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Herod the Great
While cisterns like those at Beit Guvrin could serve a household, others were built to store water for communities, like Herod the Great’s colossal cisterns atop Masada. Living waters and wells are preferable, because the cistern catches and holds runoff from the rains. This can grow rather unpleasant as all the filth of the land can wash in, creating the deep sludge in which Jeremiah found himself sinking in Jeremiah 38.
Any visit to the country of Israel must include a stop at Masada. Herod the Great built Masada to be one of his palaces to be used in the winter months. The plateau on which Masada was built is about 1300 feet higher than the surface of the Dead Sea. This made it almost impossible for foreign forces to penetrate its outer walls. After Herod the Great died and the Romans destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 70AD, hundreds of Jewish rebels (along with their families) retreated to Masada. Given the easily defendable nature of Masada, it took the Roman forces over three years before they were able to conquer it. Once they came in, they soon realized that all 960 of the inhabitants (with the exception of two women and five children) had burned the storage houses and committed suicide. They would rather suffer death than to live as Roman slaves.
Before the time of Herod the Great, a fortress on the plateau of Masada would have been easy for anyone to defend. Although the word "masada" is never found in our English Bibles, the word literally means "fortress" or "stronghold". When David was in the area fleeing from Saul, it mentions that he went to a fortress.
So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. - 1 Samuel 24:22
Later in David's life, as he reflected on his conflict with Saul, David uses the words "fortress" and "stronghold" in his description of God.
I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. - Psalms 18:1-3
Given the safety and protection that Masada provided to its inhabitants, it is no wonder that David used that imagery to describe the feelings that he had for God.
I've recently updated the website to include more information and pictures of Masada.
Back in December, I posted a blog entry about the upcoming Herod the Great exhibit at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Earlier today, I saw a great video made by the Israel Museum promoting the upcoming exhibit. It is only a minute long and I encourage you to watch it.
Even though it is not mentioned in the video, I am fairly confident that it was filmed at the large Jerusalem model at the museum. During Jesus' time, the palace was located on the western edge of the city. Knowing the location of places like this help you to better understand the Biblical accounts.
For instance, during the trials of Jesus, we read:
When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing. And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. That very day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other. - Luke 23:6-12
Although it is not explicitly mentioned, it is reasonable to conclude that this conversation took place in Herod's palace. With that mind, let's consider the last days of Jesus' life.
That is a lot of walking.
We often read passages like "he sent Him to Herod" and don't take the time to consider the fact that he walked these distances (possibly in shackles) with very little sleep. It is no wonder that the guards did not have to break His legs to speed up His death during the crucifixion. By the time Jesus made it to the cross, He was completely exhausted.
As I mentioned earlier, knowing the locations of these Biblical places help you understand the stories.
A few weeks ago, I blogged about the importance of understanding the Herodium. Even though the Herodium is never mentioned in the Bible, learning about it helps you to understand Herod the Great, who was the Roman ruler in Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus.
Recently, CNN had a video report of a new exhibit at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. It is slated to run from February to September of next year and will be dedicated to the history and architecture of Herod the Great. This is fantastic as it will allow us to see many of the artifacts that surround this historically important individual.
Since it is highly unlikely that many of us will be able to travel to Jerusalem to see the exhibit, we'll need to hope that there will be a lot of pictures and/or videos posted on the Internet. As I see information on the exhibit, I will try to pass them along.
Back in September, I had the privilege of riding out and seeing the Herodium. (Unfortunately, time did not allow us to take a detailed tour of it. But, it's on my bucket list.) What is the Herodium? Around 40BC, Herod the Great was fleeing to his mountain resort palace of Masada. As he was traveling, he battled the Parthians at a location about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) south of Jerusalem. Upon being victorious, King Herod decided to build a huge fortress and palace at the location and named it after himself. He had thousands of cubic meters of dirt moved and used that to form a large, conical shaped mountain. On the top, he built a large palace. The palace was later destroyed by the Romans in 71AD. The Herodium is never mentioned in the Bible. However, it is visible from many kilometers away in almost every direction. No doubt, it was seen by Jesus, his disciples and all of the people that lived in the area of Jerusalem and Bethlehem at that time.
Why would you want to spend time learning about the Herodium if it is not mentioned in the Bible? Well, because it teaches is about the time in which Jesus lived. Herod the Great lived just before and during the early years of Jesus' life. He had a powerful influence in the region. He constructed huge buildings and temples in Jerusalem, Samaria, Caesarea Maritima, Caesarea Philippi, Jericho and many other cities. He also built palaces at remote locations like Masada and the Herodium.
By looking and studying something like the Herodium, you understand more about King Herod. He was a self-absorbed ruler that would do whatever he wanted. He would spend a lot of money to build huge temples in an attempt to honor and appease his superiors in Rome. He would build huge palaces that were for his own pleasure. (And even name them after himself.) Once you understand a little more about the Herodium, is it surprising to read in Matthew 2:16 how he reacted to hearing that his throne may be threatened? Not really.
To visit the Herodium, travel about 8 miles south of Jerusalem on Highway 398.
Today I'm continuing the series of favorite pictures that I took while on my trip to Israel in September. Today's picture is of the remains of the inner harbor at Caesarea Maritima. Between 22-9 BC, Herod the Great constructed a huge harbor in the coastal, Roman administrative city of Caesarea. When it was built, it was the largest artificial harbor built in the open sea, enclosing around 100,000 square meters. It consisted to two parts, and outer harbor and an inner harbor. The inner harbor was for smaller boats, which granted passengers transportation to the larger boats in the outer harbor.
The picture that I have attached is of the smaller, inner harbor. For centuries, this entire area was covered in dirt and has only recently been excavated. The grassy area is where the water would have been during the first century. On top of the large platform to the left is where Herod built one of the three large temples which he dedicated to Caesar Augustus. (The other two are in the region of Caesarea Philippi and Samaria.) You can imagine the travelers at that time coming into the harbor and looking up at that large temple just before they disembarked. If you look closely where the stones and grass meet, you can still see the steps that travelers would have used to get on and off the boats.
Looking at this picture, you can't help but think of all the people that probably walked along that harbor. This is the city where Cornelius lived (Acts 10). This is also the city where Philip lived (Acts 21). No doubt, both of them would have come down here during their lives. In addition, the Apostle Paul used this port a number of times in his travels. He probably used this port during his second and third missionary journeys. And, after being a prisoner for two years in the pratorium in Caesarea, Paul left from here on his journey to Rome (Acts 27:1,2).
I wonder what Paul was thinking about as he walked on this harbor before he left for Rome? Was he excited? Was he scared? It was probably a little of both. But, he knew that he was doing what he was meant to do.
