Category:Herodias (subject)
Herodias was a member of the Herodian family, the wife of Herod II and then of Herod Antipas, the mother of Salome.
Overview
The character of Herodias is mentioned both in the Gospels (Mark and Matthew) and in Josephus. In all sources Herodias is presented as a proud and independent woman, capable of influencing and even manipulating her husband(s).
Flavius Josephus Josephus introduces Herodias as the daughter of Aristobulus IV. She was the sister of Herod of Chalcis and Herod Agrippa I.
Herodias married Herod II, one of the sons of Herod the Great, and lived in Rome with her husband. When Herod Antipas (the half-brother of her husband) fell in love with her during a visit to Rome, she accepted his love and agreed to divorce from Herod II. This created some political turmoil as Herod Antipas also was married with Phasaelis, the daughter of King Aretas IV of Nabatea, and divorced her.
Josephus' account of the death of John the Baptist mentions his criticism of Herod's marriage as the cause of his imprisonment but does not give Herodias any role. Christian sources instead blame her more than her husband.
According to Mark and Matthew, the opportunity to have John killed came when Herod Antipas on his birthday gave a banquet. Herodias instigated her daughter (Salome) to ask for the head of John the Baptist as her reward for dancing before her uncle (and now step-father) Herod Antipas.
According to Josephus, in 39 CE Herodias convinced her husband to plot against her brother Herod Agrippa I, but Agrippa in return accused Antipas of conspiracy and had him exiled in Lyon, Gaul. As the sister of the winning party, Herodias was offered the possibility to remain in Judea, but proudly decided to follow her husband into exile.
Research on Herodias is limited by the paucity of historical sources and the legendary nature of the Gospel account. From the historical point of view, Herodias is little more than a name in the genealogy of the descendants of Herod the Great.
In Depth
Related categories
External links
Pages in category "Herodias (subject)"
The following 11 pages are in this category, out of 11 total.
1
- L'Erodiade; ovvero, La morte di S. Giovanni Battista (Herodias; or, The Death of St. John the Baptist / 1687 Legrenzi / Neri), oratorio
- Erodiade (Herodias / 1832 Pellico), play
- Erodiade (Herodias / 1838 Liberali / De Horatiis), oratorio
- Atta Troll (1843 Heine), poetry
- Hérodias (1877 Flaubert), novel
- Hérodiade (Herodias / 1881 Massenet / Milliet, Grémont), opera & libretto
- Herodes a Herodias (Herod and Herodias / 1909 Hviezdoslav), play (Slovak)
- Hérodiade (Herodias / 1910 Jasset, Hatot), short film
- Herod (1912 Frenkel), short film
- Erodiade (Herodias / 1969 Testori), play