Herodias
- ANCIENT SOURCES: see Herodias (sources)
- SCHOLARLY AND FICTIONAL WORKS: see 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.
Herodias in ancient sources
Herodias in Scholarship
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.
Herodias in Fiction
Herodias was the original villain in the story of the death of John the Baptist. She was the one who plotted to have John the Baptist killed and cunningly used his daughter Salome to reach her goal. The interest in the character began to grow in the 19th century. She was now the undisputed protagonist of the story, and her motivations were scrutinized, from revenge to jealousy to rejected love. It was to her that the infamous kiss to the head of the dead John the Baptist was first attributed by Heine. Gradually however her role was overshadowed by her daughter, Salome, who proved to be more suitable to such metamorphosis into an unstoppable femme fatale and much more credible in the role of seductress. By the beginning of the 20th century, Salome had replaced Herodias as the villain of the story and condemned Herodias to a marginal and obscure role.
Gabriele Boccaccini, University of Michigan