Christmas characters: Herod the (not so) Great

Herod the Great ( 73 BC- 4 BC ) or Herod I was the Roman-appointed king of Judea at the time of Jesus' birth. Besides what is written in Matthew's Gospel, many facts of his biography can be verified through the writings of the first century Roman-Jewish historian, Josephus Flavius.

Herod was well-known for his ambitious building projects. He oversaw the construction of entire cities such as Caesarea and Masada. He rebuilt Jericho. His most important venture was the rebuilding of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem. Although it was mostly destroyed in 70 AD, faithful Jews still visit the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall) , which still stands.

In his personal life, Herod was cruel, ambitious, and plagued by paranoia. He was married ten times and had many children. He murdered one wife and two of his sons. Although he enjoyed the support of officials in Rome, the Jewish Sanhedrin condemned his excessive brutality.

Shortly after Jesus was born, Wise Men from East who studied astrology, came to Herod. They had seen a star which they believed signified the birth of a great king. They inquired where they might find this king. They wanted to pay him homage.

Herod, who was himself King of Judea, was alarmed. He wanted no competition for his title. He asked the chief priests and scribes what the Scriptures said on the subject. They told him that the new king was to come from Bethlehem. He passed the information along to the Magi.

Before they left, however, Herod asked a favour. He requested that, on their way home, they come by and report to him exactly where to find this king, so that he also might go to worship him. The Wise Men agreed to do so, and set out for Bethlehem.

However, after they had seen Jesus, an angel came to them in a dream and told them to return to their homes by another route, because Herod wanted to harm the baby. They did so.

About the same time, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take the child and his mother and go to Egypt, because Herod was planning to kill the baby. Joseph immediately obeyed the heavenly messenger. The family remained in Egypt until they heard of Herod's death.

Eventually, Herod realized he had been outwitted. In a rage, he ordered that all male children, two years old and younger, in Bethlehem and vicinity be killed. His soldiers carried out his orders.

Most scholars agree that Herod died in 4 BC, as reported in the writings of Josephus Flavius. Some medical authorities propose that he suffered from scabies, and chronic kidney disease complicated by gangrene. It is also believed he suffered throughout life from depression and paranoia.

After his death, his kingdom was divided among three of his sons: Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas, and Herod Philip II, who ruled as tetrarchs, not kings.

Josephus relates that Herod ordered that many distinguished men in the district be executed as soon as he died, so that there would be many displays of grief at his funeral rites. Although the men were gathered together as ordered, the command was not carried out.

Herod had a magnificent tomb prepared to receive his body. In 2007, an Israeli team of archaeologists found the burial site in the exact location given by Josephus Flavius.