Herod King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans 2017 Routledge

489 Pages·2017·5.24 MB·English

Herod

Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans examines the life, work,
and influence of this controversial figure, who remains the most highly visi-
ble of the Roman client kings under Augustus. Herod’s rule shaped the world
in which Christianity arose and his influence can still be seen today. In this
expanded second edition, additions to the original text include discussion of
the archaeological evidence of Herod’s activity, his building program, numis-
matic evidence, and consideration of the roles and activities of other client
kings in relation to Herod. This volume includes new maps and numerous
photographs, and these coupled with the new additions to the text make this
a valuable tool for those interested in the wider Roman world of the late
first century bce at both under- and postgraduate levels. Herod remains the
definitive study of the life and activities of the king known traditionally as
Herod the Great.

Peter Richardson is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Religion at the
University of Toronto, Canada.

Amy Marie Fisher works at the University of Alberta, Canada, where she is
also an adjunct instructor in the study of religion.

Ancient Biographies

Forthcoming titles:

Ptolemy I Soter
Sheila Ager

Philip II of Macedon
Daniel Ogden

Cyrus the Great
Lynette Mitchell

Series URL: https://www.routledge.com/classicalstudies/series/ANCIENTBIOS

Herod
King of the Jews and Friend of the
Romans

Second edition

Peter Richardson and
Amy Marie Fisher

Second edition published 2018
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

 2018 Peter Richardson and Amy Marie Fisher

The right of Peter Richardson and Amy Marie Fisher to be identified as
authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections
77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.

First edition published by The University of South Carolina Press 1996

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Richardson, Peter, 1935- author. | Fisher, Amy Marie, author.
Title: Herod: king of the Jews and friend of the Romans / Peter Richardson
and Amy Marie Fisher.
Description: Second edition. | Abingdon, Oxon, New York, NY: Routledge,
[2017] | Series: Routledge ancient biographies | Originally published:
Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 1996. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017001848| ISBN 9781138803923 (hardback: alk.
paper) | ISBN 9781315163352 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Herod I, King of Judea, 73 B.C.-4 B.C. | Jews—
History—168 B.C.-135 A.D. | Jews—Kings and rulers—Biography.
Classification: LCC DS122.3.R53 2017 | DDC 933/.05092 [B] —dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017001848

ISBN: 978-1-138-80392-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-16335-2 (ebk)

Typeset in Sabon LT Std
by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon, UK

To past and present colleagues
with gratitude and admiration

Contents

List of tables
xiii

List of maps
xiv

List of figures
xv

Preface and acknowledgments
xvii

Image credits
xxi

Abbreviations
xxii

Introduction
1

“The achievements of King Herod” 1
A century of studies of Herod (from Otto to Vermes and

Marshak) 4
Beginnings 5
Classic studies 6
The last two decades 11
Conclusion 15

Josephus’s accounts of Herod’s life 16

Sources 16
Historiography 17
Narrative 18
Rhetoric 18
Conclusion 19

Chronology of Herod’s life 19
Schematic family tree 30
Part I and Part II 30

PART I
Herod’s life
37

1 In the end is the beginning
39

The eagle, or a king’s eclipse 39
Death of a king 41

viii
Contents

Family squabbles in Rome 43
Augustus’s indecision 49
The delegations’ evaluations 53
Herod and the Roman Jewish community 56

2 From Idumea to Petra (to 64 bce)
60

Introduction 60
Idumeans 61
Nabateans 69
Itureans 73
Hasmoneans 77
Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II 80
Antipater 82

3 From Petra to Rome (64–40 bce)
87

Pompey, Gabinius, and Antipater’s rise to power 87
Caesar and Cassius 93
Herod’s trial 98
Civil war 103
Parthia 107
Herod and Antigonus 109
King of Judea 115

4 From Rome to Rhodes (40–30 bce)
119

Up to Jerusalem: the first season’s campaign 119
Up to Jerusalem: the second season’s campaign 123
The battle for Jerusalem 124
Alexandra, Cleopatra, and the death of Aristobulus III 128
Nabatean war 131
The end of Hyrcanus II 134
Herod meets Octavian at Rhodes 136

5 From Rhodes to Rome (30–17 bce)
140

Mariamme’s execution 140

Appended note 142

The deaths of Alexandra and Costobar 144
Judean society 145
Herod and Augustus 149
Amici 151
Princeps and king 155
Internal matters 160
To Rome 163

Contents
ix

6 From Rome to Jericho (17–4 bce)
166

Augustus, Marcus Agrippa, and Herod 166
The Diaspora 168
A synagogue in Rome? 170
The decrees 172
Suit of Ionian Jews 173
Benefactions 175
The household 175
To Rome again 179
The Nabatean War (12–9 bce) 180
In Jerusalem 182
Archelaus, Eurycles, and Eunuchs 184
The execution of Alexander and Aristobulus 186
Antipater’s end 187
Conclusion 192

PART II
Herod in context
197

7 Late Hellenism in the Levant
199

Syria 199
Dependent kingdoms 201
The Decapolis 206
The coastal cities 209
Conclusion 212

8 The kingdom
215

Galilee 215
Judea 219
Samaritis 223
Gaulanitis, Batanea, Auranitis, and Trachonitis 225
Perea 229
Conclusion 231

9 Herod’s architecture and archaeological remains
235

Establishment of the kingdom 243

The early years: building small, but luxuriously 243
The post-Actium building phase: expansion 249

Creation of a legacy 257

Masada: the cascading palace 257
Herodium: fortress and palace 259