Evil Mother Daughter Combos
Women Who Rule Their Men
Herodias and her daughter, Salome
Born about the same time as Jesus, Herodias was a woman possessed with a lust for power and position. She was the grand-daughter of Herod the Great, Emperor of the Roman Empire and as such enjoyed the finer things of life. As a young girl she worked her wiles and successfully married her uncle, Herod Philip who was slated to become the next emperor of Rome.
Philip and Herodias had one daughter born to them about AD 14; her name was Salome, named after her maternal grandmother. Soon it became clear that Philip would not be the choice to take the throne. Philip and Herodias were sent to live among the upper class citizens in one of the port cities in Palestine. This would never do for the ambitious Herodias. She soon began looking around for another ticket to the next higher step in life.
Philip, her husband, had a half brother, Herod Antipas, who was Tetrarch of Palestine. Tetrarch was a position equal to that of Governor over a Roman province, with complete authority over the people of that land. Herod Antipas actually held a stronger position because he had inherited the Galilee and other regions in Palestine after the death of his father, Herod the Great, in 4BC. Herod Antipas, short for Antipater, married the daughter of an Arab King for which an alliance was enjoyed with the neighboring countries along and on both sides of the Jordan River.
Herodias set her sights on winning the affection and devotion of her husband’s brother. When Philip and Herodias returned to Rome, Herod Antipas was already in love with her and followed her there. In Rome Herod Antipas convinced Herodias to leave her husband, become his mistress and return to Jerusalem with him. Herodias saw her chance to take a step up and become what amounted to queen of Palestine.
Herodias convinced Herod Antipas to dissolve his 30 year old marriage and divorce his Arab wife to be with her. Love struck and willing to give Herodias anything to please her, Herod Antipas agreed and the deal was struck. Later, war would break out between Herod and his ex father-in-law over the divorce of his daughter.
Antipas and Herodias enjoyed the high life, living in their palaces in Tiberias along the Sea of Galilee, in Jerusalem, Caesarea on the Mediterranean, and in Machaerus on the Eastern side of the Dead Sea across from Jericho and Engedi. It was most likely on their way to the latter palace, perhaps at the crossing of the Jordan River between Gilgal and Jericho, that Herod and Herodias encountered John the Baptist.
Herod respected John and often followed John’s counsel. However, after his own divorce and his subsequent marriage to his brother’s wife, whom he had enticed to leave her husband to become his mistress, Herod was not one of John’s favorite people. In fact, John railed on both Herod and Herodias publically for having committed this sin.
Herod may have feared John, but Herodias hated him!
Machiavelli wrote in his work, The Prince, that leaders should make their men fear them, but never make them hate them. Fear gives you respect from and power over your followers and among your enemies … hatred however, is unpredictable. People who hate you will at times be willing to destroy themselves in their attempts to destroy you.
At any rate, Herodias hated being publically judged, criticized, or ridiculed by those she considered her subjects. In fact, the Bible records that Herodias quarreled against John and if she could have killed him, she would have, but she lacked the official power … however – her husband did not!
Let’s read the Biblical account from:
Mark 6
14 ¶ And king Herod heard about Jesus; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.
15 Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.
16 But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.
17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold on John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife: for he had married her.
18 For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.
19 Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
20 For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy, and observed him; and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.
21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;
22 And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said to the damsel, Ask of me whatever you will, and I will give it you.
23 And he swore to her, Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give it you, to the half of my kingdom.
24 And she went forth, and said to her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.
25 And she came in straightway with haste to the king, and asked, saying, I will that you give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. 26 And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
28 And brought his head in a charger, and gave it to the damsel: and the damsel gave it to her mother.
29 And when his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse, and laid it in a tomb.
Herodias was one evil woman bent only on what she wanted, completely disregarding what is right, committed only to her own lusts, greed and selfish desires. She even involved her young teenage daughter in what many believe was a pre-arranged, manipulative, lust-filled, enticing conspiracy to seduce her husband using her daughter’s charms and then force him to go against his wishes and murder the prophet of God.
Herodias got her way, at least for a while. Some time thereafter when she heard that her brother, Agrippa, had been exalted by Caligula and received the title of King over Philip’s former lands, in jealousy she coaxed her husband to travel to Rome and make his petition for title. When Herod Antipas arrived in Rome he was rather placed on trial for treason which resulted in him losing all claim to his governorship and his title which was turned over to Agrippa. He forfeited all his lands and palaces and was exiled to Lyon, France (Gaul), to live out his life with his wife Herodias apart from the pomp and position they had earlier enjoyed.
Some historians believe Herod Antipas was later executed by Caligula in fear of his threat to the throne. At any rate, Herodias is credited with the murder of John the Baptist, as well … she was also present when Herod stood in judgment over a Galilean named, Jesus.
Salome, the daughter of Herodias, was not without fault in the matter of John the Baptist’s death. She seems to be a willing participant and serves to epitomize the image of an evil and dangerous woman. History tells us that she continued in her mother’s footsteps, scandalously involving herself with men of rank and position, seductively wooing men and ultimately marrying three times into the power of her day. She evidently kept her luring charm and later in life convinced her husband to place her image on the coins of Chalcis, the country to which she was then queen.
Tell me: What makes a woman an evil, enticing, selfish, lust-filled, manipulating seductress?
Well, it might be easier and more beneficial to discover what makes a woman escape the temptations to use her fleshly charms to control and manipulate her world to her own advantage. What is it that keeps a woman from becoming evil and dangerous, a controlling, selfish, seductive, puppet master of men’s known carnal weaknesses?
Well, we will find out more about this next week when we continue our discussion on Evil Mother Daughter Combos, Women Who Rule Their Men!
