Keeping up with the Herodians
When reading the New Testament, it can be difficult to follow who’s who in the family of Herod. Here’s a brief overview of the Herodian dynasty, at least of those members who play a prominent role in the Gospels and the book of Acts. The most famous member of the dynasty is its founder, Herod the Great. He’s not called “Great” because he was good or wise or just, but because he was an ambitious builder. The ruins of his many projects can still be seen all over Israel. It was Herod the Great who attempted to put Jesus to death as a baby by ordering all the male children in Bethlehem under two years of age to be killed. He died a few months after our Lord was born and his dominion was divided among three of his sons. He had more than three, but these are they who inherited his kingdom: Archelaus and Herod Antipas, brothers from the same mother (Malthrace), and Herod Philip, a brother from another mother (Mariamne II). Archelaus ...