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Herod the Great: Statesman, Visionary, Tyrant
Herod the Great, king of ancient Judea, was a brutal, ruthless, vindictive and dangerously high-strung tyrant. He had many of his subjects killed on suspicion of plotting against him and was accused of slaughtering children in Bethlehem when informed that a new king of the Jews had been born there. Among the victims of the murderous paranoia that ultimately drove him to the brink of insanity were his three oldest sons and the wife he loved most. But there was a crucial aspect to Herod’s character that has been largely ignored over the centuries. Norman Gelb explores how Herod transformed his formerly strive-ridden kingdom into a modernizing, economically thriving, orderly state of international significance and repute within the sprawling Roman Empire. This reassessment of Herod as ruler of Judaea introduces a striking contrast between a ruler’s infamy and his extraordinary laudable achievements. As this account shows, despite his horrific failings and ultimate mental unbalance, Herod was a fascinatingly complex, dynamic, and largely constructive statesman, a figure of great public accomplishment and one of the most underrated personalities of ancient times. History buffs and those interested in popular ancient history can are introduced to this ruthless tyrant and his victims.
228 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 27, 2025
The book provides an account of the life, reign, and impact of Herod the Great, king of the Jews (not to be confused with his son Herod Antipas of the New Testament) who was more than the one-dimensional sketch he has been relegated to as a malevolent figure and nothing more. Instead, we see a mosaic of a man: a tyrant, visionary, statesman, and master builder who had reigned for more than three mostly eventful decades, who brought prestige to an otherwise sleepy (even though strategically important) area of the Roman dominated middle east.
Always seen as an interloper and an outsider by the Jewish communities in Judaea due to his origins and his Roman backed rule not to mention his taste for Hellenic culture, once king, he essentially established an efficient police state that managed the preservation of order in the various provinces of his realm, suppressed dissent and opposition to his rule. Forever paranoid, he repeatedly eliminated rivals, including executing members of the Hasmonean royal line (of which he wasn't a member) and, tragically, several of his own sons and his favored wife Miriamne. Such acts further alienated him from his people and underlined the brutal, paranoid element of his rule.
Though his tyrannical government and especially his purges of his intimate circle can be abundantly explained by what can only be called a highly dysfunctional royal court, the embodiment of the Hobbesian 'Bellum omnium contra omnes' ("the war of all against all") with no scarcity in terms of conspiracies whether by stepmothers, stepfathers, wives, siblings or his very sons.
The Stalin-esque tyranny and paranoia aside, he was a superb statesman and manager who assured a measure of autonomy for his kingdom under the Roman umbrella, increased the productiveness of the country, encouraged trade through the establishment of new commercial centers and the construction of new cities. He elevated his country's regional and international standing, embarked on ambitious large building projects (both home and abroad) chief of which is the city of Caesarea and the temple in Jerusalem,and most importantly , ensured peace and stability during his rule.
The author continues the narrative after Herod's death and all the way to the end of the self rule in their own country for the Jews of antiquity and with it the delicate order he painstakingly managed to establish, all of it came as a natural result of a sequence of poor administrators which then led to direct Roman rule through boots on the ground and corrupt Roman overlords who only inflamed the friction that already existed vis a vis the Jewish population (most of the time intentionally so) which itself led to a declining economy and the recession of safety and stability that were once so brutally (yet efficiently) enforced. No wonder that later rabbis, and in an attempt to make sense of the destruction of the Second Temple came to the conclusion that it was due to the prevalence of "baseless hatred"...I myself couldn't have come up with a better description.
This was an informative read and an accessible account that helped correct major misconceptions. I recommend it whether you are interested in the subject or generally interested in an introduction to the historical background for the setting of the New Testament, but even more so (even though it doesn't aim to do that) it provides an account of the late republican Roman civil wars on the margins, as in how a small regional power that's usually pushed to the footnotes reacted to the events happening around it and which through its own means ,no matter how insignificant, played its part in them.
Rating: 3.5/5
Always seen as an interloper and an outsider by the Jewish communities in Judaea due to his origins and his Roman backed rule not to mention his taste for Hellenic culture, once king, he essentially established an efficient police state that managed the preservation of order in the various provinces of his realm, suppressed dissent and opposition to his rule. Forever paranoid, he repeatedly eliminated rivals, including executing members of the Hasmonean royal line (of which he wasn't a member) and, tragically, several of his own sons and his favored wife Miriamne. Such acts further alienated him from his people and underlined the brutal, paranoid element of his rule.
Though his tyrannical government and especially his purges of his intimate circle can be abundantly explained by what can only be called a highly dysfunctional royal court, the embodiment of the Hobbesian 'Bellum omnium contra omnes' ("the war of all against all") with no scarcity in terms of conspiracies whether by stepmothers, stepfathers, wives, siblings or his very sons.
The Stalin-esque tyranny and paranoia aside, he was a superb statesman and manager who assured a measure of autonomy for his kingdom under the Roman umbrella, increased the productiveness of the country, encouraged trade through the establishment of new commercial centers and the construction of new cities. He elevated his country's regional and international standing, embarked on ambitious large building projects (both home and abroad) chief of which is the city of Caesarea and the temple in Jerusalem,and most importantly , ensured peace and stability during his rule.
The author continues the narrative after Herod's death and all the way to the end of the self rule in their own country for the Jews of antiquity and with it the delicate order he painstakingly managed to establish, all of it came as a natural result of a sequence of poor administrators which then led to direct Roman rule through boots on the ground and corrupt Roman overlords who only inflamed the friction that already existed vis a vis the Jewish population (most of the time intentionally so) which itself led to a declining economy and the recession of safety and stability that were once so brutally (yet efficiently) enforced. No wonder that later rabbis, and in an attempt to make sense of the destruction of the Second Temple came to the conclusion that it was due to the prevalence of "baseless hatred"...I myself couldn't have come up with a better description.
This was an informative read and an accessible account that helped correct major misconceptions. I recommend it whether you are interested in the subject or generally interested in an introduction to the historical background for the setting of the New Testament, but even more so (even though it doesn't aim to do that) it provides an account of the late republican Roman civil wars on the margins, as in how a small regional power that's usually pushed to the footnotes reacted to the events happening around it and which through its own means ,no matter how insignificant, played its part in them.
Rating: 3.5/5
October 28, 2025
A smoothly written biography that doesn’t shy away from the good and the bad of Herod’s leadership and legacy. Worthwhile.
September 17, 2013
very much a "popular history" vs. scholarly. (I found the book at the library.) Very easily readable, but doesn't expand much on Herod's accomplishments except for his building projects. In fact it sound more like a summary of Josephus's writings than anything else as it highly detailed the political drama of Imperial Rome while only glancing as the social environment that had major agricultural advancements at the time.
September 30, 2021
I really enjoyed this look at Herod the Great. It not only covered Herod but also what happened after he died and also a brief look at the rise of Christianity.
Herod is a divisive figure, on one side a great builder and statesman, on the other a paranoid tyrant who killed his own children and the woman he loved most in the world. A man who was self made and skillfully survived the ever changing balance of power in Rome.
Herod is a divisive figure, on one side a great builder and statesman, on the other a paranoid tyrant who killed his own children and the woman he loved most in the world. A man who was self made and skillfully survived the ever changing balance of power in Rome.
April 17, 2018
Want to discover the culture and context of the New Testament? A book like this will increase your understanding exponentially.
But be warned. It's still a seminary-textbook kind of read. I read it at the gym while working out. Much harder to fall asleep when you're moving.
But be warned. It's still a seminary-textbook kind of read. I read it at the gym while working out. Much harder to fall asleep when you're moving.
November 20, 2022
Brilliant!!!
August 31, 2023
Really good history of Herod and his family. Easy read - a bit of a soap opera. Puts him in perspective in history.
Read
March 3, 2015It was a very interesting book, with a lot of history. I liked how Gelb provided a lot of context, showing how Judea and its leaders interacted with the Roman Empire if which it was apart.
I was amazed (and not in a good way) by how strenuously and frequently Gelb tried to excuse Herod's many crimes because of the public works Herod had built and the "peace and prosperity" Herod brought to Jerusalem. Judea was a brutal police state under Herod. Being in Herod's chain of command was deadlier than being in Darth Vader's! Herod had people tortured and killed, including family members and long-trusted friends, simply for saying the wrong thing or merely suspected of thinking or feeling the wrong things. He also plotted the massacre (not carried out, thankfully,) of important citizens of Jerusalem to coincide with his death so his subjects would mourn instead of cheer when they learned of it. No amount of road building makes up for that.
Herod was efficient. But so was Hitler.
Gelb represents the very frightening political persuasion that any means justify the ends of political stability and relative safety and prosperity.
I was amazed (and not in a good way) by how strenuously and frequently Gelb tried to excuse Herod's many crimes because of the public works Herod had built and the "peace and prosperity" Herod brought to Jerusalem. Judea was a brutal police state under Herod. Being in Herod's chain of command was deadlier than being in Darth Vader's! Herod had people tortured and killed, including family members and long-trusted friends, simply for saying the wrong thing or merely suspected of thinking or feeling the wrong things. He also plotted the massacre (not carried out, thankfully,) of important citizens of Jerusalem to coincide with his death so his subjects would mourn instead of cheer when they learned of it. No amount of road building makes up for that.
Herod was efficient. But so was Hitler.
Gelb represents the very frightening political persuasion that any means justify the ends of political stability and relative safety and prosperity.
May 2, 2014
It is evident that this was well researched. I enjoyed the author's pacing and style. The events that shaped Herod's life and reign are so inexorably linked to Julius Caesar and the power struggles that occur afterwards that some reminder of these events is warranted. What I appreciate about Gelg is that he goes into enough detail to remind and expand on the relevant aspects in relation to Herod's story without being patronizing. Of course we all know who Caesar is. Of course we all know who Marc Antony is...but how did they interact with Herod?
Of course, I picked this book up hoping to gain insight into the monarch that slaughtered every child within reach under the age of two when confronted with the prospect of a rival. Early on, I could see how this would be possible for the barbaric ruler, as he was a bit crazy--hereditary from his father and later passed to his sons--but I was unaware that this portion of the biblical infancy narrative holds no historical weight. Oh well, Bible. Better luck next time.
Of course, I picked this book up hoping to gain insight into the monarch that slaughtered every child within reach under the age of two when confronted with the prospect of a rival. Early on, I could see how this would be possible for the barbaric ruler, as he was a bit crazy--hereditary from his father and later passed to his sons--but I was unaware that this portion of the biblical infancy narrative holds no historical weight. Oh well, Bible. Better luck next time.
October 18, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. It tells a lot about a leader who generally just gets a he was a horrible person and then move on. I think the what politics were like in the Roman world gets overlooked a lot when looking at Herod. The only thing that I didn't like was that Herod died three chapters before the book ended, which is rather awkward for a biography. Still overall a great book.
November 13, 2015
A different take on Herod.
March 11, 2013
Reviewed for Library Journal.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews