Which herod killed james

This shows just how much King Agrippa was connected to the Temple and the Jewish leaders. One of the main themes Luke has given us throughout the book of Acts is the evil among the Pharisees and leaders of the Jewish church.

He shows the reader many many times, how hard hearted they are and that they are the real enemies of the new Church. Time and time again we see the Apostles proclaiming the good news and the Jewish leaders condemning and imprisoning them for it.

Peter and John were arrested and gave a great speech before the council Acts 4. Stephen was arrested and soon after stoned by these leaders because of his boldness Acts 7.

Saul now Paul, after his conversion proclaimed Jesus in the synagogue, but again the Jews plotted to kill him soon after Acts Luke is showing throughout this book that there was a battle going on between the Jewish leaders and the Apostles. I believe that there is a both-and with why King Herod Agrippa pursued and killed James.

I think it was a mix between seeking for approval, and the act of striving for a reputable title. Just understanding popularity culture and how the intensity of emotions effect today, I can make at least a somewhat educated assumption on what he might have been thinking. Not only that, but I would dare to say that it is pretty radical for someone to murder someone else just because they do not believe what he does, and also that there might be an element about them speaking against what he believes.

But still, killing is a pretty far step. I do not think Herod is the ultimate fringe of what it means to be a Jew. In the early chapters of Acts we see thousands of Jew converting to Christanity. Yes we see Jews choose Barabas to be saved and kill Jesus instead. We see the Pharisees persecute the early Church and Saul rounding up Chrtians and killing them before he turns to Paul.

Like in every other religion, there are extremists. Even in Chrtianity we see extremists doing the opposite of what the Bible calls us to do. So is what the World is doing such as killing James and putting Peter in jail is not necessarily what it means to be a Jew for all Jews.

We see Her acting in accordance to what the Pharisees want. Long Why did Herod kill James. Another possible reason could be the peace between the Jews and Romans. During Jesus crucifixion tensions were high on all sides, Jewish, followers of Jesus, and Romans. A possibility would be to squatch out the middleman Christains so what Heord thinks peace is could be resolved for the Jews.

This story seems to me to be pretty similar to the stoning of Stephen earlier in the book of Acts. Like that moment, the Christians are getting persecuted for their faith and, as a result, someone got killed. The new Christian faith that was starting to grow in Jerusalem was bringing a lot of new ideas, including some that went against the Jewish beliefs and laws that were being practiced by so many people.

Herod was seen by many as a man of great power. People looked up to him, as we see towards the end of Acts 12 before he gets killed by God. Since Herod may have had some Jewish roots, it is possible that he would not have wanted to kill the Jews. However, the Christians who were not worshipping him and were practicing new things that went against some of the Jewish customs, may have been a group that he did not mind killing.

Persecution was not a new thing for the Christians though. One thing that really stuck out to me though when reading about the killing of James was that he was killed, but Peter was only thrown in prison. I wonder why they were not both killed or both thrown in prison. It makes me think that God may have made it this way since there was still more for Peter to do.

Another possibility is that James may have done something that really angered Herod that made it so that Herod did not want to deal with him anymore and thought that it would be best to kill him.

If Herod Agrippa truly felt that he was staying true to his Jewish roots, then it would make sense that he may have felt that the gospel that was being preached through James was a threat to his identity. With the Jews being as strict as they are to the laws that they have been following, to have James teach that they no longer need to do those things is disturbing. So, if Herod is trying to find his identity in his Jewish heritage, then to hear that his heritage is being uprooted would be enough to make him want to remove James.

This behavior is mirrored by the Pharisees who are mentioned in the blog to be the possible motivators behind his decision to kill James. They too see their identities being challenged and do not want to lose the status that they carry which leads to a different point. Another aspect behind Herod Agrippa killing James is that he saw the possibility of the Jewish people turning away from him if he accepted the gospel message.

Polhill mentions in his notes that his persecution of the Christians might have been his way of keeping in favor with the Jews The people of Israel seem to have respect for Herod like they do the Pharisees and to lose that respect would social suicide.

The quickest way to eliminate the threat then is to remove the one who brings the threat. Thus, he kills James to continue to please his people. It would appear then that, like the Pharisees, Herod found status and popularity more important than the possibility of even listening to the gospel.

Thank you Nick for elaborating this topic. It really sink in to my mind.. I habe now better understanding who killed ans why James was killed. Very well explain.. Like this: Like Loading Are you familiar with the Desire of Ages? And The Great Controversy? Yes, I am. Long—Why was a replacement not made for James like for Judas? Keep your good work up Loading Pingback: Who Is Edom?

What Does The Bible Say? R Loading Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Loading Comments He wants his grandson to be heir, so he sends his servant to fetch his grandson early in the morning. However, his grandson is busy waiting for his breakfast, and so it is Caius who first enters the room. Tiberius will not go against the will of the gods, and so when Tiberius dies, Caius is named his successor.

As soon as is respectable to his late uncle's memory, Caius known by most modern readers by the name Caligula frees Agrippa, crowns him with a royal diadem, and names him King over the tetrarchy of Philip, who is the late brother of Herod Antipas. Caius also gives Agrippa the tetrarchy of Lysanias.

Agrippa's loyal declaration to him in the chariot is now rewarded. You can imagine the astonishment Herodias felt when her brother returned. He had left the country in disgrace, in need of charity, bogged down by crippling debt to the point of dishonor, and then he returns as a king. She becomes incredibly jealous that a man like him is a king while her husband has only the title of tetrarch. So she presses her unwilling husband to go to Caius to ask for similar honors. Antipas prepares his gifts, and he and Herodias set sail to meet with the new Caesar.

Agrippa grabs his chance for some revenge on his brother-in-law. He sends letters to his good friend Caius that tells him not to trust Antipas because Antipas had previously allied himself with Caius' enemies, and had been storing up enough armor to outfit an army. Caius accuses Antipas, and when Antipas cannot refute the story, Caius strips Antipas of his territories and fortune and gives them to Agrippa.

Caius then banishes Antipas to Gaul. For the sake of her brother, Caius is prepared to send Herodias to Agrippa, but Herodias has her pride too. She goes with her husband into exile. Caius is a hot-tempered and impulsive ruler. When he hears a report that the Jews in Alexandria are not revering him by building statues in his honor, he declares that a statue of himself be placed in the Jewish temple.

He sends the President of Syria to take an army and see it done. While the Syrian president is wintering with his soldiers, Jews began arriving to petition him for mercy. Tens of thousands peacefully protest by saying they would rather die than see the temple desecrated. The Syrian President is moved by their conviction and admires their honor.

He promises to write to Caesar on their behalf. Meanwhile, Agrippa has heard of the problem. He lives in Rome at this time, governing from a distance. He is throwing one of his famously expensive feasts, when Caius promises to give Agrippa a gift, expecting him to ask for more territory or the tribute of cities. Instead, Agrippa asks that Caius not press the Jews into placing a statue in the temple.

Caius is surprised, but he agrees. After Caius has written to the Syrian president to tell him not to worry about the statue, the letters arrive from the same president, speaking on behalf of the protesters. Caius, true to his nature, doesn't care that he already gave permission to give up the idea of the statue, and is angry at the Syrian president for not doing his bidding already. Caius threatens him with death. But like a good many other threats uttered by the ruler, it never comes to fulfillment.

Caius is about to be assassinated. Because of his cruelness, including harsh treatment of the equestrian class by having many murdered and seizing their wealth 13 , Caius is stabbed on the way to the bath. With Agrippa's support, Claudius manages to take power and becomes the next Caesar. As a reward for his help, Claudius gives Agrippa the rest of the lands that King Herod the Great had held, granting him rule over Judea and Samaria.

He speaks to the people in the temple declaring that God can raise up what has fallen down. Agrippa finally lives in the lands he rules, staying often in Jerusalem.

He keeps the sacrifices of the temple and the laws of the Jews. After three years of ruling over all of Judea, Agrippa goes to Caesarea where games are being held in honor of Caesar. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. The best value in digital Bible study. No software to install.

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