Abraham Rabinovich<\/b><\/p>\n
Herod the Great was king of the Roman province of Judea from 37 B. C. until his death in 4 B. C. It was during his reign that Jesus was born (Matthew 2:1). When the Wise Men tricked Herod, he mercilessly killed all the male children in Bethlehem under two years of age (Matthew 2:2\u201312, 16\u201318, see<\/i> Bible and Spade, <\/b>Autumn 1977, pp. 97-103). Joseph was forewarned by an angel and he took Mary and the young Jesus to Egypt for safety. When Herod died, Joseph brought his family back into Palestine, settling in Nazareth in Galilee (Matthew 2:13\u201315, 19\u201323). We can therefore accurately date the holy family\u2019s return from Egypt at 4 B.C., although we do not know how old our Lord was at that time. Herod was a great builder and he has left his mark all over Palestine. One of the more interesting of his projects was the Herodion, where he was eventually buried. The latest archaeological work at the site is here described by Abraham Rabinovich. \u2014 Ed<\/i>.<\/p>\n
It began with a wild pursuit on the fringe of the desert south of Jerusalem. A force of Parthians and Jews allied with them was closing in on a small party led by Herod, governor of Galilee, which had slipped out of the palace in Jerusalem. Herod\u2019s brother, Phasael, who governed Judea under Roman patronage, had been lured to his death by the Parthians, who invited him to leave the stronghold in order to negotiate. But Herod, one of history\u2019s great survivors, had refused the bait and managed to get away with a brief head-start.<\/p>\n
It was the most traumatic day in the life of a man whose days were ceaseless thunder and turmoil. The carriage bearing his <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 9:1 (Winter 1980) p. 28<\/p>\n
mother overturned a dozen kilometers from Jerusalem. Herod and his party labored to extricate her as their pursuers converged on them, but her injuries were mortal. Overcome with grief and a sense of a collapsing world, Herod drew his sword and prepared to kill himself. His family and followers dissuaded him. With renewed courage, he turned on his pursuers and, in a fierce battle, drove them off. He then made good his escape to his desert fortress of Masada.<\/p>\n
Leaving his family at Masada, Herod made his way to Alexandria, where he embarked for Rome. There the Senate, on the advice of Mark Antony and Octavian, proclaimed him King of Judea. With Roman help, he captured Jerusalem three years later and ruled Judea for 33. His vast building enterprises included expansion of the Temple Mount to its present dimensions and construction of the Second Temple, one of the most magnificent buildings of the ancient world.<\/p>\n
Herodion Constructed<\/b><\/p>\n
In order to commemorate the scene of battle on that fateful day when he lost his mother and earned his kingdom, according to the historian Josephus, Herod raised the distinctive palace-fortress of Herodion near the site. It was there, at his express wish, that he would be carried for burial after his death in 4 B.C.<\/p>\n
Archaeologist Ehud Netzer began digging at Herodion seven years ago and has now come to a number of conclusions that differ both from those of Josephus, who wrote 100 years after the event, and those of modern scholars.<\/p>\n
Herodion was not built primarily as a memorial, he believes, but as a totally utilitarian summer palace a convenient three or four-hour walk from Jerusalem. In addition, Herod\u2019s burial place is probably not atop the hill of Herodion, says Netzer, but at its foot. He believes, in fact, that he may know now where it is.<\/p>\n
It is the top of Herodion that is its most striking feature. Herod\u2019s builders had raised the hill by constructing a crown of two massive, circular walls \u2014 one inside the other \u2014 and then blending this into the natural hill by means of an artificial 40m.-high slope. Inside the hollow cone formed by the circular walls, they built a palace.<\/p>\n
Lower Town Explored<\/b><\/p>\n
It was natural for the attention of archaeologists in the past to be drawn to the unusual palace-fortress dominating the landscape. However, Netzer extended his probing to the foot of the hill, where <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 9:1 (Winter 1980) p. 29<\/p>\n
The \u201cHerodion,\u201d Herod the Great\u2019s Palace-Fort, as seen from the air<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
indistinct remains were scattered in the dust. Josephus had written that a small town had grown up there in Herod\u2019s time, and as Netzer began sinking test excavations, its extent became apparent to modern scholars for the first time.<\/p>\n
Netzer established the dimensions of a large architectural complex extending over 50 acres, of which 17 were covered with buildings. This built-up area was twice what had been known before. It was lower Herodion that was the heart of the complex, Netzer says, and not the palace in the cone.<\/p>\n
The main building in lower Herodion was a large structure which, he believes, served as the working palace where Herod held court and received delegations. In contrast to this palace, the largest in the Roman world of its day, according to Netzer, the hilltop palace was a modest structure where Herod went to relax and escape from official duties \u2014 in fact, a sort of Camp David retreat.<\/p>\n
The large palace was situated at the northern foot of the hill in a direct axis with the cone. Lower Herodion also included an enormous <\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 9:1 (Winter 1980) p. 30<\/p>\n
The lower Herodion<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
swimming pool \u2014 a 45m. by 70m. basin with a round pavilion in the center. Netzer believes that it was surrounded by royal gardens to create a five-acre park complex. There were distinct remains of a 300m.-long track, assumed by most archaeological scholars to be part of a hippodrome or horse-race course. Netzer also uncovered the remains of a previously unsuspected nine-acre stretch of built-up area closing in the complex on the north.<\/p>\n
The only part of lower Herodion ever probed by archaeologists before was the pavilion in the center of the pool, which some had suspected to harbor Herod\u2019s tomb. Other digs, however, were confined to the cone.<\/p>\n
The Search for Herod\u2019s Tomb<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cMost researchers believe the tomb is on the hill because of Herod\u2019s persecution complex and the feeling that he would want to be buried in a protected place,\u201d says Netzer. \u201cBut at that time there was no mystic type of burial in the country. Tombs of the period like Yad Avshalom (in Jerusalem\u2019s Kidron Valley) were perfectly accessible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Herod\u2019s hilltop palace was an opulent one- or two-story villa. One of the towers projecting above the cone\u2019s walls rose some 40-45m. (equivalent to a 13\u201315 story building). Here the royal family could enjoy cooling breezes. The tower, of which only 16m. are left, also served as a virtually impregnable stronghold which would provide refuge if the rest of the hill were captured.<\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 9:1 (Winter 1980) p. 31<\/p>\n
Aerial view of the interior of the Herodion<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
The interior of the Herodion<\/i><\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n
BSP<\/i> 9:1 (Winter 1980) p. 32<\/p>\n
Netzer\u2019s eye, however, was diverted to the so-called hippodrome. He concluded that the track was too narrow for horse races and when he uncovered a structure at one end of it several years ago, he began to suspect that the complex might have been connected with Herod\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n
Josephus describes how Herod\u2019s body was borne up from Jericho, where he died:<\/p>\n
\u2018There was a solid gold bier, adorned with precious stones and draped with the richest purple. On it lay the body wrapped in crimson with a diadem resting on the head and above that a golden crown and the scepter by the right hand. The bier was escorted by Herod\u2019s sons and the whole body of his kinsmen, followed by his spearmen and the Thracian company, Germans and Gauls, all in full battle order. The rest of the army led the way, fully armed and in perfect order, headed by their commanders and all the officers, and followed by five hundred of the house slaves and freedmen carrying spices. The body was borne 24 miles to Herodion, where by the late king\u2019s command it was buried.\u2019<\/p>\n
The track might have been constructed for the final ceremony, perhaps lined by Herod\u2019s escort as the body was carried past to the tomb.<\/p>\n
Last year, Netzer explored what he calls the \u201cmonumental building\u201d at the end of the track, but found no sign of burial. He believes, however, that the building could have been part of a burial complex with a royal tomb on either side of it. The sides are still buried in the hillside and Netzer plans to expose them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am assuming the tomb may be there,\u201d he says, \u201calthough I\u2019m certain that if it is, we will find it looted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Be that as it may, Herod\u2019s tomb, even without golden crown, scepter or bones would be a major archaeological treasure.<\/p>\n
(Reprinted from The Jerusalem Post International Edition<\/i>, February 11-17, 1979.)<\/p>\n
For God send not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved<\/i>.<\/p>\n
John 3:17<\/i><\/p>\n
Bible and Spade 9:2 (Spring 1980)<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Abraham Rabinovich Herod the Great was king of the Roman province of Judea from 37 B. C. until his death in 4 B. C. It was during his reign that Jesus was born (Matthew 2:1). When the Wise Men tricked Herod, he mercilessly killed all the male children in Bethlehem under two years of age … Continue reading “FROM
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