Herod the Great
K ing Herod the Great was born around 73 BC. Based on Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews is that Herod died at the end of March or early April in 4 BC. Josephus wrote that Herod died 37 years after being named as King by the Romans, and 34 years after the death of Antigonus. Herod ruled in 37 BC and he he ruled in Judea as the Judea king. Matthew writes that when King Herod heard the news of another king, he responded in fear and paranoia. Herod the Great had been given the title “King of the Jews” in 40 BC and after consolidating his power he ruled over Judea for 33 years, the last thing he wanted was a rival over his Judean domain.
S o s uspicious and insecure was he that called a secret meeting of religious leaders and extracted information about the exact time and place of the birth of this new king. It is not incidental that Matthew says that Herod feigned the exact same purpose as the wise men, that he too wanted this information “so that I too may go and worship him”. But Matthew also tells us what his true motive was; he really wanted to murder Jesus, to eliminate his rival.k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k there is not hingg mo re to o o o o o w r i t e