About this episode
This episode explores the life and historical context of Herod the Great, a significant figure in Jewish history known for his tyrannical rule and the Massacre of the Innocents.
Support us on Patreon --- "Herod the king, in his raging, charged he hath this day: his men of might, in his own sight, all young children to slay." So goes the Coventry Carol, a traditional English Christmas song commemorating the Massacre of the Innocents in Bethlehem. According to the Christian Gospel of Matthew, the jealous ruler of Judea so feared the arrival of the messiah that he ordered this slaughter of his own infant subjects. Herod's name rings through the ages with tyranny and evil. But who was Herod the Great? This episode of Gladio Free Europe explorers the life and afterlife of Jewish history's most consequential monarch. Liam and Russian Sam situate King Herod in his historical context, as a pious Jewish monarch and a Hellenistic warrior-king. Born into an ambitious family descended from the conquered backwater of Edom, nobody expected Herod would ever assume control of the Hasmonean Kingdom of Judea. But as the Mediterranean world collapsed into a century of bloody turmoil, Herod used dynastic conflicts in both Jerusalem and in Rome to propel himself to the greatest heights of power. After he was suddenly named King of…
People in this episode
Hosts: Liam, Russian Sam
Topics covered
- Herod the Great
- Massacre of the Innocents
- Jewish history
- Hellenistic warrior-king
- Roman Empire
- Hasmonean Kingdom
Keywords
- Herod the Great
- Massacre of the Innocents
- Judea
- Hellenistic
- Roman Senate
- Jewish history
- Coventry Carol
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Coventry Carol
Places: Judea, Bethlehem, Rome, Israelite, Edom
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