Customer Reviews

Herod Antipas (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series)

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A good book that breaks down the life and politics behind one of leaders who had a hand in Jesus' death. I liked the way that this book was written. It was very easy to read, although about 1/2 of each page was dedicated to footnotes. The author does a good job of using critical analysis when agreeing with historical documentation and when he varies from it.

Herod Antipas' is out of date, but still valuable. It is extraordinarily well footnoted, and there are numerous appendices that take up a third of the book. It's quite readable, except for the amount of untranslated Greek in the sections relating to the Gospels; when he discusses a single passage, he quotes the two or three lines in Greek with no English translation. The verse is footnoted sometimes, but it's a pain to look it up. Here's another example:

'However, he would argue that verse 33 is an isolated saying introduced ad vocem, opuepov kai avpiov, in view of verse 32, or that verse 32b is secondary (constructed by the church), leaving only plpv in verse 33 as an editorial insertion.

A lot of this book focuses on Antipas' relation to the Gospels - the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist, Jesus, etc. Some more straight politics would have been nice. He also gets very wrapped up in chronology and dates, spending two or three pages discussing whether something happened in the year 32 or 36.

If you're interested in Antipas for Christian reasons - Richard Batey has written a book called Jesus and the Forgotten City, on the excavations of Antipas' first capital, Sepphoris, which he built from the ground up, into `the ornament of all Galilee.' (Josephus) Because he built Tiberias as well (on a graveyard, which didn't go over veyr well with the Jews), it also gives clues as to what that capital would have been like as well, and how those wealthy women following Jesus, and supporting him and the disciples out of their own means, would have lived. You can see my review under that product.

Harold Hoehner's "Herod Antipas: Contemporary of Jesus Christ" (1980, 437-page paper back) is an antiquities classic. It is well documented with 46 pages of bibliography, 38 pages of indexes, and hundreds of primary source footnotes. Hoehner's documentation is informative and convincing (he is well-read in all the sources). Unfortunately, there is only one map (of 1st century Roman Palestinia) and only one herodian genealogy table.

"Herod Antipas" begins with Herod the Great's realm passing to son Archelaus in 4 BC. Hoehner answers questions about Antipas' royal inheritance, family, political ambitions, and rule while positing 1st century Syro-Palestinian history. Antipas' story is riveting, when placed in the New Testament era.

Hoehner presents his one-of-a-king history with thorough and compelling documentation. His ancient sources include Josephus, Strabo, Tacitus, Justin Martyr, and many more. A host of modern authors are also cited. Hoehner's footnoting, alone, is worth the price of this 1st century history.

"Herod Antipas" presents the dates for Antipas' royal ascent, Jesus' birth, John the Baptizer's execution, Herod's dethronement, and his death. Hoehner describes Antipas' Galilean construction activity, his loosing war with king Aretas of Petra, and the love-hate relationships with his Roman overlords. The tangled story of Herod's family life is clearly told and documented.

Even with the informative history and persuasive source-work this book could be better with more maps (perhaps of the eastern Roman Empire, Antipas' movements through history, and battle movements in the Aretas war) and additional family trees (for the Julio-Claudians, the Hasmonaeans, and the Jewish high priestly families). Lists of the high priests, for the Jerusalem governors, of the Syrian governors, and for the kingdoms surrounding Galilee would have been helpful.

This book is recommended to everyone interested in the world of Late Antiquity.

Happy All Saints Day!

This work was cited by other scholarly sources. Its emphasis on politics and the bargain Amazon price inspired me to add it to my collection. It features an extensive bibliography, which is always a plus to subject area collectors.

It was interesting to find out about Herod Antipas and his rule. Regretfully, he did not know who Jesus, the Christ, was and is.