Herod's Plan to Force Judea to Mourn Him

Two thousand years ago, Josephus recorded the final days of Herod the Great. This is War of the Jews, Book I, Chapter 33. Herod was dying, and even at the end he was still ruling, still punishing, still afraid. Then came the spark in Jerusalem. Two teachers, Judas and Matthias, told their students the time had come. Above the Temple gate hung a golden eagle, a Roman symbol. A group of young men climbed up in broad daylight, cut it down, and shattered it. They were caught and brought before Herod. Why did they do it? Because the law commanded it. How could they face death so calmly? Because they believed they would be rewarded after. Herod ordered the leaders burned alive. But his own condition kept worsening. Treatments failed. His power was slipping. And then came his final, darkest plan. Herod knew the truth: no one would mourn him. So he ordered the leading men of Judea gathered into the hippodrome at Jericho and locked inside. His command was simple: when he died, they were to be killed too. That way, he believed, the nation would mourn whether it wanted to or not. At the same time, word arrived from Rome: Antipater was condemned. Herod ordered his son executed immediately. Five days later, Herod himself died. But even his final order failed. The prisoners in the hippodrome were released. The forced mourning never came. Herod had ruled everything – except how he would be remembered. Previous chapter: Chapter 32 – They Tested the Poison. Herod's Heir Was Finished.    • They Tested the Poison. Herod's Heir Was F...   Next: Book II – Herod is dead, and Judea begins to tear itself apart.