclosures took 8 years to build

g.  Additions were added continuously so that it was built in 46 years (John 2:20) (20 BC-26 AD)

h.  Work continued until 64 AD, 6 years before Titus leveled it.

i.  At that time, Herod the Great’s greatgrandson Agripa II was making preparations to raise the temple 30 feet.

j.  On Aug. 10, 70 AD on the Jewish Sabbath, the temple was burnt.

 

Herod Archaelous

a.  Eldest of Herod’s 3 sons who succeeded him.

b.  Samaritan mother Malthace

c.  Herod wanted him on the throne next

d.  50 Jewish leaders sailed to Rome to protest

e.  Emperor Augustus refused to allow him to reign as king but made him governor of ½ the kingdom:  Samaria, Judea, Idumaea.

f.  Archaelous overstretched his authority that resulted in revolts.  He tried to stop the revolts with cruel acts and terrorism.

g.  One Passover he slew 3,000 Jews and filled the temple with dead bodies.

h.  He was deposed in 6 AD to Vienna in Gaul (France) because of complaints.  He died there.

i.  Mt.2: 22 says that Joseph decided not to move to Bethlehem but instead went into Galilee with his young family to avoid Archaelous

 

Herod Antipas

a.  Archaelaus full and younger brother.

b.  Sly, ambitious, luxurious

c.  Not as good of a king as father

d.  History calls him a wily sneak.

e.  Jesus called him a “fox” in Luke 13:32.

f.  Committed sly selfish crimes that lacked principle.

g.  Made tetrarch (1/4 of kingdom) of Galilee and Perea by father and Augustus.

h.  While visiting his ½ brother Philip I, he eloped with Philip’s wife, Herodias.

i.  John the Baptist preached against this scandal in Mark 6:18.

j.  Herodias’ daughter was named Salome.  Salome would be the granddaughter of the High Priest Simeon on her mother’s side.  She danced for Antipas.

k.  Antipas thought Jesus was John the Baptist come to life (Lk.9: 7; Mt.14: 2)

l.  Antipas was in Jerusalem and had come from his territory of Galilee during Jesus final week. He had Jesus appear before him for one of the trials before the crucifixion. (Lk.23:5-12)

m.  He laid up weapons for 70,000 soldiers to fight against Rome in 39 AD.  Emperor Caligula called him to Rome.

n.  His brother, Archaelaus’ son, Agrippa I was king in Judea, Samaria and Idumaea at this time.

o.  Agrippa I from Judea reported Antipas’ actions.

p.  Emperor Caligula deported Antipas to Lyons, Gaul (France) with his wife Herodias into perpetual banishment.  He eventually died in Spain.

 

Agrippa I

a.  Agrippa’s father was killed by Agrippa’s Grandfather Herod the Great.

b.  Born in 10BC, died in 44AD

c.  Educated in Rome as were all Herodian Princes

d.  Kind and well mannered, power of speech and vain

e.  Very zealous of Jewish law

f.  At a young age became friends with Emperor Caligula while they were young and in schooling

g. While Emperor Tibaius was still ruling, a chariot driver for Agrippa and Caligula heard Agrippa           say to Caligula that he wished Tiberius would die and Caligula become emperor. The chariot driver, Eutychus, told Tiberius who then put Agrippa in chains and imprisoned him.

h.  Tiberius died in 6 months and Caligula became emperor.  Agrippa was brought before him shaved and changed. Caligula placed a diadem on Agrippa’s head and made him King of NE Palestine in Philip’s (his uncle’s place)

i.  Tiberius had a gold chain made and replaced the iron chain. It was of equal weight and was hung around Agrippa’s neck. Agrippa hung this chain in the temple treasury in Jerusalem as a memorial to God for raising up the fallen.

j.  Meanwhile Emperor Caligula became insane and said he was deity and ordered a statue of himself to be placed in the temple. While he was drunk, he asked Agrippa fro anything and Agrippa asked that the statue not be set up.

k.  When Caligula died, Claudius came to the Emperor’s throne. Claudius had been the laughing stock of the court but through Agrippa’s diplomacy he was made emperor.

l.  In return King Agrippa was given in addition to NE Palestine, Judea, Samaria and Abylene; almost as large as his Grandfather’s, King Herod the Great.  

m. One day while attending the feast of Tabernacles, he found the scripture in Duet. 17:15 that said no foreigner could be king.  King Agrippa burst into tears, but they assured him with Deut. 23:7,8 that said the Edomites were not to be abhorred and that the 3rd generation was to be allowed into the assembly of the law.

n.  Tiberius was his royal city but he spent much time in Jerusalem.

o.  He is known as Herod in Acts because he was the greatest since Herod the Great who died in 4BC.

p.  He desired to please the Jews and so persecuted the Christians. He killed James with the sword and captured Peter.

q.  In Caesarea, during a festival to celebrate the games and make vows to Emperor Claudius safety and prosperity, Agrippa made a speech early on the second day. His garments, sewn of silver and fine fabric, reflected the sun gloriously and his speech was smooth. According to Josephus and Act 12:19-23, the people claimed him as god and he neither rebuked them nor rejected their impious flattery.

r.  An angel struck him down; he was eaten from the inside out and died 5 days later.

 

Agrippa II

a.  Father is called “Herod” by Luke in Acts but Agrippa II is called “Agrippa” (25;26)

b.  Ruled only in N.E.

c.  Paul appeared before him in Caesarea

d.  His sister Bernice married Felix

e.  17 when father died and was in Rome

f.  But not until AD48 did Emperor Claudius appoint him governor over Chaleis and superintendent of the Jewish temple with full power to remove the high priest. He did frequently for political reasons and was very unpopular.
g.  The procurator (position in Roman Empire that would oversee a territory for Rome), Florus goaded the Jews to revolt against Rome by being cruel to them.

h.  Multitudes addressed themselves to Agrippa to send ambassadors to Nero against Florus. Agrippa swayed the people to wait.

i.  But finally rebellion broke out and Agrippa II joined Titus and the Roman army in the destruction of his kingdom and the Jews in 70AD