The Effect of Herod the Great and His Descendants Upon the Early Church
Note: This is not a rigorously researched history, checked and cross-checked against numerous scholarly sources. It is a brief overview, casually pulled together from a number of sources, some known to be reliable (an NIV New Testament Study Bible including translator notes), others of unknown reliability (but believed to be accurate).
Doug
On a frequent basis, we hear of some king named Herod doing some dastardly act or another, usually involving murder. Indeed, there was so much of that type of activity, that it would seem difficult for one king to have done it all. As it turns out, a total of seven men were members of the Herodian Dynasty, five of whom are named in the New Testament. Of these five, four should have been charged with murder, mass murder, or crimes against humanity.
This family held power for over a century and exercised considerable influence over early church history. Herod the Great, two of his sons, a grandson, and a great-grandson, all combined, had a hand in the flight of Jesus into Egypt, the Massacre of the Innocents, the crucifixion of Jesus, the beheading of John the Baptist, the execution of James, son of Zebedee, the imprisonment of the Apostle Peter, and the trial of the Apostle Paul.
I. Herod the Great. The founder of this dynasty was Herod the Great (74 BC – 4 BC) who was the Roman ruler of Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus; he came to power in 37 BC. It was he who examined the Magi in Jerusalem, and later sent his men to Bethlehem to kill all boys the age of two and under. This would become known as “The Massacre of the Innocents,” which Jesus would escape only because his father Joseph, warned by an angel of the Lord in a dream, had taken the family in flight to Egypt. In his lifetime, Herod the Great is said to have also murdered his wife Mariamme, three of his sons, his mother-in-law, a brother-in-law, an uncle, a great many rabbis, and numerous others.
After Herod's death in 4 BC, his kingdom was divided among three of his surviving sons. Herod Archelaus became king of Judea, Herod Antipas became tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, and Philip became tetrarch of territories east of the Jordan.
II. Herod Archelaus. As Joseph was preparing to leave Egypt following the death of Herod the Great, he learned that Herod Archelaus (23 BC – c. 18 AD) was reigning in Judea, and fearing Archelaus, Joseph moved his family to Nazareth. Joseph had good reason for his caution; like his father, Herod Archelaus was described as unusually cruel and tyrannical.
III. Herod Antipas. At the same time, his brother Herod Antipas (before 20 BC – after 39 AD) was ruler of Galilee. He ordered the execution of John The Baptist when, on his birthday the daughter of his wife Herodias danced for him. The girl pleased him so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist." Her request was granted. (Matthew 14:1-12).
Herod Antipas also played a role in the trials of Jesus as described in Luke 23:
6 ...Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. 9 He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12 That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.
IV. Herod Agrippa I. In typical family tradition, Herod Antipas was deposed by and then succeeded by his nephew, Agrippa I (who modestly preferred the title “Agrippa the Great;” 10 BC - 44 AD). Acts 12 records that James, son of Zebedee, was seized by order of Herod Agrippa I and put to death by beheading. Herod Agrippa I also seized and imprisoned Peter, but God sent an angel to release Peter from prison. “After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.” (Acts 12:19)
Some time after that, while Herod Agrippa I was seated on his throne, dressed in his royal robes, some of those in attendance shouted: "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." But “... because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.” (Acts 12:23) We can only assume that his uncle would have been pleased.
V. Herod Agrippa II. Herod Agrippa I would be succeeded by his son Herod Agrippa II (b. AD 27/28 – d. AD 93/94), before whom Paul made a legal defense. At its conclusion:
The king [Agrippa II] rose, and with him the governor [Festus] and Bernice and those sitting with them. They left the room, and while talking with one another, they said, "This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment." Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar." (Acts 26:30-32)
After the capture of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Herod Agrippa II and his sister Berenice fled to Rome. The death of Herod Agrippa II in ca. 93/94 AD would end the Herodian Dynasty that featured over 100 years of murder, cruelty and tyranny. Rarely would a family name be so tarnished as that of Herod.
Sources
Zondervan's TNIV Study Bible (2006)
Scofield's Study System (ESV) (2001, 2005)
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"Agrippa II." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 6 Aug 2009, 14:40 UTC. 6 Aug 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Agrippa_II&oldid=306409309>.