Herod, The Not So Great?
Ask most Christians about Herod the Great and they will likely refer you to the story in Matthew Chapter 2: magi (wise men, the word is related to ‘magician’), come from afar, to worship the newborn king (Jesus). After they had found the young Jesus in Bethlehem and given him their gifts, the magi decided to skip a second visit to Herod on the return leg of their journey: they understood that he wished the boy no good. SLAUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS They were spot on. Herod soon sent soldiers to the town to massacre all the infants two years old and under. But Joseph, Jesus’ adoptive father, had heard in advance from God this would happen. He removed his family to safety in Egypt ahead of time. CRUEL KING Through this brief story, we get a snapshot of the violent tyrant Herod the Great was. He was a client king of the Roman Empire whose rule over Judea from 37 BCE to 4 BCE was marked by cruelty and oppressive taxation of his people. He also executed his wife, Miriamme, ha...