Herod the Great was the king of Judea, also known as the Herodian kingdom. He ruled as the king under the Roman authority for 34 years, a period that spanned between 37 and 4 BC (Grabbe, 2013). He is the Herod who appears in the stories about the birth of Jesus Christ. People accredit him as a leader with mixed characteristics including cruelty, efficiency, and cleverness. He was infuriated by the fact that the Jews were reluctant to accept him as the legitimate king. As a result, he mostly portrayed negative characteristics that made his tenure as a king unbearable to many.
As a leader, Herod had his strengths and weaknesses. His major strength is the fact that he oversaw building projects in Judea and led the expansion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. He also created other features such as the Herodium and the fortress of Masada amongst others. His longevity and efficiency as a leader also depicted his strength. Some of the weaknesses he showed include ruthlessness as seen by his orders to kill all male children. He treated those around him with an air of suspicion, fear, and jealousy. Although he proclaimed to be a worshipper of God, he was involved in several forms of pagan religion.
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After the death of Herod, Palestine was divided into the southern, Northern, and the Northeastern part. The Southern parts consisted of Samaria, Idumea, and Judea. The Northern region consisted of Galilee and Perea (Richardson, & Fisher, 2017). The Northeastern area was subdivided into Iturea, Batanea, and Trachonitis amongst others. The three territories were ruled by his sons Archelaus, Philip, and Antipas respectively. Archelaus had a reputation of showing harshness towards the people. Philip's rule was primarily insignificant to the events that transpired in the New Testament. Antipas showed ambition and self-indulgence. However, he eventually fell out of favor with Rome and was subsequently banished.
References
Grabbe, L. L. (2013). Herod the Great. The Encyclopedia of Ancient History .
Richardson, P., & Fisher, A. M. (2017). Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans . Routledge.
