Herod the Great

Herod the Great aka Herod I (74 / 73 B.C. – 4 / 1 B.C.) was Rome’s client king of Judea at the time Jesus was born and when the Magi arrived in Jerusalem looking for the one born king of the Jews (Matt. 2:1-2). Herod the Great was a ruthless leader who murdered a vast number of people, including members of his own family. Herod the Great was not the Herod ruling Galilee at the time John the Baptist was beheaded and Jesus was crucified. That was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great.