Herod

Herod is a Greek name in origin; from the elements “heros” (‘ηρως) meaning “hero, warrior” and “oides” (ωιδης) meaning “ode, song”. The name was most famously borne by Herod the Great, a 1st century B.C. King of Judea (which was then a province of the Roman Empire). Technically speaking, Herod is also a Biblical name – since Herod the Great appears in a story in the Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 2. As King of Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth, the Magi appear before King Herod asking: “Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him.” Herod is not quite pleased with this news (he considers himself to be the “king of the Jews” and is threatened by the news of Christ’s birth). Still, after consulting with his own chief priests and scribes, Herod instructed the three wise men where they might find the baby Jesus: Bethlehem. He also asked the Magi to return with the child’s identity so he could go and worship him, too. In a dream, however, the Magi are warned not to return to Herod, and so – after bringing Jesus their gifts – they depart another way. Mary’s husband Joseph also has a dream in which he learns from the Lord that King Herod seeks to destroy Jesus, and Joseph is advised to flee with the baby to Egypt. In the meantime, when the Magi don’t return, Herod – power hungry and paranoid – rounds up every baby boy in all of Bethlehem ages two and under and has them all killed (not knowing that the real Christ is in Egypt). This sad, tragic story is commonly referred to as the “slaughter of the children” or the “massacre of the innocents”. As you can imagine, the name Herod has never been a popular choice among Westerners. It’s just too strongly associated with infanticide.