Antiquities of the Jews, fit the thirty-second, concluding Book XIV

In the conflict between Aristobulus and Hyrcanus, Hyrcanus had come out tops, with the help of Herod's father Antipater and the Romans; however Aristobulus's son Antigonus invited the Parthians in to try and install him as king, deceiving Hyrcanus and Herod's brother Phasael, who were taken hostage. Phasael having managed to get a message through to Herod, Herod fled from Jerusalem with his family, making his way southeast and then ultimately to Rome, where the Romans would proclaim him king, and send an army back with him to turn declaration into reality.

Before this happened, though, in the early stages of his flight, when at any moment it looks like he might have been overtaken and captured, Josephus tells us (XIV.13.356): ( Read more... )

Interesting to reflect on how different subsequent history would have been—and how much less bloody, in the next few decades—if Herod had succeeded in killing himself at that point. ( Read more... )

though he would go on to order something truly horrific on his deathbed, there is not a trace in Josephus of the Massacre of the Innocents referred to in the Gospel of Matthew; this story seems to be borrowed in its entirety from the similar episode at the beginning of Exodus.

XVII.6.175 describes what Herod ordered on his deathbed: ( Read more... )

"King Herod rejecting the treacherous Embrace of his Son Antipater, who had formed a Conspiracy against his Life in order to Usurp his Throne"

Fortunately, Salome and Alexas had some humanity in them, and managed to get the people released before the soldiers guarding them found out Herod had died.

Herod's death also brought to a conclusion the long-running saga of his son Antipater, who had engineered the deaths of his step-brothers the sons of Mariamne who had stood in the way of his rise to the throne, and then eventually, out of patience for his father to go the way of all men, conspired against him himself. Herod found out, put Antipater on trial, then put him in jail whilst he waited to hear back from Augustus. But when Antipater wrongly thought that Herod, who was on his deathbed, had died, he instantly tried to bribe his way out of jail and back to power. Herod furious, instantly had him executed, which, frankly, was all he deserved.

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Josephus notes