Illustration created for this project.
Herod Antipas
A son of Herod the Great, tetrarch of Galilee, who beheaded John the Baptist and questioned Jesus at his trial.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 1
Archaeology — physical evidence · 1
Ancient writers — non-biblical testimony · 1
Life, role & deeds
BibleThe tetrarch of Galilee who beheaded John the Baptist and mocked Jesus at his trial.
Mark 6:27; Luke 23:11
ArchaeologyHe founded the city of Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee and rebuilt Sepphoris, both extensively excavated, and struck his own coins.
Tiberias, founded c. AD 20 (Josephus, Antiquities 18.2.3 §36–38); Sepphoris excavations (Duke Univ./E. Meyers and Hebrew Univ./E. Netzer, Z. Weiss); Antipas' regnal-year bronzes minted at Tiberias, catalogued in Y. Meshorer, 'A Treasury of Jewish Coins' (Yad Ben-Zvi/Amphora, 2001)
Scan by NYPL — Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)
Ancient writersJosephus recounts his marriage to Herodias, his execution of John the Baptist, and his fall into exile — the fuller story behind the Gospels.
Josephus, Antiquities 18.5.1–2 §109–119 (marriage to Herodias; execution of John the Baptist) and 18.7.1–2 §240–256 (deposition and exile to Gaul)
Where in scripture
MarkLukeImmediately the king sent out a soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring John’s head, and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
Mark 6:27 — Beheads John
Herod with his soldiers humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate.
Luke 23:11 — Mocks Jesus
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
Family
In their own words — 4 recorded sayings
“And he said to his servants, This is John the Baptist; he has come back from the dead, and so these powers are working in him.” — Matthew 14:2
“But Herod, when he had news of it, said, John, whom I put to death, has come back from the dead.” — Mark 6:16
“And when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and did a dance, Herod and those who were at table with him were pleased with her; and the king said to the girl, Make a request for anything and I will give it you. And he took an oath, saying to her, Whatever is your desire I will give it to you, even half of my kingdom.” — Mark 6:22-23
“And Herod said, I put John to death: but who is this, of whom such stories are given to me? And he had a desire to see him.” — Luke 9:9
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
In art
