Herod’s Buildings and the Jews

Herod had high hopes for Hellenization among his Jewish subjects. Of course, Herod considered himself a Jew. Herod knew better than to force Hellenization upon his Jewish subjects. Gradually he tried introducing them to those Greek habits of life which he himself admired. Jerusalem also benefited from his building activity. He erected a theater and a hippodrome within the city. Foreign visitors to his capital would feel more at home and would not look down upon him as an insignificant king of a "barbarian" people.