, „_ „ „ . advocated the
34 as the date of John's death, and assigned the death of Jesus to the year 35 (Jesws of Nazara, ii. 387 ff.). Sicffert dates
The concise character of Josephus' narrative, however, as well as the condition of the text in this section of Ant., renders it precarious to infer, from the order of events, close chronological sequence (cf. SchurerS, i. 443 ff. ; Wellhausen <, 354). Equally
* This meagreness, as compared with the detailed account of the life and reign of Herod the Great, is due doubtles.s to the failure, after Herod's death, of one of the principal sources upon which Josephus depended, Nicolaus of Damascus (cf. Schurer', i. 63 ; Mathews, Hist. 134, n. 1).
722
HEROD
HEROD
uncertain is the chronological inference from the popular con- nexion of Antipas' defeat vnth the death of John, since such a judgment is too flexible to furnish any very definite chrono- logical datum.
The arrest, imprisonment, and death of Jolin the Baptist are narrated in the Gospels and in Josephus (cf. Mt 4'= IV-^- U^"; Mk 1" &'^-, Lk 3'«- 7is(r. 97(r.^ j^ 324. j„f xviu. v. 2). Both sources give an account of John's preachinj^ and baptism. Josephus mentions a political motive for John's arrest ; but, while such a motive is not unlikely in ^ew of the popularity of John's ministry (Mk l^ Mt 3', Lk 3=', cf. Jn 5^) and the jSIessianic char- acter of his preaching (Mk pf-, Mt 3"S Lk 3'=f-, of. Jn li5.iM.37 sasff.)^ it does not fully explain his death. We learn also from Josephus that John was imprisoned in the fortress of Machserus, but nothing is .said concerning the length of the im- prisonment. The Gospels, however, give a personal motive for the arrest of John, indicate that the imprisonment lasted for some time, — probably about a year,* — and attribute his death to the enmity of Herodias (Mk 6"-=», Mt M^-i^, Lk 3^"- -"}. For John had rebuked Herod for his marriage mth Herodias, and for this Ii:hI li.rn ini|irisoned. The imprison- ment seems tn lnn^ l.i.n moderated by the free access of his di-. i]iUs to him, and Herod himself heard John from time to time. At length, how- ever, on the occasion of a birthday feast,t cele- brated by Herod with the chief men of his govern- ment, probably at the palace in Machserus, a favourable opportunity presented itself for Hero- dias to be avenged on John for his attack on her marriage. Salome, the daughter of her former mar- riage,t danced before Herod and his guests. Herod was pleased, and promised to do for her what she might ask. At tlie suggestion of her mother, her request took an unexpected form ; but because of his promise Herod granted her the death of the propnet, who, like his predecessor in the days of Ahab, had been bold to arraign immorality in high places.
The boyhood of Jesus and most of His public ministry were spent \\'ithin the territory of Antipas. It was not, however, until the mission of the Twelve that Herod's attention was attracted to Jesus ; for, though labouring on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, and from Capernaum as a centre extending His work into the surrounding coimtry, Jesus apparently did not visit Tiberias. Shortly after Jesus learned that Herod had heard of Him, He withdrew from Galilee, going into the region of Tyre and Sidon (part of the Roman pro\'inee of Syria). On one occasion Jesus warned His dis- ciples against the leaven of Herod (Mk 8'') ; on another the Pharisees, manifesting an unwonted interest in Jesus' safety, brought Him word that Herod was planning His death (Lk 13^'). The reply of Jesus on the latter occasion — 'Go tell that fox' — shows that He saw through the cunning de.sign of Herod to be rid of Him. True to His own word,— ' for it cannot be that a prophet perisli out of Jeru- salem,'— it was not at the hand of Herod that the Saviour of the world suffered, but at the hands of the Roman world-rulers and their procurator.
licroil tlial Jolm was risen from the dead. The imnrohahle that John's death was a matter of
t On the t
Pap. i! hi "Vn.'iW. '24,'5¥lV'i'vr736"l6,"5'f; Fay. pip.' 20, H5. 6, 119. 30.
J The reading Mk 6=2 «•>«; in KBDLA, adopted by WJ probablv a corruption for xiTf.t (cf. Swete, The Gosp. ace. U itk. 118"; SchurerS, i. 441, n. 29).
Pontius rilate. At the trial of Jesus, Herod's wish to see Him was at length gratified. For Pilate, when he learned that Jesus was of Galilee, and thus subject to Herod's jurisdiction, at once sent him to Herod, who was in Jerusalem at that time. This act of consideration, prompted pos- sibly by the strained relations between the two nilers (Lk 23^^, cf. 13'), proved an eft'ectual peace- ofl'ering, and cemented anew the bonds of friend- ship between them. Herod, however, had no desire to assume responsibility for the death of Jesus. His desire to see Jesus sprang from sunple curiosity, stimulated by the hope that He would perform some miracle in his presence. But Jesus was silent before Herod and His accusers. Herod, therefore, when he had mocked Him, sent Him back to Pilate arrayed in line garments. [The part taken by Herod in the trial of Jesus is the subject of legendaiy elaboration in the apociyplial Gospel of Peter].