ARTICLE II.

HEROD THE GREAT.

HEROD THE GREAT was one of those unusual persons, whose life constitutes an era in history. Men reckon to and from such a life as a bold way mark on the great historical thoroughfare of events. Such was the cruelty of his character and government that he has become a byword and an illustration for all that is bloody in a man, and despotic in a king. The awful tragedy, that associates his name in the Gospel narrative with the Prince of Peace and the angel song of good will to men, is but an ordinary item in his monstrous life of nearly half a century as governor and king in the Holy Land.

It will much aid our understanding of the whole, if, before we go into the particulars of his life, we state who were prominent actors in the royal theatre of the East, and what was done by them in those times when Herod was so conspicuous.

Herod the Great was born in the year 72 B.C., and died in or near to the second year after the birth of Christ. Within these years of the lifetime of one king, many distinguished persons flourished in the East, and with them Herod, as a most prominent man, had both acquaintance and business.

Julius Cæsar was older than Herod by only about twenty-five years, and so the two were for some years plundering the world at the same time. In the earlier part of his public career Pompey and Marius, Sylla and Cataline were vexing the Roman empire with their ambitious intrigues. Later in the reign of Herod, Antony and Cleopatra taxed the honor and peace of two kingdoms for their own mutual and criminal pleasures. The great Augustus, too, was nursing the army and navy of Rome for universal empire, while his patronage of literature was marking his reign as the Augustan and crowning age of Roman scholarship. These were the days of Cicero and Virgil, of Horace, Sallust and Livy. Most stirring battles and other events that shaped the courses of nations took place during the life of Herod. Cæsar conquers Gaul and invades

Britain. The battle of Pharsalia is fought, leaving Cæsar victor, and hurrying Pompey into Egypt to die by assassination. Four years afterward Cæsar meets the same fate. Between these two violent deaths Herod receives his first appointment as governor of Galilee. Soon after followed the battle of Actium, that left Augustus without a rival, as head of the Roman empire.

In such times as these, among such men, and in scenes so important for the destinies of the world, was the life of Herod the Great.

The father of Herod was Antipater, an Idumæan, or Edomite, of noble rank, and his mother, Cyprus, was an Arabian of illustrious family. When Herod was born Judæa was free, and the high priest was head both of church and state. For this office there was much intrigue, bribery and bloodshedding. When Herod was yet in his cradle, two brothers, Aristobulus and Hyrcanus, were competitors for the princely and priestly office. In the year 63 B.C. the victorious Pompey came to Damascus, as about to wage war on the Arabians. These two brothers submitted their case to him for arbitration. He decided in favor of Hyrcanus the elder. Aristobulus opposed the decision and shut himself up in Jerusalem with his faction, to carry the day against his brother and Pompey. The siege lasted three months, when the city was taken. In this capture of Jerusalem the walls of the temple and of the city suffered very much. After the capture Pompey gave to Hyrcanus full possession in the priesthood aud princely office, and at the same time he made Judæa tributary to Rome.

In this position essentially the religious and civil state of things in Judæa continued till the sixteenth year of the reign of Hyrcanus. In this year, that is, 48 B.C., the battle of Pharsalia was fought between Julius Cæsar and Pompey. Cæsar was victor. Then came a change of administration in Judæa. Cæsar continued Hyrcanus in the office of high priest, but cut off from him all civil power, drew a distinct line between church and state administration, and gave all the latter into the hands of Antipater, the father of Herod.

This Antipater was a man of extraordinary powers in civil affairs, and he had gained such an influence in Judæa, Syria

and Arabia that Cæsar found it both politic and necessary to be on the best terms with him. And so he appointed him governor of Judæa under him. Antipater had five children; four sons, Herod, Phasælus, Joseph, Pheroras, and one daughter, Salome. Prideaux, An. 47. Immediately on receiving the appointment as procurator of Judæa he divided the civil power in it between his two sons, Pharsælus and Herod. To the former he gave Jerusalem and the regions adjoining, while he made Herod governor of Galilee. In this act Herod is first introduced to our notice as a public man. This was in the year 47 B.C., and when Herod was twenty-five years of age. For nearly half a century onward from this time he was a prominent actor in the stirring and tragic scenes of the East. All the wide region from the Nile to the Tiber, and in some measure, Germany, Gaul and Spain, felt his influence.

So soon as Herod entered on his office of governor he signalized it, and gave an index to his own character by destroying the robbers that infested Galilee and Colo-Syria. There were strong and savage bands of these. But Herod soon made them captives, and in a very summary way, without any of the forms of a trial, he put them all to death. His enemies seized on this act as illegal, and foreshadowing tyranny and despotism. By their management he was summoned before the Sanhedrim, or Supreme Court of the Jews at Jerusalem. In his appearance at court he showed the same courage and independence that he had used in slaying the robbers. For he came, not as a criminal, but in royal robes, and with a well armed body-guard. His robes and soldiers and haughty bearing so overawed the court that no one of his former accusers dared bring any charge against him. At length one of the council, Sameas, boldly accused him, and upbraided the court for their timidity. When Hyrcanus, the high priest, who presided, saw that the judges would condemn him to death, he adjourned the trial till the next day, and in the meantime advised Herod to flee, which he did. So this man of violence opened his public career with an illegal execution of criminals, and then openly trampled on the regular administration of justice by defying and despising the highest judicature of the land, when assembled to try him.*

* Josephus' Antiqs, B. 14, c. 9. Prideaux' Con. Anno 47.

But by destroying the robbers he made himself very popular in Colo-Syria, the military presidency of which he soon after obtained by a heavy bribe. Now raising an army he was about to march on Jerusalem and punish Hyrcanus and the Sanhedrim for arresting and trying him. But his father and his brother Phasælus dissuaded him, though he had gone far enough to show his spirit and power.

As showing the temper of the age it may here be said that about this time, Antipater, the father of Herod, was poisoned at a feast by one who wished to work a revolution and come into power. Not long after Herod took care to have the assassin thrust through at another feast.

The enemies of Herod now hating him more than ever, and fearing that the Herodian family, now so successful and popular, would displace wholly the ancient family of the Maccabees or Asmonæans, they accused him and his brother to Mark Antony, then Roman governor in Asia. But by large presents Herod turned the judgment of Antony against his accusers, and obtained for himself and brother the office of tetrarch of the Holy Land. And when Antony would have put the accusers to death, Herod saved them by his intercessions.

The hostile party, not wearying in their efforts to destroy Herod, engaged the Parthians against him. When they had succeeded in imprisoning Hyrcanus the high priest and Phaselus, Herod fled with his household and friends, about eight hundred souls, and some treasure into Massada, a castle on the west shore of the Dead Sea. By this movement Antigonus, one of the Maccabees, became high priest. Phasælus, knowing that his death was determined, committed suicide by beating his head against the walls of his prison. Antigonus spared the life of Hyrcanus, but to prevent his ever returning to the office of high priest, through any change of mood with the people, he caused his ears to be cut off, thus making his restoration impossible. Lev. xxi. 17-21.

These were trying times for Herod, but instead of depressing him they roused his great powers to meet a great emergency. For leaving his family at Massada, in charge of his brother Joseph, with provision for a siege of several months, he led the remnant of his followers into Arabia, hoping for aid from Mal

chus the king, whom he had often befriended. Malchus, like too many who are friends only in prosperity, refused a helping hand to the sinking fortunes of Herod. Without a pause Herod hastened to Egypt, and though it was the season of tempests and sailing was very dangerous, he embarked at Alexandria for Rome. On the On the way he was wrecked. Building another vessel he pressed on, arrived at Rome and laid his case before Antony. The Senate came together, and while Herod asked only that Aristobulus, his wife's brother, might be made high priest, and he rule under him, as his father Antipater had ruled under Hyrcanus, the Senate at once crowned him king of Judea and Samaria and Idumæa, with the power of appointing whom he would as high priest, and all subordinate officers. Accomplishing all this in only seven days he left Rome for Judæa, and arrived after an absence of only three months.

But it was easier for the Roman Senate to vote the crown of Judæa to Herod than for Herod to wrest it from a rival and make it safe on his own head. The whole Roman force in Syria and the region around was ordered to aid Herod in this work, and it was commenced with all zeal. But Jerusalem was a strong city to be captured, and when the army went into winter quarters at the end of the first season, only the open country of Palestine and the minor strongholds had been brought over to the interest of Herod.

While the auxiliaries of the army rested through the winter, he with his men could not be quiet. A part of them he sent into Idumæa under his brother Joseph to make sure all his interest there. With the rest he undertook to destroy the bands of robbers in Galilee. These had their retreats in the caves that opened from the wild and perpendicular cliffs. To reach them Herod let down his soldiers from the tops of the precipices in huge boxes or baskets, till they came against the openings of their caves. Then with fire, and spears and long poles with hooks they managed to kill the robbers, or haul them out of their hiding places and tumble them down the rocks. Another summer campaign passed and still Antigonus held out in Jerusalem. But in the third year the Roman auxiliaries swelled the entire army to more than sixty thousand. With this force the city was closely beleaguered, and after a hard