Herod Wielki – władca różnie postrzegany. Tradycja chrześcijańska a historia

Herod the Great – a ruler perceived in various ways. Christian tradition and history

The purpose of this paper is to try to show the factors that influence the complexity of perception of the figure of Herod the Great (73-4 B.C.), king of the small Jewish state Judaea in the last three decades before the common era, in Christian tradition and history. The issue will be presented based on biblical sources, works of ancient writers and literature. The basic biblical source will be the exegesis of the pericope about the slaughter of Bethlehem boys up to two years old ordered by Herod the Great, contained in the Gospel according to Matthew (Mat: 2, 16-18). In turn, the fundamental historical information about the reign of this king is provided by Josephus Flavius, a Jewish historian from the first century. The most important ancient source for the rule of Herod written by Flavius Josephus is the Jewish War and the Jewish Antiquities. Both books are based on the history of Nicolaus of Damascus, king Herod's personal secretary. It is very important to verify a great deal of information about Herod the Great. Historians have re-assessed long-held negative opinion about this king and now credit his reign as having had at least some positive effects on Jews and Judaism in his kingdom. They will also be presented in this chapter.