The Herods of the Bible, Part 3
By Thomas Thorne
McDowell County
In the last two articles on “The Herods of the Bible,” we learned that there were six different Herods mentioned in the Bible and that they were all related in some fashion. This is what was known as “the Herodian Dynasty.” We previously covered the first four:
- Herod the Great – ruled from 37 B.C. – 4 B.C
- Herod Archelaus – 4 B.C. – A.D. 6
- Herod Philip – 4 B.C. – A.D. 34
- Herod Antipas – 4 B.C. – A.D. 39
We also saw that upon Herod the Great’s death, his territory of rulership was split between three of his sons with Archelaus receiving one-half, and Philip and Antipas receiving one-quarter each. In today’s article, we will cover the last two of the Herods of the Bible.
The fifth Herod mentioned was Herod Agrippa I. Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great, son of Aristobulus IV, and father of Herod Agrippa II. He ruled over Judea and Samaria from 37 A.D. – 44 A.D. In the book of Acts, he is known as the one who had James the brother of John put to death and when he saw that it pleased the crowd, he proceeded to arrest Peter (Acts 12:1-5). As we know, “prayer for him [Peter] was being made fervently by the church” (v. 5) and an angel of the Lord saw to his escape (v. 6-19). We also read of Herod Agrippa I in Acts 12:20-23 where we see that when referring to Herod, the people “kept crying out, ‘The voice of a god and not the voice of man (verse 22).’” To this Herod did not give God the glory and the Lord “struck him … and he was eaten by worms and died” (v. 23).
The sixth and last Herod of the Bible was Herod Agrippa II, son of Agrippa I and great-grandson of Herod the Great. Agrippa II ruled from the A.D. 50s until after the end of the Jewish war and died around A.D. 93. After the death of his father, Agrippa II ruled over several minor territories. He had authority over the temple in Jerusalem, including the right to appoint the high priest. He is referred to in Acts chapters 25 and 26 where Festus, a Roman not familiar with the Jewish faith, looked to Agrippa for advice regarding Paul’s case. Paul defended himself before Agrippa and presented an explanation of his circumstances and beliefs. Although Agrippa resisted Paul’s appeal to believe in Jesus, he listened carefully to his defense. “Agrippa replied to Paul, ‘In a short time you will persuade me to be a Christian (Acts 26:28 ESV).’”
So, over the past three months, we have had a short review of the six Herods mentioned in the Bible. Here is a “quick reference” summary.
- Antipater the Idumean – Father of Herod the Great. Died in 43 B.C.
- Herod the Great – Ruled from 37 B.C. – 4 B.C.
- Herod Archelaus – Received one-half of Herod the Great’s territory upon his death, and ruled from 4 B.C. – 6 A.D.
- Herod Philip – Received one-fourth of his father’s territory – 4 B.C. – A.D. 34.
- Herod Antipas – one-fourth – 4 B.C. – A.D. 39.
- Herod Agrippa I – son of Herod the Great’s son Aristobulus (who was “prince of Judea” and not a king). Agrippa I ruled from A.D. 37 – A.D. 44.
- Herod Agrippa II – ruled from the A.D. 50s to approximately A.D. 93.
Thank you for participating in this journey through the Herods of the Bible. I hope this has helped to clear up any misunderstandings. Next month I will discuss Jewish leadership at the time of Jesus and three lessons we all need to take note of. Have a blessed month.
Shalom,
Tom Thorne
Hello my friends. I have some dry firewood that I can distribute at no cost local to the Marion area. If anyone is in need of firewood for heating and is local to Marion, please contact me at servantsotmhg@gmail.com. I only have a limited amount that will be distributed on a first-come first-serve basis. Have a warm winter.
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Tom and his wife Amy are fellowship coordinators for Avdai El Elyon/Servants of the Most High God Ministries in Marion, NC. Tom offers a “Basics of Biblical Hebrew” 1 and 2 class in a classroom setting and/or online via Zoom. If interested, please contact Tom for details at servantsotmhg@gmail.com.
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