Herod the Great is one of my favorite characters to use as an illustration of what happened to the Roman Republic-turned-Empire. His grandfather, Antipater, had connived his way into becoming a power broker in Judea. His father, Antipater II/Antipas, had supported Pompey and Caesar (which is apparently what led to his assassination the year after Caesar's). Herod himself had become friends with Caesar's protege, Octavian, who defeated Caesar's enemies and later appointed Herod "King of the Jews" in 40 BC. I think it's safe to say that Octavian (who would go on to become Augustus Caesar) was using Herod as much as he was rewarding him (else how do we explain pardoning the fact that Herod actually backed Mark Antony during that fuss?). He needed someone who could keep the traditionally unstable region of Judea under control and be a buffer against the Parthians so he could focus on more pressing enemies closer to home. In fact, he didn't particularly even like Herod, once saying that "it's safer to be one of Herod's pigs than one of his sons." But he couldn't argue with Herod's success. Because he was both a megalomaniac and paranoid, Herod used his long leash from Rome to rule Judea by terror, murdering any supposed threat and putting down any opposition to his reign. He managed to keep just enough favor with all parties by completing a number of massive building projects that employed lots of Jews, gave much pride to the region, and flattered their namesakes in Rome. If that's how things were in a true backwater of the Roman Empire, how much more dysfunctional must things have been closer to Rome? But that's not the point here. I want to tap into a fascinating exchange in Matthew 2. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
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AuthorIf I ever say something in here that doesn't make sense, please ask me to clarify. It always makes sense in my head, but that doesn't necessary mean anything to you . . . Categories
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