I am just curious because I am working on a Bible Study on the Birth of Jesus. I always thought that Herod was a puppet king from Egypt. But as I searched "Roman Politics" of the time. Herod was a King during the rise of the first Roman Emperor Augustus.
That means that he was ruling during that whole over the top fiasco with Mark Anthony and Cleopatra. Now if Cleopatra was the Queen of Egypt? Where does King Herod fit in the picture? Any suggestions????
2006-12-21 23:20:52 · 2 answers · asked by Andre L 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Herod was part of the "Hasmonean" dynasty established by Judah Maccabee (whose recapture of the Temple from the Selucids is the basis of the Jewish festival "Hanukkah). Here's a useful website for you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasmoneans
2006-12-22 00:06:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Herod was a Roman puppet, but he was the Roman puppet of Judea. That's why Joseph, Mary, and Jesus went to Egypt to avoid his little "slaughter of the innocents" bit.
This Herod was actually one of several. All of them were Jews with strong ties to the Roman emperor. This one, Herod the Great, was so-called because he re-built the Temple in Jerusalem, but he wasn't particullarly popular among the Jews, since he was seen as a toady of the Romans.
His son, Herod Antipas, was the one who was king at the time of Jesus' trial. He plays a minor role in the Gospels, simply sending Jesus back to Pilate. However, he has a bigger role in the story of John the Baptist, ordering his execution on the request of his step-daughter, Salome, but that's a whole other story.
2006-12-22 01:25:28 · answer #2 · answered by 2Bs 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋