biography
| name: |
Herod
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| |
known as the Great
|
pronunciation:
[herod]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (c.73–4 BC)
|
| biography:
| King of Judea, the younger son of the Idumaean chieftain, Antipater. He owed his initial appointment as Governor of Galilee (47 BC) to Julius Caesar, his elevation to the kingship of Judea (40 BC) to Marcus Antonius, and his retention in that post after Actium (31 BC) to Octavian, later Augustus. Judea was annexed by Rome in 6 BC. Besides being a loyal and efficient Roman client king, who ruthlessly kept all his subjects in check, he was also an able and far-sighted administrator who did much to develop the economic potential of his kingdom, founding cities, and promoting agricultural projects. Life at court was marked by constant and often bloody infighting between his sister, his various wives, and their many offspring. Undoubtedly he was cruel, and this is reflected in the Gospel account of the Massacre of the Innocents. |
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