Nothin' But Fine: Bible Talk with Emily
Off With His Head! | Matthew 14:1-12
John the Baptist has been imprisoned by Herod Antipas. We don’t know when exactly this happened, but it is mentioned in Matthew 11. We do know why he was imprisoned. You see John the Baptist had a problem with the “Jewish” ruler being married to Herodias because she was first the wife of his brother, Philip. Now that sounds bad enough on its own, but it gets worse if you dig a little deeper. I was curious so of course I did.
Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great. We know him because he was king when Jesus was born. He’s the one that talked with the Magi back in Matthew 2. Although he was crazy and sometimes brutal, he is a fascinating character. An Edomite by birth. That means not Jewish. But who were the Edomites? I’m glad you asked. Edom is from the line of Esau. Remember him? Esau was the twin brother of Jacob…Jacob became Israel. Father Isaac, Grandfather Abraham. (Genesis 25:19-34)
However, Herod’s father converted to Judaism. His father was also granted Roman citizenship by Julius Caesar. So that makes Herod half Jewish and a Roman citizen. He started his political career as governor of Galilee and then a tetrarch of Galilee and finally became King of Judea. He ruled for 32 years. He did some great things while king. He rebuilt the Temple and endowed his territory with fortresses and palaces and new cities.
Herod the Great had at least 10 wives and 14 children. He divorced his first wife (Doris) and banished her and his son from court. He did this because he fell in love with Mariamne, a Hasmonean princess. It is believed that he truly did love her even though he kept taking more wives. But then he got jealous and suspicious and had her murdered along with her two sons, her brother, her father, and her mother. This left some orphans and instead of just kicking them out, Herod espoused them to another member of his family. Keep this in mind.
Read the rest of the show notes on our website Nothin' But Fine.
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John the Baptist has been imprisoned by Herod Antipas. We don’t know when exactly this happened, but it is mentioned in Matthew 11. We do know why he was imprisoned. You see John the Baptist had a problem with the “Jewish” ruler being married to Herodias because she was first the wife of his brother, Philip. Now that sounds bad enough on its own, but it gets worse if you dig a little deeper. I was curious so of course I did.
Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great. We know him because he was king when Jesus was born. He’s the one that talked with the Magi back in Matthew 2. Although he was crazy and sometimes brutal, he is a fascinating character. An Edomite by birth. That means not Jewish. But who were the Edomites? I’m glad you asked. Edom is from the line of Esau. Remember him? Esau was the twin brother of Jacob…Jacob became Israel. Father Isaac, Grandfather Abraham. (Genesis 25:19-34)
However, Herod’s father converted to Judaism. His father was also granted Roman citizenship by Julius Caesar. So that makes Herod half Jewish and a Roman citizen. He started his political career as governor of Galilee and then a tetrarch of Galilee and finally became King of Judea. He ruled for 32 years. He did some great things while king. He rebuilt the Temple and endowed his territory with fortresses and palaces and new cities.
Herod the Great had at least 10 wives and 14 children. He divorced his first wife (Doris) and banished her and his son from court. He did this because he fell in love with Mariamne, a Hasmonean princess. It is believed that he truly did love her even though he kept taking more wives. But then he got jealous and suspicious and had her murdered along with her two sons, her brother, her father, and her mother. This left some orphans and instead of just kicking them out, Herod espoused them to another member of his family. Keep this in mind.
Read the rest of the show notes on our website Nothin' But Fine.
---
Check out the Nothin' But Fine blog and website.
Follow us on social media:
Want everything in your inbox? Subscribe to the Nothin' But Fine newsletter!