Abstract
This is a pleasingly thorough study of one of the greatest and most successful rulers of the ancient world. Herod, commonly reviled in the historical record and biblical record (despite having ruled for 37 years in relative peace and prosperity), was perhaps the single most innovative, successful, and politically focused leader of the Graeco-Roman world. In this work, Marshak contexualizes his rise to power in a way that will make this a useful general text for students of the Graeco-Roman period in the Levant, as well as a valuable resource in general.
Marshak takes us through the events and socio-political context that brought Herod to power and kept him there for nearly 40 years. He begins by defining what—in the Hellenistic context—was thought to make a ‘good’ king, and then moves through the rise of the politically astute Hasmonean dynasty and its acquisition of control over the high priesthood, the consequences of that addition to their power base, and Roman rule in the region.
Herod’s ceaselessly pragmatic approach to political alliances is treated fairly by Marshak, who says: ‘… Herod unfailingly played the role of the useful client king, supporting his patron and publicly honoring him’ (p.104), underscoring the savvy nature of Herod’s political style and outlining how he kept all his ducks in a row.
Chapter six is particularly interesting, as it explores the ways in which Herod sought to legitimize his kingship by the adoption and extension of the means by which the Hasmoneans gained and held onto power, including his interference in the high priesthood. Marshak notes appositely that this ‘became a civil war for control of the Hasmonean family and thus the kingdom that this family legitimately ruled’ (p.111). This point is pivotal to how Herod managed to take control and keep control, and the attention paid by Marshak is a constructive exercise in teasing out the socio-political and religious dimensions of the Hasmonaean/Herodian powerbase.
Marshak discusses Herod’s ambitious building programme (with particular reference to Caesarea, Herodium, and the Temple in Jerusalem), and there is no need for him to plumb too deeply into this area, as there are a plethora of architectural/archaeological volumes (by Netzer, Roller, etc.) focused on this aspect of Herod’s reign. Moreover, his discussion of the building programme, albeit brief, is an excellent starting point for any discussion.
In my opinion, Marshak’s greatest accomplishment with this work is his careful identification and plotting of the progress that Herod made from ‘non-royal, non-priestly Idumaean’ with ‘no natural claim to legitimacy’ to ‘independent Jewish monarch, the king of all Jews, both in Judaea and in the Diaspora’ (p. 309–10).
In sum, this is a broad study which students and general readers will find of particular use in understanding how Herod succeeded and how he manipulated the myriad of obstacles in his path to keep himself and his dynasty securely in power for so long.