Herod the Great

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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Herod King of the Jews

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. H...

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The Herodium

Looking like a volcano, the Herodium is one of several fortress-palaces built by Herod the Great. It was artificially shaped, with everything placed inside its protected craterlike top. Josephus wrote of the Herodium: "Two hundred steps of purest white marble led up to it. Its top was crowned with circular towers; its courtyard contained s...

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