Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans »

Peter Richardson's biographical study of Herod (73-4 BCE) offers insight into the personality of the man who served as the most prominent member of the substantial Herodian family and whose rule shaped the world in which the Christian faith arose. Richardson reveals Herod to be far more complex and important than is generally perceived and demonstrates that an understanding of Herod holds great value for comprehending the relationship between Judea and Rome. Setting his study against the crosscurrents of Jewish and Roman culture in the first century, Richardson emphasizes the social and historical context in which Herod's life unfolded and evaluates the family matters, patronage, religious developments, and ethnic issues that shaped his reign. Richardson details Herod's active participation in political events during the making of the Roman Empire and his close association with such prominent figures as Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Cassius, Octavian (Augustus), Cleopatra, and Marcus Agrippa. In addition to telling Herod's life story, Richardson recounts the legends that grew up around the man - including his responsibility for a massacre of young children in Bethlehem. Richardson's accessible, and relatively positive, assessment of Herod sheds new light on a fascinating but much maligned character.

Society of Biblical Literature - Rebecca Gray

...[A] portrait of Herod that is considerably richer and more generous than the standard one. The book makes an especially important contribution to the understanding of Herod's religious convictions, broadly conceived....In general, the book is a model of what can be achieved through careful integration of sources of various types, attention to detail and to historical context, and fair-minded interpretation. It will be of interest to anyone concerned with the history of Jewish Palestine in the late Second-Temple period.