The True Herod

Vermes (Professor Emeritus, Jewish studies, Oxford Univ.; Jesus the Jew), who died in 2013, uses archeological, historical, and religious sources to present a carefully nuanced portrait of a commoner-become-king, surpassed in the Roman Empire of his time only by his friends Augustus and Agrippa. Herod (d. 4 BCE) was generously concerned for the welfare of his subjects (Jewish and otherwise) but was also ruthless against his rivals and opponents who included his family members. Vermes refers to his subject as a "genuine tragic hero" and points out his dazzling architectural achievements (e.g., rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem), his raising the world prominence of the Jewish nation, and his very skillful diplomacy. Both Christian and rabbinic sources have denigrated Herod's memory, explains the author; none of his offspring accomplished—for great or ill—as much as he did. After his Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, Herod faded largely from prominence except in biased and often apocryphal accounts (e.g. the Gospel of Matthew's story of his slaughter of the innocent babies shortly after the birth of Jesus).