The name "Herod" is one of the most familiar names in the New Testament. It's not surprising, because the Herodian dynasty represented secular power (primarily Rome, secondarily their own power) during that time. The coming of Jesus announced that God's Kingdom was breaking into the world. No wonder Herod opposed Him! But who were all the Herods in the New Testament?
Herod the Great
Herod the Great is the king that most people think of when they think of "Herod." He was the "king" of Judea and its surrounding territories at the time that Jesus was born. That also means that he was the king who ordered the slaughter of all the boys under the age of 2 (Matthew 2:16). He served as king at the pleasure of the Roman emperor Augustus; therefore, he had to be careful to keep Rome happy. Herod the Great was notoriously paranoid; he ordered the execution of some of his sons and one of his wives because he thought they were conspiring against him. He ordered the reconstruction and expansion of the Temple in Jerusalem. However, the Jewish people largely hated him because he was not Jewish; Herod was Idumean (from the Old Testament kingdom of Edom, descended from Esau). Herod the Great died around 4 BC.
Herod Archelaus
Archelaus was one of the sons of Herod the Great who succeeded to part of Herod's kingdom upon his father's death. Archelaus became the "tetrarch" (ruler of a one-third part of a kingdom) of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. Archelaus is introduced in Matthew's Gospel as the ruler who took over when Herod died: "But when [Joseph] heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and came and settled in a city called Nazareth" (Matthew 2:22-23). Archelaus continued to reign until 6 AD, when Augustus removed him from power.
Herod Philip
Herod Philip was another son of Herod the Great; Philip was also a tetrarch (of Iturea and Trachonitis). Luke 3:1-2 lists all of the rulers in power when Jesus's public ministry began: "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness." Philip's main connection to the gospel story lies in the fact that he was originally married to Herodias; when his brother, Herod Antipas, married Herodias, John the Baptist loudly proclaimed that this marriage was illegal. For that reason, Herod Antipas imprisoned John (mostly at Herodias' urging). Aside from this connection, Herod Philip does not play a significant part in the story of Jesus' ministry.
Herod Antipas
After his father, Herod the Great, Herod Antipas is the most familiar "Herod" in the New Testament story. As Luke relates in the passage above, he was the tetrarch of Galilee, which means that he would have been most connected to Jesus' ministry activities in Galilee. It was to Herod Antipas that Pilate sent Jesus during His trial (Luke 23:6-7). Antipas continued to rule over Galilee into the early Christian era; he was still tetrarch for the events of Acts 12, when James was executed, and Peter was imprisoned (Acts 12:1-3). When Peter escaped from prison, Antipas had the guards executed. According to Acts 12:20-23, Antipas was stricken by an angel of the Lord and died: "The people repeatedly cried out, 'The voice of a god and not of a man!' And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died."
Herod Agrippa I
Herod Agrippa I was the son of Aristobulus, who was in turn the son of Herod the Great. He was originally made ruler over the territory of Philip. After Antipas was deposed by Caligula and died, Agrippa became the ruler of Galilee. Later, due to his friendship with and loyalty to Emperor Claudius, Agrippa was given control of the parts of Judea previously governed by Archelaus. Thus, Agrippa, I became ruler over most of the territory that his grandfather Herod the Great had controlled. However, Agrippa died in 44 AD, after just a few years of ruling his grandfather's "kingdom."
Herod Agrippa II
Agrippa II is generally recognized as the last of the Herods. He was originally appointed ruler over part of Philip's territory, and gradually obtained more territory due to his loyalty and service to Rome. Agrippa II and his wife, Bernice, appear in the New Testament in the book of Acts, specifically in the story of Paul's multiple trials and hearings, which eventually led to Paul's transportation to Rome. He was not the ruler of Judean territory; after Agrippa I's death, the Romans appointed governors over Judea (Felix first, then Festus). Acts 25 relates that Agrippa II and Bernice came to pay respects to Festus at the time that Paul was set to appear before Festus. Paul's account of his call and his ministry in Acts 26 was directed toward Agrippa. As he closed his speech, Paul asked Agrippa: "Do you believe the Prophets? I know that you believe.' Agrippa replied to Paul, 'In a short time, you are going to persuade me to make a Christian of myself.' And Paul said, 'I would wish to God that even in a short or long time not only you, but also all who hear me this day would become such as I myself am, except for these chains'" (Acts 26:27-29). At that, Agrippa told Festus that Paul could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.
In all, the family of Herod the Great governed all or parts of the ancient kingdom of Israel for just over 100 years. Herod the Great became king in 37 BC, and Agrippa II died late in the first century AD. They influenced the land where Jesus lived and the people to whom He ministered, but unfortunately, it does not seem that any of them responded by putting their faith in Jesus. As is so often the case, the lure of human power led them away from acknowledging the ultimate sovereignty of God.
