When Did Herod the Great Reign?

For about 100 years there has been a consensus among scholars that Herod the Great reigned from 37 to 4 BCE. However, there have been several challenges to this consensus over the past four decades, the most notable being the objection raised by W.E. Filmer. This paper argues that Herod most likely...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Novum Testamentum 2009, Vol.51 (1), p.1-29
Main Author: Steinmann, Andrew
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ANTIPAS
ARCHELAUS
Christianity
Consuls
Early christianity (1st-6th century)
Eclipses
Exegesis and biblical criticism
Funerals
General subjects
Governors
Handbooks
HEROD THE GREAT
History
History and sciences of religions
JOSEPHUS
Lunar eclipses
New Testament
Passover
PHILIP
Priests
Sabbatical leave
SCHURER
Temples
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Summary:For about 100 years there has been a consensus among scholars that Herod the Great reigned from 37 to 4 BCE. However, there have been several challenges to this consensus over the past four decades, the most notable being the objection raised by W.E. Filmer. This paper argues that Herod most likely reigned from late 39 BCE to early 1 BCE, and that this reconstruction of his reign can account for all of the surviving historical references to the events of Herod's reign more logically than the current consensus can. Moreover, the reconstruction of Herod's reign proposed in this paper accounts for all of the datable evidence relating to Herod's reign, whereas the current consensus is unable to explain some of the evidence that it dismisses as ancient errors or that it simply ignores.
ISSN:0048-1009
1568-5365
0048-1009
DOI:10.1163/156853608X245953