HEROD
HEROD
357
Shortly before the siege of Jerusalem, Herod had married Mariamne, f,Tanddaugliter of Hyrcanus, to whom lie was violently attached. He had hoped by this alliance with the old dynasty to Ktren;;thun his po>iliijn, but he only succeeded in introducing dissension into his own family. Mariamne and her mother, Ale.\andra, who seems to have been a violent and unscrupulous woman, treated Herod's sister, Salome, and his mother, Cypres, with the most aV)Solute contempt as low- born foreigners. .Salome retaliated by raising Herod's jealousy, and accusing Alexandra and her family of disloyalty and conspiracy. As far as Alexandra is concerned the accusations were un- doubtedly true, in other cases they were more doubt- ful. At any rate, first Aristobulus, the younger brother of Alariamne, who had been made high priest, and whose only crime was that he was too popular, was ]iut to death ; then the aj'ed Hyrcanus, who had returned from Babylon at Herod's invita- tion, and liad always been absolutely subservient to his Idunuean subjects ; then Marianme, his wife, of whom lie was passionately fond, and whose death caused him inlinite misery ; last of all, Alexandra herself, the cause of all the misery, who during Hero<rs illne.ss began secretly to rebel against him, an<l during all this time had been engaged in con- stant intrigues. The last victims to Herod's sus- picions and severity were Costobar, governor of IduiiKca, for a time Salome's husband, and some other mysterious persons, the sons of ISabas, who seem to have been adherents of the Hasmona'an party. Hy the year 25 every possible rival had been removed ; Salome's spite had been gratified ; and Herod's position had been secured by the sacrifice of his passion or aH'ection.
During the same time he was employed in consolidating his position with the Ilomans. He retained the friendship of Antony in spite of the oppo.iition of Cleopatra, who wished to be queen of Jerusalem. Like Augustus, he had the wisdom to resist the temptation of her charms, and he also refrained from ]iuttiiig her to death, lie fitted up a force in order to assist Antony at Actium, but had the good fortune to be employed at the time in an expedition against the Arabs. As soon as the victory of Augustus was certain, he went at once to lura in accordance with the traditions of his family; he said frankly that he had been a good friend to Antony, and had done every- thing to help him, and he promised to be an equally "ood friend to him. Auj^ustus accepted his fricniTship, and conlirmed him in his kingdom. Herod on every opportunity was as good as liis word. He rendered Augustus very material assist- ance, received various extensions to his kingdom, and the friend.ship of Augustus, A^ippa, and Heroil became proverbial. From this time Herod's position was assured.
(2) Period of Herod's prosperity, B.C. 25-13. — Herod was now able to govern as he wished. He was rich, prosperous, and secure, and he devoted him- self to the Ilellunizing of his countrymen and the gratification of his taste for niagniliccnce in build- ing. In B.C. 25 he celebrated at .fenisalem the iiuin- quennial games in honour of Augustus, and t)uilt trieie a tlieatre, amphitheatre, and a hippoilrome. Throughout I'alestino a nunilwr of new cities were founded, the most important of which was Ciesarea on the seacoast. Here and in other (irei'k cities he built temples to Augustus. He turned S.inmria, which he renamed .Seb.iste, into a magnificent city ; nor did he confine his buildings to his own dominions, his benefits reached as far as Uhodes anil Athens. But his greatest work was the riHoMstruction of the temple. This he began in the year n.c. 20. The more sacred portions were completed in eight j'ears ; the building was not
finished until the year a.D. 63, a few years before its final destruction. It was only a partially completed building in the time of our Lord, and existed only eight years after it was finally fin- ished. To the other works must be added palaces, fortresses, parks, and pleasure grounds ; and to the other signs of Hellenizing tendency, the Greek writers and teachers whom Herod attracted to his court, the principal of whom was Nicolaus of Damascus, hb secretary and biographer.
(3) Period of domestic troubles, B.C. 13-4. — It U probable that we are inclined to exaggerate the troubles of Herod's last years, or ratiier to look at them from the point of view of the last three or four years of his life. Herod was considered a second Solomon, as the great Jewish king, and the rebuilder of the temple ; he was, like him, also as a polygamist. The Jews were allowed more than one wife, but it was hardly the fashion at this time to take advantage of tlie licence to any great extent. Herod had ten altogether — nine at one time. He had eight sons and six daughters. The family troubles arose through the dissensions between the sons of Mariamne, the Hasinona;an, on the one side, Salome his sister and Antipater his eldest son on the other. Alexander and Aristo- bulus had been brought up at Rome ; when they returned, their beauty, their popular qualities, and their legitimate descent attracted the atten- tion of the people, and they became the centre for numerous intrigues and an object which fanati- cism could put before itself. We need not follow the course of the intrigues. They nearly involved Herod in difficulties with the Itoman government. Thev led Augustus to say that it was better to be Herod's pig than his son. Eventually, the two sons of Mariamne were strau'ded at Samaria (B.C. 7), and Antipater, after being imprisoned for some time, was executed, as the last act of his father's life, for a too premature act of self-asser- tion. Meanwhile, Herod wiis atllicted with a painful and loathsome disease. Fanaticism began to break out. The puiiils of the liabbis, Judas son of Sariphoeus and Matthias son of Margaloth, were incited to destroy the symbol of idolatry, the golden eagle which adorned the gable of the temple, and the leaders were burnt alive. Herod's cruelty increased with his sutl'erings. He is said to have assembled all the leading people of Jeru- salem in the hippodrome, that on his death they might be put to death, and there might be real grief at his funeral. He died five days after he had caused Antipater to be put to death, after great suH"erings.