Herod, Roman-appointed king of Judea (37-4 BCE), who built many fortresses, aqueducts, theaters, and other public buildings but who was the center of political and family intrigues in his later years. The New Testament portrays him as a tyrant, into whose kingdom Jesus of Nazareth was born. Herod I[2][a] or Herod the Great (c.
72 - c. 4 BCE) was a Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. [3][4][5] He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea.
Among these works are the rebuilding of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the expansion of its base [6][7][8]. This article provides the secular evidence and record that Herod killed babies and innocent toddlers after the magi's announcement of the birth of Christ. Matthew's Gospel recounts Herod's infanticide of baby boys in Bethlehem, but no other historical sources appear to mention this tragedy.
Did it really happen? The Book of Acts is a work of history. It doesn't report vague myths in some indistinct, imagined past. Rather, it records precise events that often occurred in well.
Understanding who Herod the Great was and the historical context surrounding the birth of Jesus illuminates and affirms the story recorded in Scripture. HEROD'S RISE TO POWER In the days of Herod, king of Judea (Luke 1:5) Herod's father, Antipater, was favored by Caesar Augustus, and appointed procurator of Judea in 47 BC. Herod's life was one of ruthless political expediency; although the historical evidence for the massacre of infants is exclusively Biblical it appears entirely possible that King Herod was capable.
King Herod According to History & Archaeology by Ted Wright Feb 6, 2018 Archaeology and the New Testament, Digging Deeper, Herod the Great, Herodian Architecture, Historiography, History 1 comment INTRODUCTION The events recorded in the New Testament and the Gospels were not fanciful stories invented by clever writers. Today, King Herod the Great tends to have a bad reputation due to the Biblical narrative about the slaughter of babies in Judea. Herod the Great's reign is a well-documented period in history, blending biblical narratives with archaeological findings and historical records.
His impact on the landscape of Judea, both through his building projects and his political maneuvers, is substantial.