Thursday, January 5, 2012

Herod the Great / Paul Thomas Smith

Excerpt from Birth of the Messiah by Paul Thomas Smith. 
 (reading only)

At the time of Jesus' birth in the Old World, Judea was ruled by Herod the Great, a part-Jewish son of Antipater, governor of the Roman province of Idumea. Herod had been appointed king over Judea by his close friend Octavian, who was better known by his title, Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire. Herod's appointment by Rome troubled many Jews, for the Lord had said that their king should be one "whom the Lord thy God shall choose; one from among thy brethren" (Deut. 17:15).

As king, Herod was famous for the most massive construction program in ancient times in the Holy Land. Using Roman engineers, Greek architects, and local laborers, he built several Greek-style cities, with theaters, public baths, temples devoted to the worship of Roman gods, gymnasiums, stadiums, and hippodromes (oval stadiums for chariot racing), the latter three reflecting his love of athletics. An excellent hunter and athlete, Herod had donated so much money to the Greek Olympics that he was named life president of the games. But gladiatorial battles and the nudity of athletes who competed in Greek-style events disturbed Jewish leaders, who charged that the country had been defiled. To soothe their feelings, Herod built a large shrine in the city of Hebron at the burial cave of Father Abraham and his family.

Herod also built magnificent palaces and fortresses. But his crowning achievement, and, he hoped, his memorial, was the rebuilding of the ancient temple in Jerusalem as a masterpiece of white marble, with massive gates of gold and silver. Ten thousand craftsmen and a thousand priests labored for years to complete the project.2

The temple was beautiful, but for years, few if any of its high priests held the keys of the priesthood of Aaron, which were necessary to bestow authority and the sanction of the Lord upon their office. During the period when the Roman Empire controlled the Israelite nation, the office of high priest was a political appointment not affirmed by revelation.3

No comments: