King Herod: Mad Tyrant or Misunderstood Hero?
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- čas přidán 26. 06. 2024
- If you open a Bible to Matthew 2:16-18, you’ll encounter one of the most notorious stories in any religion. Suspicious of a prophesy about a new king, Herod the Great tricks the Magi into telling him where baby Jesus was born, then sends his soldiers to massacre every child under the age of two in Bethlehem. It’s a scene of shocking cruelty, one that has ensured King Herod’s name is still synonymous with evil today.
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Credits:
Host - Simon Whistler
Author - Morris M.
Producer - Jennifer Da Silva
Executive Producer - Shell Harris
Business inquiries to biographics.email@gmail.com
Other Biographics Videos:
Bernie Madoff: The Greatest Con in History
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Nikita Khrushchev - The Man Behind the Missile Crisis
• Nikita Khrushchev - Th...
Source/Further reading:
www.britannica.com/biography/...
www.nationalgeographic.com/ar...
www.livius.org/articles/perso...
(Original 1906 text, good for some details, but obviously outdated in others): www.jewishencyclopedia.com/art...
(Interesting notes on why Josephus and others may not mention Massacre of Innocents - size of Bethlehem plays a key role): www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religio...
Pompey’s siege of Jerusalem: www.livius.org/articles/conce...
Hyrcanus II: www.britannica.com/biography/...
(A dissenting opinion): www.jvl.leverage.it/herod
"Bob the Builder on cocaine" is one of the best lines I've ever heard.
Yes!!
When you hit 1 million, you should do one about yourself: Simon Whistler. He's probably a really cool guy.
I'm praying they do
He's alright.
Oh shoot! Yes please! It will e absolutely brilliant!
NoctusOverdroid Pretty sure this comment deserves WAY MORE likes, a heart from Simon, and it should be pinned....man I hope they do a video about him...even a short one...
@@Biographics Busiest bloke on CZcams I reckon! I for one would love to learn more about him.
“Fake it til’ you make it.”
-King Herod
The Brocialist That sounds like something someone says when they’re bad at sex or when their spouse is bad at sex.
Fake it until you think you're going to lose it in a violent way and then unleash your insanity and violent paranoia on the world...
Doesn't quite roll off the tongue but more accurate.
“You are the Christ, you’re the great Jesus Christ. Prove to me that you’re divine! Change my water into whine!”
-king Herod.
LOUIS FARRAKHAN reminds me so much of king herod!!!!! involved in the killing of so many black men and his bloodline ain't even black!!!!!
“...Augustus joked that it would be safer to be Herod’s pet pig than one of his sons...” Of all the records of any Roman emperor to survive to the modern day, I’m surprised we have evidence of Augustus’s dark sense of humor lol
It was common for people to document nearly everything the emperors said or did.
@@HyperionaSilverleaf
It's a pun (in Greek) which to the ancients made it appear more profound.
300
Never mind the fact that a pig was considered unclean and could not be touch by Jews?
Martin Flores Jewsus, aint Kosher
Herod had some extremely good Intel on the character of Octavius Augustus. He knew exactly what to say because people told him who he was dealing with.
On one hand, one ought to be loyal. A ruler who doesn't get that won't get much done.
I once played King Herod in a school nativity play. Part of one scene was him losing his temper, and as part of this I had to go stomping around, screaming etc.
During the performance, I stomped once and the stage (which was one of those fold out temporary stages) collapsed. Nice!
Now that's a performance !!!!❤
You brought the house down! How fitting.
That's an actor who has passion for his work!
Bravo
Good job
Damn, your biographics are getting better and better! I could watch them all day long even those of people that don’t interest me so much. You and your team make it so fascinating and interesting!
Me too. I had no interest in Gianni Versace but ended up loving the episode. Thank you Biographics!
Ditto on the all-day long part!
Your channel and presentation are brilliant, I am a big fan. Keep it up. I watch them every day!
Thank you everyone :). Really glad you are enjoying them!
Had no interest in who King Herod really was, but the narration is THAT GOOD. I'm hooked! :D
"I would rather be Herod's pig than his son."
~Augustus
LOL CLASSIC
Legit though, I love when y'all cover people often considered the bad guy. It gives a humanity to history.
I may be misunderstanding your comment but just to be clear Herod doesn’t deserve humanity, and it’s a fact he was the bad guy. Thankfully, this video makes it clear also.
@@gigglyme2001 To deprive a historical character of their humanity is intellectually dishonest and dangerous. The fact is, all people think they are doing good, or at the very least, they have their back against the wall. That is the human part of history. That is what makes it worth studying. I would not have it any other way.
Cupcake for All Herod kills babies and tortures people and he gets off with either believing he is doing good or his back against the wall. I don’t want his accomplishments to be recognized and I’m intellectually dishonest and dangerous. Makes sense. 🤦♀️
@@gigglyme2001 Of course the massacre of innocence-if it ever happened-is morally reprehensible. In no way am I saying he is a good person, merely that he was human. If the events are true, it shows how humanity is capable horrible things. That is the lesson we need to learn. To deprive him of his humanity is to say that it can't happen to anyone. That is intellectually dishonest and morally inept. History, like it or not, is a story of humanity at their greatest and the worst. If you deprive the human aspect of history, you deprive it of any value.
He murdered children lol
"He was a man worth remembering" ending the video with that line was really touching
Herodes will be happy about this.
Herod's late-in-life madness, possibly due to pain, is extremely similar to another king who became more and more paranoid as his physical pain increased: Henry VIII.
There's something similar between them. Kings trying to hold earthly power by earthly means.
Only difference is Herod tried to strengthen the Jewish religion while Henry VIII subverted Catholicism. But they did it for similar reasons.
@@HolyKhaaaaan well said
If you read Josephus you realize just how much of a soap opera Herod's reign was
Can you do Lawrence of Arabia? He is a legend and I can’t tell myth from facts. But as an Arab myself, he is still an important figure.
yes i'm all the way behind your request!
Jordanian Christian history buffs has a great video on him
@AmazighStarNet. Can you provide reliable evidence of your claims about Lawrence and the Rothschilds?
@@archstanton6102 Google it.
I remember reading a comic on his life and he’s a rather tragic figure.
One tiny detail: You refer at one point to the Romans as Herod's "clients".
In the Roman Patron-Client system, Herod would be the Client, and the Second Triumvirate would be his Patrons.
As an Israeli I can say the Herod is mostly remembered here because of his architectural achievements. And as a religious Jew I can say that he is mostly remembered as the one who renovated the second temple, but was highly controversial.
I only really learned about his connections to Rome much later in life, and heard of his connection to Jesus only this year when I went to the Herodion with my family.
Free Palestine!!!
That makes sense though, Jesus isn't as big of a deal over there right? I seem to remember Jews think he's a prophet or something similar?
@@BaldingClamydia he's a prophet in Islam, I'm pretty sure he:s just a heretical false Messiah in Judaism.
Eoin Sweetman jews believe he’s burning in hell
@@doronaznible7298 Could be; to be honest I think any form of religious worship is a form of mental retardation at the very least and at worst is a full blown mental illness.
Bob the builder on cocaine
yep
sounds baout right.
Also, if it also relates to the real Bob the Builder, it could also explain why he sees his digging equipment talking to him.
@@ADEpoch Pfff that got me laughing more then it should
Also first heart. yay
That would be the best Bob the builder episode EVER
That made me laugh out loud
I about peed myself laughing at that one.
Could you do one on King James? I know he has a version of the bible named after him. But other than that I know very little about him.
He was much more than that. He was Mary Queen of Scots' son with Lord Darnley, whom Elizabeth I had considered for a consort. His dad tried to kidnap and murder him as an infant, and as s result, Mary sent James to Elizabeth for safety with the understanding that he would be in her line of succession. He actually ended up signing the death warrant when Mary was put to death. But, he's high on my wishlist, too.
I mean just google King James of England and Scotland. There are loads of documentaries on here about the which hints that happened under his reign too
He had a real hate for "witches" apparently and some stories even say he changed a verse in the bible from "Suffer not the poisoner to live" to "Suffer not the witch to live"
OOH!! I would love that. Such a fascinating leader.
MKGeorge13 Do you mean Lebron or England king
The Massacre of the Innocents: for the children of Bethlehem it was the most important day of their lives.
For Herrod (and most contemporary record-keepers) it was Tuesday.
A single death is a tragedy. A million deaths is a statistic. ;)
For every contemporary record-keeper it was a Tuesday because it didn't actually happen. Given the excruciatingly detailed records of any actions by rulers under Rome, the fact that no record exists of thousands of babies being slaughtered on orders of the King (outside of one of the four gospels) says it was most definitely made up. The controversy among historians over this issue that Simon spoke of isn't that much of a controversy. There is a near perfect consensus among the vast majority of historians that the slaughter of the innocents was made up to add a parallel between Jesus and Moses. There is a tiny minority of vocal dissenters, but as these are all hardcore Christians their bias nullifies their opinion.
@@BranDenhauer Very true, honestly "death of the innocents" was the ancient shorthand for "tyrannical despot."
Sakraida82 Unfortunately so. A key part of a tyrant is that the tyrant lacks an understanding or care for the value of life. Tyrants are more or less the servants of death, their decrees and actions constantly creating and supporting death. Their actions go against growing life entirely, as they smash lives frequently and grow death in their stead.
Celephaith Could you show me any sources as to how the mass slaughter of babies by Herod did not happen?
This was really awesome man! Suggestions.
1. Theodric the Goth
2. Vercingetorix
3. Ragnar
4. Crazy Horse/Custer
5. Mark Twain
I think they need a little more then Just names, give a good reason why they are good subjects. Also its a commenly agreed upon that ragnar never was a real person.
@@rikgales123 commonly is bold... let's say 50/50 haha
@@bakecw001 i never found any source that stated ragnar is nothing more than mith. His children are al proven real but not with comen parents.
@@rikgales123 Icelandic and Danish writing mention him... sure he could have been more than one person. It was common for viking to adopt children and for powerful warriors to claim that they were descended from famous past warriors or mythical warriors.
I also think it would be cool for Simon and his team to really investigate the people that did mention him, and if the event could have really happened.
@@bakecw001 yea thats fair. The could handel it like the King Arthur if they find nothing real on him
And yet another brilliant video presentation, Prof. Whistler! I love these vids. The serious yet humorously witty delivery and articulation always makes these orations rock. I still say you would make an incredible college history instructor.
i have been watching all of your videos for ages now and must say your new editing/inserts and extravagance really does make the stories come to life, truly a joy to watch, thank you.
It should be noted that Herod escaping the death penalty isn't very unique, as everyone escaped it. The Sanhedrin had a death penalty, but not wanting to wrongly kill an innocent man, their standard of evidence was so high that it was literally never used.
He wasnt born in palestine he was born in judea because the roman province of palestina wasnt a thing yet
True, it didn't become Palestine until after the Third Jewish War, the Bar Kohkba Revolt, when the Romans had finally had enough of the Jews and their obstinance, and deported them from their homeland, and forbid them to return. The Jews broke the Two Rules of Peaceful Coexistence under Rome: #1, Pay your taxes, and #2, Don't Rebel.
Judea was the name of the kingdom, Palestine is the name of a province/region, its a geographical name while judea is a political one.
@@crowsader9943 not 2000 years ago though
Ariel Eliahu geographical location names don’t change (well they do but that in this case) Judea was a political entity while Palestine was the name of the region that political entity encompassed. English did not exist back then so we use words which most accurately describe the location now. I’m sure the samaritans and judeans called the area something else but honestly I don’t think anyone cares enough to find out. Let’s be honest here the only reason people are bringing it up so much is because they equate Judea to Israel and the word Palestine to the Palestinians today. Which is fucking pathetic considering the two have nothing in common. Let’s keep modern political messes out of history.
@@crowsader9943 but what you said is historically inaccurate, the word "palestine" is originating from a word in hebrew, which the jews speak, this word os coming from the word "invader", the philistines, which the jews called invaders got exiled by Nebuchadnezzar.
I learn so much in these videos Simon, you know I never knew that the lives of Mark Anthony and Cleopatras overlapped with Herods. For some reason I always thought that they were around much earlier in history. You guys do great work, please keep it up.
King Herod even backstabbed these two.
Very informative, thanks so much Simon Whistler. You do your research well. Thanks so much😁💓🙏🆗.
I didn't realise how much I wanted to see this until I saw the title.
Nice birthday suprise at half 1 in the morning.
Great video as per mate :)
It's nice to see a channel not afraid to go into stories concerning religious figures, I enjoyed the video, keep up the good work!
@Meg megie except there is nothing in the bible that is historical. That's extremely laughable.
@Meg megie highly accurate accounts of things that happened hundreds or thousands of years before, it's just like it was written by people who were there. Or do you mean all the parts that the Roman catholic church have hidden and kept out of your book? There might even have actually even been a guy named Jesus, who told people NOT to go to church, but it's all conjecture when the passages were written a lifetime after his death by zealots who enjoyed burning libraries of any other historical texts.
Meg megie no it’s not 🤦♂️
Meg megie history that is selective isn’t history, it’s biased fiction. History is the collective knowledge and study of what people have done since we began as a people; humanity predates the Bible and cultures around the world were completely oblivious to the Bible even after its creation in 325 CE for centuries (more like thousands of years). History isn’t selective and religious books are far from historical texts.
Meg megie ok troll bait, go play with your tiny phallus.
This was so well done! These keep getting better and better. Great writing on this
Love the thoughtful conclusions at the end. And Simon delivers them wonderfullly. Great job guys
Wow! I never knew all this about King Herod. I enjoyed this one because of the historic detail (alot that I never knew, shame on me :-))and humor which is hard to do given the subject but you really pulled it off!! One of your best Simon.
Dam, even when Augustus is included as a part of someone else's story, he still sounds like a G
lmfao, idk why augustus is so likeable
My drive to work is approximately 25 minutes, I watch two of your videos a day. And I love them!
I'm a ridiculous Ancient Near East fan and this was really magnificent. Thanks guys!
dae ye , aye?
Simon is fantastic at describing anything. He is a brilliant orator and keeps you intrigued right to the very end 👏👏
Ok. That was actually really good quick history. Thanks, again, Simon. To you and your team. However y'all do it: keep doing it!
As always very informative. Thank you.
This guy is one prolific content creator. Just discovered this one. That history lesson was riveting. Well done.
I loved this one. It is so refreshing to see the Bible shored up by actual history. For my 53 years, I have only known Herod/Augustus by those two verses. It's amazing how many twists and turns it took to put him into that position. My favorite line: "Bob the Builder on cocaine." Thank you for, in my opinion, the best one yet!!!
P.S. I love you, Simon Whistler!! Your delivery always bring the stories to life.
My wishlist includes Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, King James I and the Knights Templar/Oak Island mystery.
The bible is pure fiction, there's nothing to be shored up by actual history
"building new stuff like Bob the Builder on cocaine" that is my quote of the day lol
The comments below about the detail of Palestina vs Judea notwithstanding, I have to say this is the best video I have seen on this channel. The commentary between the historical details was the most poignant and thought-provoking I've seen from you guys so far. Just...well done, Biographics team. Really, really, really well done.
Great job, as usual!!! Can’t get enough of your videos. Very informative and interesting. Thank you...
A pretty fair and objective summary of a controversial historical figure. Great Job.
It might be useful to remember that Augustus had delusions about the disloyalty that his father suffered under. As well as the perceived disloyalty of Marc Anthony with respect to the second triumphant. And don't even get me started about Cleopatra's disloyalty to the memory of Caesar. So it's fair to assume that Harrods calculation about Augustus's value for perceived loyalty were just that: calculations. Great video by the way, even dare I say awesome, your best work yet.
Simon and team you have the best presentation of all my subscription channels. Always great history and bios. Thanks y'all for what you do. BZ
I am tutoring a friend who wants to know English. I am using Williamson's Josephus. The book opens on the Maccabees as a lead-in to Herod. Thank you for this introduction to this subject.
In Orthodox Judaism we are told that King David was promised "like this and this" so that he was authorised to have 18 queens. It follows that had Herod had 9 queens that wouldn't have been a problem. King Solomon's 1,000 queens would have been a problem. For any man.
Can you do one on Solomon? Also I love this channel. The topics are so diverse, and always interesting. Thank you!
Really interesting and informative! I love your moderate and neutral approach to history and the often more obscure characters you enlighten us about. People do good things, people do bad things, but they were interesting and noteworthy things.
Nicely done! Really enjoyed this episode!
Amazing video!!
Thank you for a comprehensive video about a controversial man. Harod was a ruler of his time, Caesar defeated a tribe in Gaul acquiring 110,000 captive women and children, He directed his army to conduct war games and slaughtered them in cold blood. That was only one example. So Herod was only a typical ruler, no more or less cruel than others of his time,
Really found this video interesting & very informative. I knew nothing of King Herod except what was in the Bible. P.S. I LOVE the way Simon delivered this video. Great use of sarcasm. Some parts even had me laughing. 😂
Great episode!!! Thanks for your work.
Simon is incredibly animated in this video. I love it.
Weird that we have so much information about the madness of King Herod, yet only one chapter of one book full of magic that mentions the slaughtering of innocents.
Brilliant writing, outstanding presentation...
This channel is addictive.. Thx Simon for all the great content ❤
Another fascinating video Simon. Thank you
Do one on Peter Francisco! He was a Revolutionary War hero and a literal giant. He came from a rich Portuguese family and was stolen by pirates and sold into slavery in the United States. George Washington once said he wasn't sure they could have won the war without him!
Thank you for the details on King Herod
Simeon, your work is nothing short of incredible
Do Constantine next please
Your work is always informative and professional. I find that on this topic, King Herod you have actually surpassed yourself. It could have been a thorny topic for some, but you magnificently walked through this mine field and in a manner that most people can understand. No small feat in this day and age. I could almost imagine King Herod in a modern day Jerusalem. Hated by some, loved by others. Thank you for your excellent work, research and admirable delivery.
I learned something new today again! Well done indeed again, Simon!
Dude your monologue"BRILLIANT".......dont let it get to your head now!!!!...you dont need to modify anything....and the artwork leaves me with more of an image of "the times" and "occurances"...,a more intimate portrayal of your monologue......perfection is in the eye of the beholder.....
Thank you! I'm such a Roman-era Judea nerd! Do Flavius Josephus next!
Please do one on any of the following:
• Jose Rizal (multitalented polyglot national hero)
• Michael Jackson (King of Pop)
• Queen Elizabeth I (one of the best monarchs of England)
• Edward VIII (abdicated monarch)
• Oda Nobunaga (Japanese warlord who began the unification of Japan)
• Toyotomi Hidetoshi (completed Oda's job, invaded Korea)
• Lawrence of Arabia (led the Arabs to revolt during WW1)
• John Paul II (pope before the previous pope, canonised as saint)
• Haile Selassie (emperor of Abyssinia/Ethiopia)
• Läuri Torni (soldier of three armies)
• Horatio Nelson (hero of Trafalgar)
• Kangxi (longest lived emperor of China)
• Tang Taizong (one of the greatest emperors of China)
• Gaozu (founder of the Han dynasty)
• Zheng He (admiral of the treasure fleets)
Fantastic job on this. Great topic, and well-told.
This has been really interesting.
Thank you!
youre a legend simon (and friends)
Never did I expect to hear Simon say Bob the Builder on Cocaine - if I said that I’d be cackling
Quite informative. Thank you.
Excellent presentation! Bravo. You detailed the circumstances surrounding the events and its impact on the individuals involved. You also articulated the psychological ramifications that led to why the various individuals made the decisions that they made. Bravo!
A biography on pirates anytime soon? Great vid.
Lulz The History Guy fan?
Don’t know if they ever argh!
Pirates or Pilate (Pontious)! 😀
'New Maccabees'? What happened to the People's Front of Judea?
Or the Judean People's Front ?
Or the Front of the Judean People ?
SPLITTERS!
What have the Romans ever done for us? Apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order...
Romani Ite Domum
@@eurofox994 my comment is a direct quote from Monty Python's comedic movie "The Life of Brian" in which the child Brian is born at the same time as Jesus and is mistaken for him as the Savior most of his life. This whole thread references the movie. :-)
Enjoying these tightly-edited, densley-informative videos!
Finally the one I have truly(not that I have not been watching, I love your show and other channels) been waiting for since the last time you guys released a list of who was coming.
I only knew a 2D version of Herod from my religious upbringing as a kid/teen but I’ve been doing a lot of research on the history of the Bible for the past couple of years. This is a pretty awesome history of the ruler. Thanks for another great biography!
What did you find interesting while researching?
The Bible has so much history... I really enjoy reading it! I'm such a history nerd!
Dont use the bible for research. You might end up believing a lot of things that didnt really happen
@@VoodooSB *rolls eyses*
There's always people like you
@@nwoudochiobinna3673 Religion distorts truth. there's alot that doesn't line up in the bible with known history. i appricate the lesson it trys to teach but its no historical guide.
Herod remains a truly fascinating, and tragic, figure whose role during both the history of Rome and Judea is awe inspiring. While at times a detestable tyrant he should also be remembered as something of a political savant and having the foresight to establish great engineering feats. I wish we had more historical sources from his age so we could understand more of who he was and what he did.
I think the evil he bestowed on so many and in the world should take away any recognition rights you believe he should receive. I don’t care what his accomplishments were, he should solely be remembered for the blood and slaughter he left in his wake.
@@gigglyme2001 then you would have to criticize countless others throughout history. Few historical icons are simply good or bad.
@@gigglyme2001 if thats the case so you should remember all the kings in history for blood because there was no king who avoided bloodshed
Awesome job as always, this (and your other channel) rocks....fantastic presenter...
These videos are getting better every time you male them. Watching this one was certainly entertaining. Could you do a video on Ataturk, as well?
17:16 "Can we fix it?"
_"F*CK YEAH WE CAN! WOO! YEAH! DO IT NOW! YEAH! ALL AT ONCE! IT'LL BE SO GREAT!"_
"Bob, uh...you okay?
Pretty good video - I wish you could have talked more about the cultural differences between unassimilated Jews and Greeks/Romans - my Jewish history teacher once summarised the difference as Greeks/Romans believed what is beautiful is holy. Whilst Jews believed what is holy is beautiful.
Dont care
Just discovered you. Great stuff man!
It's quite possible that the children being killed was not reported elsewhere because it was in fact (though still horrific) only about five children. The town of Bethlehem was not very populated and so there would potentially only be a handful of male children under the age of 2. That is one possible explanation as we tend to think that it was hundreds of children murdered.
Herod as you know has a huge store in England!
Cool story! Lots of interesting information.
Love your videos. Keep up the great work
Thank you so much for this fascinating content, beautifully spoken :)
He started out as Tywin Lannister, and ended up as Aerys II.
Aerys II + Robert
I wonder if Simon has nightmares of waking up with a mullet that refuses to be cut.
You seriously need to learn more about history, and not the changed history you'll find online. Go to a library and read a book about the World Wars that was printed several decades ago.
FYI, that's mandatory.
@@scotthenrie5674 lay off the sauce
@@scrotumus Regardless of what theories you may hold, if observation prove them wrong. Then you must have the humility to discard them and go with the evidence.
@@scotthenrie5674 do you watch Rick & Morty?
Love your channel my dude love learning history just do me a favor and never stop.
Video idea(s): Pontius Pilate and Agrippina the Younger. Great video as usual Mr. Whistler!
Well done! I like hearing back story on historical figures!! Would love to see more on authors like Alice Walker, Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou. Your attention to detail is impressive.
Please do Desmond daos or Roy benivedes
Btw love your channel keep it up
Bravo 👏🏻. I have learned more history from you, Simon, than I did sitting in history class in school. Thank you ☺️
Brilliant video, thank you.
I think Herod telling Octavian the truth gained his trust.
Born in California, moved to Babylonia - wait that was King Tut. Never mind.😉
Randy Perkins
It was commendably brave (since Antony had always been his friend) and also proved to be good policy.
Your work keeps getting better every week guys. Any chance of doing Blackbeard?
Great work! I really like historical takes on mystified figures.
Been loving your vids, really educational. I learn so much more from these videos than from class lol.
1:25 - Chapter 1 - The last days of judea
5:25 - Chapter 2 - The winds of change
8:30 - Chapter 3 - The man who would be king
12:50 - Chapter 4 - Death of a republic
16:50 - Chapter 5 - The good king
20:20 - Chapter 6 - The massacre of the innocents