If you open a Bible to Matthew 2:16-18, you’ll encounter one of the most notorious stories in any religion. Suspicious of a prophesy about a new king, Herod the Great tricks the Magi into telling him where baby Jesus was born, then sends his soldiers to massacre every child under the age of two in Bethlehem. It’s a scene of shocking cruelty, one that has ensured King Herod’s name is still synonymous with evil today.
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Credits:
Host - Simon Whistler
Author - Morris M.
Producer - Jennifer Da Silva
Executive Producer - Shell Harris
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Source/Further reading:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herod-king-of-Judaea
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2016/11-12/king-herod-judaea-holy-land-rome-new-testament/
https://www.livius.org/articles/person/herod-the-great/
(Original 1906 text, good for some details, but obviously outdated in others): http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7598-herod-i
(Interesting notes on why Josephus and others may not mention Massacre of Innocents – size of Bethlehem plays a key role): http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/history/herod.shtml
Pompey’s siege of Jerusalem: https://www.livius.org/articles/concept/roman-jewish-wars/#Hyrcanus
Hyrcanus II: https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Hyrcanus-II
(A dissenting opinion): http://www.jvl.leverage.it/herod