This review first appeared in Bulletin for Biblical Research 26.4 (2016): 578–80.
Adam Kolman Marshak. The Many Faces of Herod the Great. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2015. Pp. xxxi + 400. ISBN # 978-0-8028-6605-9. $35.00 paper.
The reputation of Herod the Great as a brutal and ruthless king has come down to us from ancient times, the most well-known story being the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem as portrayed in Matthew’s gospel. Other stories of his brutality include the assassination of his own family members, including one of his wives and two of his sons. Was it Herod’s use of violence and oppression that led to his political success? In this biographical investigation, Adam Kolman Marshak proposes an alternative theory. It was Herod’s skillful use of political self-presentation—his “ability to depict himself as a worthy and effective king” (p. xxix) to the various cultural entities (Roman, Hellenistic, and Judaean) of his time—that contributed to his success.
Section I is comprised of three chapters dealing with the cultural and intellectual milieu of Herod’s time. Chapter 1 examines client kingship in the Roman Empire. A client king was expected to engage in certain behaviors that would ingratiate him to his Roman patrons. In return Rome was obligated to provide benefits in order to keep the client king loyal to Rome. A good client king was an ally to Rome maintaining peace and stability; he cultivated friendly relationships with Roman politicians and elites; he bestowed gifts, praise, and honor on his Roman patrons; and he advanced the process of Roman enculturation within his country. Chapter 2 looks at the Hellenistic monarchy in the Graeco-Roman world. Good Hellenistic kings were expected to rule virtuously; to give just laws; to possess majesty, wealth, and power; to protect and defend his subjects; and to act piously towards the gods. Chapter 3 traces Judaean history from the Maccabees to Herod. While the Hasmoneans managed to gain Judaean independence and to create a monarchy, they still received considerable opposition from a large portion of the Judaean population. In response, the Hasmoneans attempted to create a positive image through the use of Jewish tradition and the high priesthood, while also adopting Hellenism and Hellenistic kingship. The remainder of the book proceeds to give a comprehensive analysis of Herod’s “attempt to create and maintain legitimacy through a complex and multivalent political self-presentation” (p. 72).
Section II (chapters 4–6) deals with Herod’s early reign (46–30 BCE), while Section III (chapters 7–11) focuses on Herod’s later reign (30–4 BCE). Chapter 4 traces Herod’s rise to power (47–42 BCE) as governor of Galilee during the reign of Hyrcanus II. Herod demonstrated his loyalty to Hyrcanus and his skill as a military and administrative leader, while also beginning to cultivate a relationship with Rome. In chapter 5 he tracks Herod’s relationship with Marc Antony during the years of 42–30 BCE. Herod proved himself a loyal client to Antony during his failed campaign against Parthia and then later in the civil war against Octavian. Herod received formal recognition from the Roman Senate to be appointed as king of Judaea. Chapter 6 shows how Herod tried to present himself as the rightful successor to the Hasmonean dynasty. Although Herod had secured the Judaean throne through his successful defeat of Mattathias Antigonus, Herod was an Idumaean and was not considered fully Jewish by his Judaean subjects. Herod tried to legitimate his rule through his familial connections with the Hasmonean dynasty, architectural design, and numismatic images.
The remaining chapters focus upon Herod’s rule during the Augustan era. In chapter 7, Marshak demonstrates how Herod fulfilled his obligations as a client king to his new overlord Augustus. Herod provided financial and military support; he sought approval from Augustus for major decisions; and he publicly honored his Roman patrons through monumental buildings and the erection of new cities, and through public inscriptions and coinage. Chapter 8 concentrates on another way that Herod acted as a client king. He employed a policy of Romanization which included the education of his sons in Rome, the importation and consumption of Roman luxury goods, the adoption of Roman military tactics, the construction of Roman type buildings (such as baths, palaces, amphitheaters, and temples), and the employment of Roman building technology and decoration. Chapter 9 focuses on how Herod depicted himself as a typical Hellenistic king. Herod accomplished this through various acts of benefaction (e.g., construction of buildings; endowments; monetary gifts); through the construction of cities and monumental architecture, which advertised his power and wealth; through the organization of his royal court in the manner of other Hellenistic kingships; and through various acts of piety (building temples and observing proper religious practices). Chapter 10 shows how Herod tried to present himself as the king of the Jews. When Herod first came to power, he recognized his tenuous claim to the Judaean throne due his lack of priestly credentials and his reputation as a usurper of the Hasmonean throne. Herod attempted to establish his legitimacy by connecting himself to the heroes of Israel’s past (David, Solomon, Abraham), by adhering to Jewish customs and religious observances, and by his generous patronage to the diaspora Jews. Chapter 11 establishes that Herod’s self-presentation culminates in the project to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. While Herod was bound by certain Jewish laws regarding the construction of the Temple, the OT texts allowed for some ambiguity which Herod exploited by incorporating Hellenistic and Roman architectural features into the Temple.
Marshak has written an interesting and informative study on Herod. He deals even-handedly with Herod, choosing not to focus on his atrocities, but his political career. The resulting portrait is of a skillful and competent ruler who managed to stay in power despite the many vicissitudes in circumstances that the Mediterranean world of the first-century BCE presented. Marshak’s study is well-researched, even employing items such as inscriptions, architecture, and coinage to build his case. At times Marshak does engage in speculation and conjecture due to the gaps and biases in the historical records (for example, he often does not take Josephus at face value), but his historical reconstructions are usually quite plausible and not far-fetched. Overall, Marshak presents a persuasive argument that Herod’s ability to stay in power was due to his skillful self-presentation as an ideal Roman client king, Hellenistic monarch, and rightful successor to the Jewish throne. Marshak demonstrates that Herod is a much more sophisticated figure than the jaundiced depiction of him in Matthew 2 as a brutal king who slaughters innocent babies.
SMALL TALK 