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Herod the Great and Herod Antipas

Herod the Great was the father of Herod Antipas. Both are in the gospels and both “ruled,” but under Roman authority. Herod the Great unsuccessfully tried to kill the baby Jesus. Herod Antipas had a chance, on Good Friday, to sentence Jesus, but declined and sent him back to Pilot. More details below.

Herod the Great (Herod I)

  • Tried to have Jesus killed in Matthew 2.
  • Died after Mary, Joseph, and Jesus fled to Egypt (perhaps 4 BC).

Herod Antipas

  • Herod Antipas was one of Herod the Great’s sons.
  • His mother was Malthace, making Antipas a half-brother to several other Herodian rulers.
  • After Herod the Great died in 4 BC, Rome divided his kingdom among his sons.
  • Herod Antipas became tetrarch (not king) of Galilee and Perea (note: Galille north and Perea east of the Jordan river). He ruled from 4 BC to 39 AD.
  • The other sons were: (There appears to be 3 sons ruling, but there should have been 4.)
    • Herod Archelaus. Title: Ethnarch (higher than tetrarch, lower than king). Regions: Judea, Samaria, Idumea.
      • Outcome: Ruled poorly; removed by Rome in AD 6 → area became a Roman province (governed by prefects like Pontius Pilate).
    • Philip the Tetrarch. Regions: Iturea, Trachonitis, Batanaea (northeast). Reputation: Stable and effective ruler.
  • 🗝️Herod Antipas imprisoned John the Baptist for condemning his unlawful marriage to Herodias. At a birthday banquet, Antipas rashly promised Herodias’s daughter anything she asked. Prompted by her mother, she demanded John’s head. Though reluctant, Antipas ordered the beheading. Recorded in: Mark 6:17–29; Matthew 14:3–12.
  • 🗝️Herod Antipas questioned Jesus* after Pilate sent Him as a Galilean (on what we now call Good Friday). Jesus remained silent; Antipas mocked Him, dressed Him in splendor, and returned Him to Pilate. That day, Pilate and Antipas became friends. Recorded in: Luke 23:6–12.
    • Note: Antipas was in Jerusalem, but he did not rule from Jerusalem and Judah was not his territory. He was in town because of the Passover. Since Jesus was from Nazareth (which is in Galilea!) and he was in town, Pilot sent Jesus to him. Additionally, Passover drew huge crowds (many from Galilee, Antipas’s own region), making it a high-risk time for unrest. Rome expected client rulers to help maintain order.

Map

In the map below we see the three regions ruled by the sons of Herod the Great, after he died in 4 BC. The map “goes up to 10 AD,” probably because Herod Archelaus lost his region around that time.