King Herod the Great

None of the modern monarchs have any real power. In Great Britain, Elizabeth II and several other members of the royal family have formally led the state for half a century, but it is no secret that political power belongs to completely different people. In the US, royals are seen more like characters from the pages of a foreign fashion magazine. The last monarch the Americans had dealt with was the demented King George, and hardly anyone would like to have that encounter again. In areas where dynastic traditions are still preserved, technical specialists and advisers are much more effective today. Kingship has become a beautiful but outdated symbol. At the same time, for most of human history, things have been different. Kings were governors, military leaders, prime ministers, architects, judges and legislators.

Here we are talking about a country where the monarchy had completely real power. Herod the Great reigned in Judea (also in Galilee, Samaria and Idumea). He got to this “title” with difficulty, but he confirmed his position through his relations with Rome. Apparently, the title of king of the Jews meant a lot to him, considering that in order to keep it for himself, he had three of his sons killed. After his death, the kingdom fell into parts, which became the property of other of his sons, but the one in whose hands was the supreme political power, Caesar Augustus, deprived them of their right to be called “kings of the Jews.” They became tetrars, secondary rulers. The king then possessed de facto power, and the tetrars received rather limited powers from Rome, and one was soon deprived of both these and his office. The royal power was based on conquests and the power of arms. Such was the reality of the reign of Herod the Great, as well as the reign of many of the figures of world political history.

There is no need to doubt the veracity of the accounts of the events of 1066 and their like – a history of battles, of battles, of conquests. William the Conqueror, the Wars of the Roses, Napoleon and the two world wars played a decisive role in British history, and the course of American history was forever changed by the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Cold War, the two wars in The Persian Gulf and the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001 The fight for power and land has never stopped. This is how it was in China, in Japan, in the peninsula of Hindustan, in South America, in Africa, in the endless expanses of Eurasia. Mongolians still honor Genghis Khan – the greatest of their compatriots. Kings, generals, lords, chieftains and emperors hold victories and suffer defeats. Herod is simply repeating the experience of all world history. He is a mighty king.

Herod the Great and the Roman Empire

Every year at Christmas we retell the story associated with the names of King Herod and the baby Jesus, but the story of Herod himself needs a fuller exposition. He reigned in Judea from 37 BC to 4 AD. His long reign was marked by conquests, construction, prosperity, internal conflicts and centralization of power. We can say without exaggeration that Herod the Great determined the destiny of his people in spiritual, physical and socio-political terms for many years to come. The correct understanding of his personality will also allow us to better know the world in which Christ lived. What kind of king was he?

The Jews, who had long tried to assert their independence, were gradually forced to give way. At first they came under the rule of Alexander the Great, and then under the Seleucid Empire. Among them is Antiochus Epiphanes – a cruel persecutor of the Jews and their religion. At a certain historical moment, new actors appeared in the political arena – the Maccabee family, dedicated to the liberation of the Jewish people. With a persistent struggle, they managed to gain partial independence. And they founded the royal dynasty of the Hasmoneans, whose representatives simultaneously performed the role of kings and high priests. Their goal was to unite the people under the authority of one God. The main milestones in Israel’s history were the Exodus from Egypt and later the return from the Babylonian captivity, so the theme of how God delivers His people has always occupied a central place in the hopes of the Jews. No one doubts that deliverance can only be obtained on the condition that the people obey God – as the prophets taught. In connection with this, various questions related to law and obedience arise: must, for example, soldiers fight on the Sabbath? The law seems to have prohibited this. But giving up combat once a week gave their enemies a huge advantage. Finally, it was decided that the army could fight on the Sabbath as well, which significantly strengthened their position (1 Mak. 2:29-41). Even this compromise, however, did not help to win full independence, and gradually Israel fell under Roman rule. About 60 BC The Roman Empire actually completely subjugated the Hasmonean ruler Hyrcanus II. At that time, he increasingly relied on the help of his first minister, Antipater, who had two sons, one of whom was Herod. Thus he appears on the political scene.

Hyrcanus’ brother – Aristobulus – who also sought power, managed to overthrow Hyrcanus and ascend as Aristobulus II. This seemed to end Herod’s career, but in 63 BC. Aristobulus refuses military aid to Pompey and incurs his wrath. Pompey attacks him, takes him prisoner and besieges Jerusalem, where the riot against Rome is going on. The city fell after a 3-month siege in which the Romans used the latest military techniques. A terrible bloodshed follows – priests are killed in the altar, and the Jews give approx. 12,000 casualties. Pompey dares even to enter the Holy of Holies. As a result, Aristobulus and his family lost power, but this did not benefit Hyrcanus either. He was stripped of his royal title, and political power passed directly into Roman hands. In 54 BC the new Roman governor, Crassus, confiscated from the Jerusalem temple all the gold and precious stones, with a total weight of 8,000 talents, corresponding to the value of fifty million sheep. This act of his only intensified the Jews’ hatred of Rome and finally showed them what it means to be a vassal state. However, Roman power under Julius Caesar was invulnerable.

Hyrcanus and Antipater did not put away their weapons: they diligently sought the location first of Pompey, and then of Julius Caesar, whom they had helped to defeat in Egypt. Two years later, new dramatic events occur. Antigonus, son of Aristobulus, regardless of his father’s delicate situation, turns directly to Julius Caesar with assurances of loyalty and intent to discredit Hyrcanus and Antipater. Herod’s father cannot let the outrageous act go unpunished. He stands before Caesar, throws off his robes, and shows his wounds received in fighting on the side of Rome, and then proves that Antigonus and his father are enemies of Rome, and that they are inciting tumult in the hope of seizing power. This makes a great impression on Caesar, and he prefers to bet on Hyrcanus and Antipater. Hyrcanus was appointed ethnarch and high priest, and Antipater – the official representative of Rome in Judea. Antipater gained the trust of the great Caesar and strengthened his influence as a new Jewish governor, choosing for himself the role of strategist, determining the future development of Israel. In fact, he concentrated in his hands the control of all the territory subject to Rome, appointing his sons as governors in Jerusalem and Galilee.

An event which vividly testifies to the character and political methods of the twenty-year-old Herod helps us to understand his subsequent history. In Galilee, he fought against the people whom Josephus called “robbers”.[10] These were probably not just robbers, but militant nationalists dreaming of rejecting dependence on Rome. Herod crushed the rebels and executed many of them, along with their leader Hezekiah. With which he deserves the gratitude of Sextus Caesar – a relative of Julius Caesar and governor of Syria. The members of the Sanhedrin were enraged and ordered Herod to stand trial: a grim foreshadowing of what Christ was to experience seventy-seven years later. At that time the Pharisees dominated the Sanhedrin. Herod comes in purple royal robes, accompanied by soldiers. He stands before the judges without fear, because he knows that he can count on the support of Rome. Hyrcanus, still holding the office of high priest, does not allow a sentence to be pronounced against Herod, which would also sound like a challenge to Rome. Thus Herod emerges victorious. He left the Sanhedrin with dignity to soon return to Jerusalem at the head of an entire army, threatening to take revenge on his accusers – a threat he did not carry out. The incident is over, but Herod has learned a lesson: never to trust the Pharisees. During his reign, they never once succeeded in gaining power. Instead, the high priesthood was held by the representatives of a group known collectively as the Sadducees. Such is the distribution of the political balance for the next few decades.

As long as Julius Caesar was in power, the situation in Israel remained stable, but after his assassination, representatives of many Jewish groups saw the disorder in Rome as an ideal opportunity for a successful uprising. Then the political strategy of Herod finally becomes clear, who decides to follow in his father’s footsteps.[11]

Recognizing the power of Rome, he remained loyal even in troubled times, and after Caesar’s death he took the side of Mark Antony. The country is plunged into chaos. A revolt breaks out in Jerusalem and his father – Antipater – is poisoned. Herod deals with his murderers cruelly. From the east, Israel was flooded by the wave of the Parthian invasion. This is when Antigonus, son of the defeated Aristobulus II, appears in Jerusalem hoping to retake power. And in a short time he succeeds. Herod’s brother is forced to commit suicide to avoid death at the hands of Antigonus, who forces Herod and his family to flee south. Antigonus became king, relying on the support of the Parthians who had previously sacked Jerusalem. The fact that he bites off Hyrcanus’ ear with his teeth, so that he can never be high priest again, testifies to Antigonus’ character. It is known that one of the requirements for one is not to have a physical disability.

Herod’s reaction is unexpected – he leaves his family and his army in the impregnable fortress of Masada, and he himself goes to Arabia in search of allies. Finding none there, he crosses the desert, heads for Egypt, meets Cleopatra, and from there, after a long voyage through Rhodes, goes to Rome. There he wins the favor of Antony and Octavian, each of whom is currently trying to take Caesar’s place. The Roman Senate proclaimed Herod king of Judea. At first it was only a title, but with the support of Rome, the Samaritans and the Galileans, King Herod was able to return to his country after a persistent and brilliant military campaign in 39-37 BC. At this time, the features of his cruelty, which became his distinguishing mark throughout his reign, were already showing. We have seen that earlier Antogonus captured Herod’s brother, who to avoid torture committed suicide. However, before that, when he realized that Herod had saved himself, he uttered his last words: “I die with a calm soul, because the man who will avenge me is alive”.[12] In battle, Herod does slaughter thousands, but he never does so indiscriminately. Once, in one of the battles for Galilee, he discovered rebels hiding in the caves near Arbel. Standing by, Herod tries to convince them to surrender, but he witnesses a terrible event that must have seriously affected him:

The mother of seven children, together with her sons, begged her husband to let them go out, because Herod had promised to give them their lives. Her husband’s response was terrifying. The old man ordered his sons to leave the cave one by one, killing each one who appeared at the entrance. Herod watched with horror what was happening and was struck in his very heart, stretched out his hand and begged the old man to spare his children. But the old man only laughed at him with contempt and accused him of cowardice. Having dealt with the last of his sons, he killed his wife, threw their corpses into the abyss, and then followed them himself.[13]

Such a scene would shake anyone’s psyche. Herod had hoped to regain Jerusalem by peaceful means, but in a few months of bloody battles, thousands died. Antigonus was captured and sent to Antony in Rome, where he was beheaded, and Herod managed to stop the destruction of the temple by the Romans and stabilized the situation in the country. He came to power at the cost of a lot of blood – including that of his compatriots, and became a governor hated by them. Having received a royal title in 40 BC, three years later he was already the full-fledged ruler of Judea. His long reign (until 4 AD) allowed him to exert a decisive influence on the development of his country.

As king of Judea, Herod maintained relationships with representatives of some countries. One of them is Egypt, where Cleopatra reigned. By this time, Rome had already subdued Egypt, but Antony was dazzled by Cleopatra’s beauty and much of the country came under her influence. As we have seen, Herod had already visited Cleopatra on his flight from Antigonus. Rumor has it (probably out of habit) that she tried to seduce him, but he rejected her. Not used to such treatment, Cleopatra was deeply offended and harbored a deep hatred for Herod. Later, desiring Herod’s death, she asked Antony for the territory of Judea as a thank you for his devotion. However, this time Antony, in love, is prudent enough and refuses. But in 34 BC, much to Herod’s displeasure, he handed Cleopatra the rich plantations around Jericho, as well as part of the southern lands of Judea. Soon after, she visits Jerusalem, to meet Herod and, of course, to gloat over what has happened. The official occasion is for Cleopatra to inspect her new possessions and receive from Herod the lease for them. Because Herod kept them for himself in the form of a lease, for which he paid a large sum. The meeting is quite depressing. Josephus suggests that Herod seriously considered killing Cleopatra, but his advisers dissuaded him. Herod thought that this way he would be able to help Antony, but he was told that the murder could be interpreted in another way.

A new threat to Herod’s power arose in 31 BC when Octavian defeated Antony at the Battle of Actium. After this battle, Octavian was emperor and went down in history as the great Caesar and Augustus. Herod’s position is threatened. As a supporter of Antony, he found himself on the side of the vanquished – with all the ensuing consequences.

Herod presented himself before Octavian Augustus and removed the royal diadem from his head, but Octavian put it back on him, having appreciated his loyalty to Rome and to himself for the future. Herod and Octavian Augustus remained staunch allies for a quarter of a century. Octavian returns the lands and plantations of Jericho back to Herod. After these events, the Judean king Herod now sits firmly and confidently on the throne, securing the full and unconditional support of Rome.

Herod’s relationship with Rome also determined the structure of Jewish society, which was already firmly connected to the Roman Empire. Throughout the territory of the country, Herod erected fortresses to fight against possible rebels or conquerors; thus keeping the population of Judea in fear and subjection. His army is constantly on the move across the country, ready to nip any rebellion in the bud. The Romans demanded the payment of taxes used to support the army, some of which were sent to Rome. Herod duly paid everything, not forgetting to introduce new taxes to cover his own needs. A strengthened economy and political stability and peace are not bad compensations for the high taxes that make up about a quarter of everyone’s income. Thanks to this strategy, his reign was marked by relative economic stability and a general rise in living standards.

Jewish society at the time of Herod experienced the influence of Roman, Greek and Jewish cultures. Herod built theaters and stadiums, yet the Jews stubbornly refused to succumb to Greco-Roman influence. That is why elements of these cultures are practically not mentioned in the Gospel. Neither ultra-religious nor moderate Jews attend sporting events. In the eyes of the entire Roman Empire, Herod acquired the reputation of a benefactor. He spent enormous funds on the construction of temples of Apollo and other Roman deities, on theaters, stadiums, markets, aqueducts, porticos, colonnades. In Rome, he was considered an influential, reliable and wealthy vassal. At the age of five, he allocated funds for the Olympic Games and was the first to propose that awards be given to the athletes who finished in second and third place. Olympic silver and bronze medalists owe their awards to Herod’s initiative. However, all this does not fit into the environment of the Jewish culture, which rejects everything foreign, and the history of Herod’s relations with the Jews are quite complicated, and at times even tragic.

Herod the Great and the Jews

On the one hand, he is chosen by the Romans, which in itself causes the hatred of the freedom-loving Jews. The fact that he came to power as a conqueror further complicates the situation. The relationship and relations between king and people are very strained. Herod did not follow the example of his father, who made an alliance with the Pharisees at the time. He preferred to work with the much more compliant Sadducees, who were not so attached to religious dogma and were willing to adjust to life under Herod and the Romans. The king also favors essays that leave the political arena and pose no threat. Moreover, once an Essene named Menachem had predicted to him that he would become king.[14] During his reign, the Pharisees were in opposition, attracting wide sections of the population, and this to a large extent determined not only the moral foundations of Pharisaism, but also the image with which it is presented to us in the years of Christ.

On the other hand, Herod, who was crowned king of the Jews, had to have his dynasty recognized. Since his father was born in Idumea – south of Judea – Herod was only half Jewish. Is it any wonder, then, that he had to go to such great lengths to meet the demands of his subjects who were adamant on the question of descent. His first wife, Dorida, who gave birth to his son Antipater, was not Jewish. After that, Herod married Mariamne, a Jewish woman from the royal family of the Hasmoneans, whom he, as well as the entire people of Judea, loved very much. She bore him two sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, who also deserve the love of the Jews. They were educated in Rome, where they were also trained in the art of government. For a time things calm down in Judea. Finally, a dynasty was established on the throne, Jewish by blood and at the same time pleasing to Rome. But all this turns out to be illusory. Mariamne learns that Herod, on his way to meet Antony in Laodicea (to exonerate the accusations leveled at him by Cleopatra), has given orders that in the event of his death, she also be killed. This decision was probably dictated both by jealousy and a desire to spare her the torments of his enemies in the event of his death, but Mariamne was certainly not satisfied with it, especially as she enjoyed among the people much more greater popularity than Herod himself. There was a serious blow to the trust between the two. But the worst was yet to come.

Herod’s sister – Salome – strongly hates Mariamna. Herod’s first wife and her son Antipater spread a rumor of betrayal of Mariamne and her two sons. It was these sons of Herod who were educated in Rome that the Jews saw as their future rightful rulers. However, they are accused of trying to poison Herod. The trial was held in Rome, under the watchful eye of Octavian Augustus, and dismissed all charges against Herod’s wife and sons. The suspicious Herod, however, in a moment of insanity ordered his sons, as well as his beloved wife, to be executed. He later became convinced of their innocence and the guilt of what had happened haunted him until the end of his days, sometimes falling into temporary madness. This terrible tragedy is reminiscent of the plot of “Othello”, but it is much crueler because it took the lives of real people. Together with Mariamna and her sons, all the hopes of the Jews for the continuation of the Hasmonean dynasty, capable of reviving their faith in the royal family, perished, and Herod was no longer destined to rest in peace. Subsequently, he married three more times: to another Mariamne, then to Maltake, and finally to Cleopatra of Jerusalem. In the last days of his life, Herod nevertheless issued an order to kill his first-born son Antipater, who, together with his first wife Dorida, entangled the entire royal court in intrigues and it is quite possible that he himself planned to poison Herod. It is scarcely possible to describe in words the grievous calamity which befell this family, because of the constant fear which haunted Herod, that he might be dethroned by some of his sons. The royal throne is entangled in the web of evil woven by Herod and his entourage. Fear and intrigue never leave the royal court – silent witnesses of which are the crime-free fortresses of Masada, Irodium and those in other cities. In the light of everything described, the appearance in Jerusalem of the Magi (wise men) who wanted to worship the new Jewish king is a dangerous event. They might as well put their heads in a lion’s mouth.

After the murder of Mariamna, Herod tries to restore the confidence of the Jews in himself and finds a magnificent idea. He decided to restore the Jerusalem temple, which was to become a great national shrine, in no way inferior to the Greek or Roman ones, but built strictly according to the Jewish canon. Like the Athenian and Delphian temples, its treasury must have received considerable cash to ensure a steady source of income for the high priest and his entourage. The high priests – above all the Sadducees – found the kingly idea attractive and concluded, although not very advantageous for them, an agreement with Herod. He reserves for himself the right to appoint a high priest, and thus his choice cannot be considered free. So the temple was built – a majestic, tall, white building decorated with gold. Thousands of priests had to learn the craft of stonemasonry so that the ritual purity of the temple, where only priests were allowed, could be preserved during construction. The territory of the temple was expanded and it again became the center of the religious life of the Jews. The main works on the construction of the temple were between 19 and 10 BC, but the construction continued even after the birth of Christ, until 64. Herod managed to successfully implement the plan, regardless of the fact that the construction was carried out at the expense of the high taxes. But even this grandiose construction evokes in the people rather restrained gratitude.

The rebuilt temple and its surrounding buildings became the main center of the national and religious life of the Jews in Jerusalem and even beyond the borders of Judea. We, who are used to the simpler architecture of the temples, can hardly appreciate the importance of the Jerusalem Temple – not only a Jewish and governmental center, but also an important tourist attraction. According to the degree of development of the system of sacrifices and taxes supporting the existence of the entire religious order, Herod’s relationship with the new Jewish elite is visibly complicated. The construction of the temple is his merit, but the priests also gain power, because everything related to the temple is under the rule of the God of Israel, not the Roman governor. A vivid example of these relationships becomes an event at the end of Christ’s life – probably even after the arrival of the wise men (Matt. 2 ch.). Herod, wishing to show his respect and obedience to Rome, ordered a golden Roman eagle to be placed on the roof of the temple. His action greatly annoyed the Jews, and two rabbis persuaded their disciples to go up and take down the eagle. When Herod learned of this, he became furious, which he demonstrated to the people. He ordered the rabbis, along with the disciples and several other people to be burned alive.[15] Thus, the construction of the temple did not make the situation in the country more stable, but only exacerbated the contradictions in the politics of the Jews and Herod himself.

The secret opposition to Herod had several different strands. First of all we must mention Pharisaism, which gradually became a popular movement, in many respects independent of the temple religion. Scores of scribe-Pharisees traveled throughout Judea and Galilee, using a growing number of synagogues or assemblies for the preaching of the Mosaic Torah, underlying the national self-consciousness and Jewish understanding of virtue. The ruling Sadducees did not outwardly show hostility to the Pharisees and could not help but recognize the strengthening of their positions, so rivalry inevitably arose between the two groups. In addition to the Pharisees, we can count the traveling zealots as the opposition – fierce nationalists who consider the tax paid to Rome to be treason against God. Some of them assembled in various places, ready at the slightest sign of weakness to attack Herod’s soldiers. Mainly, however, these are ordinary people – peasants, poor, overwhelmed by taxes, waiting for change and a new governor. In the great Jewish “cauldron” the hatred of Rome and Herod, the national faith, the preaching of the Torah, the growing interest in the temple and the burden of taxes are mixed. With the death of Herod, this mixture promised to become truly explosive.

Christ and Herod

To the aging Herod, suffering from stomach cancer, the news of Christ’s birth probably had the same effect as the bull’s cloak. Having uncovered a number of conspiracies, he suspects his eldest son of wanting to poison him. And suddenly, from the eastern lands that belong to the Parthians, three noblemen – astrologers – come to him. The Parthians were not only potential opponents of Rome and of itself. Indirectly, his father and brother died because of them. The arriving wise men ask an unexpected question: “Where is the born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2). Herod must have been beside himself with rage. The words of St. Ap. Matthew is too restrained in this matter: “When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matt. 2:3). Herod is enraged by this challenge. He had just executed or was about to execute another of his own sons for his pursuit of the Judean throne and suddenly another self-styled pretender. The inhabitants of Jerusalem are rather worried about the reaction of Herod himself, who in his fits of madness has done terrible things. However, it becomes clear that naive foreigners know nothing about the situation in the country. Far from being partisans, these were Magi from the distant eastern countries, lying beyond Herod’s political interests. With no animosity towards them, Herod decided to focus his efforts on the infant, who threatened to take his throne. As Jerusalem excitedly debates the possible rival of the hated Herod, the same makes plans for his destruction. The king, ignorant of the matters of the Jewish Scriptures, was forced to seek the advice of the scribes. St. app. Matthew says that the events he describes happened before the eyes of all the people. Calling “all the high priests and scribes of the people” (Matt. 2:4), Herod nevertheless did not turn the meeting into an official meeting of the Sanhedrin. [16] The prophecy of the prophet Micah (5:2) about Bethlehem is well known and the priests reported him to Herod.[17] Herod sends the wise men to Bethlehem, which is five miles from Jerusalem, with strict instructions to return to him with a detailed account of what happened. They go, worship Christ, and leave Judea, avoiding meeting Herod again. The “another road” mentioned by Matthew (2:12) most likely went through the Idumaean desert – south to the Dead Sea and from there to the East. Herod’s army entered Bethlehem and slaughtered all the infants of the Messiah’s age (Matt. 2:16). Such a solution of the problem was entirely in the spirit of Herod, at this stage of his life. Josephus writes that soon after the events in Bethlehem, the king, who was on his deathbed, ordered hundreds of high-ranking Jews to be imprisoned in the Jericho hippodrome, who were to die with him, and thus his death would be marked with sorrow, not with jubilation.[18] Herod died in 4 BC. and fortunately his death was not accompanied by mass murder. Five days before his death, he ordered his bodyguards to kill his son, the schemer Antipater. The great Judean king until the very end of his life fought with pretenders to the throne.

The contrast between Herod and Christ is incredibly great – with the death of Herod the Great, his long stay on the Jewish throne ends. Christ – as some understood him – was the born King of the Jews. Whatever this title meant, it must have been akin to that worn by Herod, rather than a symbolic model of the United Kingdom or other modern monarchies. The genealogy of the Gospel according to Ap. Matthew and App. Luke points to Christ as the Son of David, heir to the royal line. The Magi call him “King of the Jews” referring to Micah’s prophecy. The Evangelists do not in the least doubt the royal appointment of Christ. Getting all this right is the main theme of this book. The royal title is not only a spiritual concept, it clearly also contains some political meaning.

According to the story of the evangelists, the news about the birth of the King did not become known to many people, it could not have been otherwise. God gave a completely definite revelation to the Holy Virgin: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David; and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:32-33). After the death and resurrection of Christ, the Holy Mother of God delivered these words to Ap. Luke and yet both believe in the fulfillment of this prophecy. The elderly family of Zacharias and Elizabeth – excited by the impending birth of their son John, called the Baptist – learned of his special relationship with the royal infant. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he visited and delivered his people and raised up for us in the house of his servant David a horn of salvation” (Luke 1:68-69). The cry of the future forerunner of the great King is heard in their home. To ordinary shepherds, heavenly angels announce the birth of the Lord – Messiah in the city of David (Luke 2:11-12). The king comes to His subjects, but visits only the humblest, the poorest of them – those who can barely cope with bureaucracy and taxes. The most amazing thing about the app. Luke is that the King is born not in a palace, but in a manger. The thought that God is not interested in the display of external greatness does not give rest to the ap. Luke: just as he haunts us today. If you rule the whole world, the palace is so worthy of you… Here we first encounter the uniqueness of Christ. Can a king differ from the usual image? During the writing of his gospel ap. Mark is confident of an affirmative answer. At the very beginning, he quotes the prophecy of Isaiah, who calls St. John the Baptist – the Forerunner of Christ. But a few verses later, in 40:10-11, it says:

Behold, the Lord God comes with power, and His arms with power. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense is before His face. As a shepherd he will feed his flock; He will take the lambs in His arms and carry them on His chest, and He will lead the milkmaids.

What strange words! So is this how God deals with His people? The masters demand taxes, slaves, wars, and he rewards! Power is based on fear and violence, and before us is the image of a ruler who is gentle with children and pregnant women. A cruel man cannot carry a tender lamb in his arms. The king relies on the power of his army, and this one carries the subjects “on His chest”. Is it possible that in God’s kingdom there will be no wars of conquest, no robbery or violence? In the context of world history this seems impossible, but in the context of prophecy it is undeniable. It turns out that the king could be something very different from anything known to history.

Thus, the birth of Christ embodies a fundamental political opposition: the powerful and vengeful governor plotting murder, and Christ hidden in Egypt by St. Joseph and the St. Virgin. The Holy Family sets out on its difficult and dangerous journey at night (Matt. 2:14). Bethlehem never became their home, although they probably intended to stay there for a long time. They gather their belongings, but instead of a hundred kilometers on the way back to Nazareth, they will have to go much further and become refugees in Egypt. No one notices their disappearance, except, perhaps, the relatives of St. Joseph. The family of St. Virgin, who remained in the north, will hardly know where they are headed. The road is difficult, but beyond the cruel Herod’s domain the infant is safe. A huge Jewish diaspora lives in Egypt – the largest in the Roman Empire. Large Jewish settlements also existed in Alexandria, Heliopolis and other towns and villages. Egyptian Jews did not have to live in ghettos, on the contrary, they played an important role in the life of this Roman colony. The Romans granted them complete religious freedom, they allowed them to build synagogues without hindrance. That is why St. Joseph’s family probably settled in the new place without difficulty, and Joseph found work without drawing undue attention to himself. Itinerant Jewish merchants, traveling regularly, could deliver letters to their relatives and friends. After some time, news of Herod’s death reached Egypt (Matt. 2:19-20). Now the holy family can safely return home, because the events associated with the appearance of the magi are gradually becoming history. But where is home now? Among the Jews, as a rule, women go to the man’s family. Although St. Joseph lived and worked in Galilee, the fact that he was registered as a tax payer in Judea speaks of his intention to return there (Matt. 2:22). It is possible that he planned to return with his family to Bethlehem. But the killing of the infants by Herod is too fresh in the memory, and in his dream Joseph is instructed to go in a very different direction. After Herod’s death, those of his sons who were fortunate enough to remain alive fought for his throne. Power in Jerusalem was effectively in the hands of Archelaus, so St. Joseph’s concerns were well founded. Philip and Antipas, however, do not want to lay down their arms. At first Archelaus presented himself to his subjects as a magnanimous monarch, addressing the great crowd gathered in the capital for the Passover celebration. But his popularity soon becomes an obstacle for him. The Jews approached him with a request to lower the taxes and punishments for those who took part in the removal of the Roman eagle from the roof of the temple, i.e. the nationalists pressured him to take the side of the Jews in the struggle with Rome. Archelaus delays making a decision; the Jews saw in this a weakness and raised a revolt. Immediately the country seems to return to the time of Herod. The army enters Jerusalem and destroys everything. Battles are even fought on the Temple Mount. Thousands die, and Archelaus’ hands, like his father’s, are stained with blood.[19] In addition, the Roman procurator Sabinus also waged war against the Jews in an effort to strengthen his position and, of course, to benefit from the riches of Jerusalem. It does not stop even before another robbery of the temple. News of all this spread like wildfire and very soon reached St. Joseph and St. Theotokos in Egypt. It turns out that Archelaus is no better than his father. Even after Herod’s death, Bethlehem, located only ten kilometers from Jerusalem, continued to be too dangerous a place for the holy family.

Herod’s three surviving sons—Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip—head to Rome to find out which of them Octavian Augustus will wish to make Herod’s successor. In their absence, an uprising breaks out in the country. In Galilee, Judas – the son of the rebel Hezekiah killed by Herod, and later governor of Galilee – captured the royal arsenal at Sepphorus, not far from Nazareth, and armed his associates, burning with a desire to avenge the murder of his father. In Perea, but east of the Jordan River, one of Herod’s slaves named Simon also revolted and set fire to the royal palace at Jericho. For a while success smiled on the insurgents, but hopes soon evaporated. The Roman general Varus threw against the Jews all the power of the army and inflicted a final defeat on Judea. He burned Sepphorus and, to teach the local population a lesson, sold it into slavery, leaving behind only a lifeless wasteland. He applied what had become classic Roman measures of appeasement, and Judea was once again fully under Roman rule. Two thousand rebels are crucified on both sides of the Sepphoric roads, as a warning to anyone who decides to defy Roman power. Disturbing news is certainly reaching the holy family.

The three sons of Herod receive from Rome authority over a certain territory, but none of them is awarded a royal title. Archelaus was given power over Judea as ethnarch, and the other two brothers became tetrarchs. Now for the parents of Christ the road to Judea is cut off. Returning to the homeland of the Holy Mother of God is also not at all simple, but it was there, in Nazareth (Galilee), that they decided to return. As a good carpenter, St. Joseph probably found work somewhere in the rebuilding of Sepphorus. The Jews learn not to provoke new Roman atrocities, and the old ones eventually fade into memory. Herod Agrippa felt confident enough in his role as the governor of Galilee, and therefore, upon taking office, he did not undertake mass executions. The nationalists temporarily fell silent – weakened after the showdown with Judah, the son of Hezekiah, and his followers. And in Nazareth a child grows up, whose name is Jesus…

* Storkey, A. Jesus and Politics: confronting the powers, Michigan 2005, p. 7-21.

 [10] The Jewish War, 1, 10; Jewish Antiquities, 14, 8.

[11] Schurer, E. A history of the Jewish people in the Age of Jesus (175 B.C. – A.D. 135), vol. I, Edinburgh 1973-1987, p. 267-273.

[12] The Jewish War, 1, 13, 10; Jewish Antiquities, 14, 13, 10.

[13] The Jewish War, 1, 16, 4.

[14] Jewish Antiquities, 15:10.5.

[15] The Jewish War, 1, 33, 1-4; Jewish Antiquities, 17, 6, 2-4.

[16] France, R. T. The Gospel according to Matthew & An Introduction and Commentary, Leicester 1985, p. 83.

[17] The place of the Messiah’s birth is not entirely precisely established. According to the general opinion, this is the city of Bethlehem (John 7:42), but it is also said that the birthplace of Christ is not known to anyone (7:27).

[18] The Jewish War, 1, 33, 6-8.

[19] The Jewish War, 2, 1, 3.