The Life Of Herod

Successful, civilised benefactor and murderous tyrant the life of herod the great, king of judaea 37-4 bc, is a story of stark contrasts a protg of the romans durings the civil wars and the establishment of the principate, herod enlarged and strengthened his kingdom, and won fame and gratitude throughout the hellenistic world for his architectural projects and generous benefactions but the name of herod became proverbial for cruelty and unbridled violence he ruthlessly eliminated his rivals and opponents and ruled with pathological distrust over rebellious subjects and a divided royal household the life of herod is a gripping historical account composed with knowledge and involvement by josephus, the jewish historian and apologist of the first century ad, from whose jewish antiquities the crises and triumphs of herods career are vividly recounted in this translation a new translation, with introduction, notes, bibliography, maps and chronology of herods life and