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Herod the Great

Herod and the Last of the Relatives of Hyrcanus

The Death of the Last of the Hasmoneans. After a long period of depression over Mariamne, Herod began his bloodshed once again and executed the last of the male relatives of Hyrcanus, anyone who could dispute his occupancy of the throne....

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Herod’s Roman Eagle

The Temple took many years to build. Begun in 19 BC, it was not finished till long after Herod's death. The Jews prided in Herod's accomplishment until Herod placed a huge Roman eagle over the most important gate of the new Temple. Before long there was a conspiracy to pull the eagle down. When rumor circulated that Herod was dying, a group of...

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Herod the King 37-25 B.C.

During this period we will be looking at the time from Herod's accession as king in 37 B.C. to the execution of his favorite wife Mariamne, and finally the death of the sons of Babas, in 25 B.C., when the last heir of the Hasmonean family was executed. While Herod was king he had many powerful opponents, namely the Pharisees, the ruling class,...

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Herod the King 14-4 B.C.

We can easily conclude from the writing of Josephus that during this period Herod’s biggest problems were domestic. Herod had married ten wives. His first wife was Doris by whom he had one son, Antipater. Herod renounced Doris and Antipater when he married Mariamne but they were allowed to visit Jerusalem only during the festivals. In 37 B.C. ...

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Herod's Slaughter of the Infants in Bethlehem

Herod’s Cruelty. Herod's slaughter of the infant boys as accounted in the New Testament vividly reflects the pathological character of the king. He murdered members of his own family- yet scrupulously observed Mosaic dietary laws and would eat no pork. This provoked his Roman master Augustus into jesting: "I would rather be Herod's pig than Her...

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Herod and The Pharisees

The Pharisees never liked the fact that Herod was the king of Judea, mainly because he was an Idumaean, a half Jew, and a friend of the Romans. One of the problems that Herod always faced when dealing with the Pharisees was there tremendous popularity with the people. They were well-respected and considered very holy. But King Herod had his ways of...

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Josephus on Herod Before Octavian

In his long work, Wars of the Jews, the historian Josephus recounts how Herod, after providing support to Mark Antony in the latter's unsuccessful struggle against Octavius ("Caesar"), gained an audience with Octavius and persuaded him that he could be as good a friend to him as he had been to Antony. Herod is confirmed in his kingdom by caesar, an...

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Herod’s Death

The historian, Josephus, describes the death of Herod at great length. When Herod's health began to fail him rapidly, he was moved to his winter capital in Jericho. From there he was carried by stretcher to the hot springs on the shores of the Dead Sea. The springs did no good; Herod returned home. Racked by hopelessness, Herod attempted suicide. R...

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Herod the Great on Bible History Online

Herod the Great , Index of Topics, Introduction , Overview , The Family of the Herods, Herod the Governor, Herod and the Parthians, Herod the King 37-25 B.C. , Herod the King 25-14 B.C. , Herod the King 14-4 B.C. , Herod and Octavian , King of the Jews, His Buildings, Herod's Temple, His Cruelty, His Death, Herods Will, Herod in Hi...

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Herod and the Ruling Class

The second group of powerful opponents to King Herod were the aristocratic followers of Antigonus. King Herod dealt with them harshly and one time he executed forty five of the most wealthy and most prominent members of this class. He seized their possessions and replenished his treasury which had been depleted because of all of his bribes....

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