What can we learn from Herod Antipas?
John Hudghton writes: Jesus and the Rat King
I am sometimes shocked at how little knowledge there is amongst clergy and congregations of the geopolitical context of Jesus’ ministry. Maybe there is too much busy-ness and too much to read, but it does strike me that there is more awareness of subsequent theology and ecclesiastical history than there is of the essential foundational context. This short piece may fill in a lot of gaps very quickly.
We reveal: who the rat king was; how he started off; what claim he wanted to stake with Rome and how that worked out. We consider both the good and bad aspects of his rule. We examine his military: who they were; where they came from; what they might have looked like and how they performed. We also look at how the king related to the neighbouring Roman authorities.
Next, we see how Jesus related to the king of Galilee and Perea – there, if you didn’t before, you now know who the rat king is. How Jesus’ influence undermined the cultural authority of Herod Antipas. How Jesus infiltrated the structures of Antipas’ administration and its enforcement. How he addressed him. How Herod viewed Jesus.
We note Luke’s special interest in the relationship between Jesus and Antipas. Along the way we highlight the conflict of Herod with John the Baptist. We also ask the question, “has a lack of attention to detail of context, or just a plain lack of integrity, produced a particular gospel commentary on sexual ethics?”
There is a postscript and three brief reflections on the relevance of this material for Christians today.
