BEMA Episode Link: 77: Silent Years — Herodians
Episode Length: 31:15
Published Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2018 01:00:00 -0700
Session 3
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings continue a look at the responses to Hellenism in the world of first-century Judaism, this time examining the group known as Herodians.

Silent Years — Herodians Presentation (PDF)

Discussion Video for BEMA 77

Sepphoris (Zippori) — Wikipedia

Transcript for BEMA 77

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 77: Silent Years - Herodians

Title & Source Summary

This episode examines the Herodian response to Hellenism in first-century Judaism. The Herodians were followers of Herod the Great who believed they could embrace Greco-Roman culture and luxury while maintaining their Jewish faith. The episode explores the archaeological evidence from Zippori (Sepphoris), a wealthy Herodian city three miles from Nazareth, and challenges modern Western Christians to recognize their own “Herodian” tendencies toward compromise with contemporary culture.

Key Takeaways

  • Herodians embraced Hellenistic culture while attempting to maintain Jewish identity, believing the two were not mutually exclusive
  • Modern Western Christianity mirrors Herodian compromise, enjoying cultural luxuries while professing devotion to God
  • Herodians occupied a spectrum from reluctant to enthusiastic embrace of Greco-Roman culture
  • The archaeological evidence from Zippori reveals the extent of Herodian wealth and cultural assimilation
  • Herodians were uniquely positioned to engage and influence Hellenistic culture for God’s mission
  • The primary danger of Herodian life was idolatry, moral compromise, and forgetting God’s mission for comfort and luxury
  • Jesus likely had exposure to Herodian culture growing up in Nazareth, near the wealthy city of Zippori

Main Concepts & Theories

Defining Herodians

Who Were They?

  • Followers of Herod the Great, though not necessarily a formal political party
  • Referenced twice in the Gospels and by the historian Josephus
  • Shared the Sadducees’ pragmatic approach to Hellenism but were not priests
  • Not descended from Levi, but ordinary Jews from various tribes

Key Distinction:

  • Every Sadducee was a priest, but not every priest was a Sadducee
  • Herodians shared the Sadducean worldview about Hellenism without the priestly status
The Herodian Worldview

Core Belief: “I can have a little bit of Rome, and I can have a little bit of God and Judaism, and I can put the two together without sacrificing either.”

Spectrum of Engagement:

  1. Enthusiastic Herodians - Fully embraced Hellenistic culture with pride
  2. Moderate Herodians - Balanced acceptance of cultural benefits
  3. Reluctant Herodians - Uncomfortable with luxury but still participated
The Hellenistic Elements Herodians Enjoyed

Infrastructure and Technology:

  • Running water and advanced plumbing systems
  • Marble architecture and pillars (along the Cardo)
  • Theater and entertainment venues
  • Gymnasium facilities
  • Advanced urban planning with grid systems

Cultural Elements:

  • Greek and Roman art and mythology
  • Theater performances and plays
  • Athletic competitions
  • Philosophical lectures
  • Aesthetic luxury in home design
The Archaeological Evidence: Zippori (Sepphoris)

Historical Context:

  • Originally a Jewish village that revolted against Rome
  • Completely destroyed by Rome as punishment
  • Rebuilt by one of Herod’s sons as a Herodian colony
  • Inhabited almost entirely by Jews, but with Hellenistic culture
  • Located three miles from Nazareth

Urban Planning:

  • Built on a Greco-Roman grid system
  • Featured Cardo (north-south street) and Decumanus (east-west street)
  • Marble-pillared walkways (stoia) covered the sidewalks
  • Elaborate mosaic sidewalks made of small stones
The Nile House

Architectural Features:

  • Large multi-room villa/palace
  • Multiple bedrooms indicating significant wealth
  • Intricate mosaic floors throughout

Mosaic Patterns in Public Areas:

  • Primarily geometric patterns (avoiding graven images)
  • Demonstrated Jewish adherence to commandment interpretations
  • Showed wealth while maintaining religious boundaries
  • Quality and detail required enormous financial investment

Private Areas - The Compromise:

  • More intimate quarters contained representational images
  • Greek mythology depicted on floors
  • Images of gods including Pan (god of sexual fertility)
  • Egyptian mythology (the Nile story) in the main dining area
  • Centerpiece triclinium mosaic telling Egyptian Nile mythology

The Triclinium (Dining Room):

  • Guests reclined around the outer edge of the room
  • Central mosaic floor served as “dinner and a show”
  • Told stories of Egyptian mythology
  • Used as entertainment during meals
The Mona Lisa of the Galilee

Technical Marvel:

  • Located in another wealthy Herodian home in Zippori
  • Contains 22.5 million mosaic pieces
  • Quality rivals fine painting despite being mosaic work
  • Likely depicts the lady of the house (matriarch)
  • Commissioned by the patriarch to honor his wife

Mythological Content:

  • Follows a spiral path through Greek mythology
  • Culminates in story of Dionysus (god of wine and orgy)
  • Shows Dionysus drinking Zeus under the table
  • Includes imagery of Pan and other Greek deities
  • Completely god-driven Greek mythology at the table’s center
The Moral Ambiguity

The Content vs. The Worldview:

  • Hellenistic things themselves are not inherently sinful
  • Theater, art, wealth, and technology are morally neutral
  • The danger lies in the worldview behind Hellenism
  • Hellenism says “you are the center of the world”
  • Art from a God-perspective tells a different story than Hellenistic art
  • The story that wealth tells you becomes the problem

The Wrestling Question: “Is there anything wrong with this?” - This is not a black-and-white issue of morality and ethics

Modern American Christianity as Herodian

Contemporary Parallels:

  • iPhones, computers, luxury cars, nice homes
  • Netflix, streaming services, and entertainment consumption
  • Shows like Game of Thrones, House of Cards, Marvel Cinematic Universe
  • Granite countertops and aesthetic home improvements
  • Spending money purely for pleasure and aesthetics

The Modern Rationalization: “I still worship God. I appreciate [cultural element]. Who doesn’t? I don’t worship that.”

The Spectrum Today:

  • Most listeners fall somewhere on the Herodian spectrum
  • Very few exceptions in American Christianity
  • Different levels of comfort with luxury and culture
  • Varying degrees of awareness about compromise
The Positive Potential of Herodians

Strategic Positioning:

  • Intimately familiar with the surrounding culture
  • Perfectly placed for God’s redemptive mission
  • God wants to redeem Greek and Roman culture
  • God loves Greeks and Romans as much as Jews
  • Best equipped to reach a world immersed in that culture

Missional Opportunities:

  • Theater professionals can redeem media and entertainment
  • Athletes can use sports platforms for God’s story
  • Educators and doctors engage Hellenistic learning for Kingdom purposes
  • Cultural engagement enables cultural transformation
  • Understanding the world allows effective witness within it
The Negative Dangers of Herodians

The Idolatry Risk:

  • Worshiping culture rather than engaging it critically
  • Allowing cultural values to consume personal devotion
  • Prioritizing comfort over mission

Moral Compromise:

  • Sexual immorality (Pan worship, Dionysian excess)
  • Social injustice and exploitation of the poor
  • Taking advantage of marginalized people
  • Trampling on outsiders for personal gain

Economic Exploitation:

  • Whose labor built these elaborate homes?
  • Slave labor versus paid workers
  • Fair wages versus exploitation
  • Adding “house to house and field to field” (Isaiah 5)

Spiritual Complacency:

  • “You’re heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks” (Isaiah 5:22)
  • Forgetting God’s mission for personal comfort
  • Wanting power, privilege, influence, and comfort
  • “I’ll follow God all day long, just don’t challenge my comfort”
  • The way of God constantly challenges luxury and privilege
Jesus and Herodian Culture

Nazareth’s Proximity to Zippori:

  • Nazareth was three miles from Zippori
  • Stone quarry located between the two cities
  • Joseph was a tekton (typically translated “carpenter”)
  • Tekton more accurately means stone worker in that context
  • Joseph likely worked in the quarry owned by Herod
  • Jesus’ family may have had Herodian exposure

Evidence of Cultural Engagement:

  • Jesus quotes Euripides’ play “Trojan Women”
    • “How I long to gather you as a hen gathers its chicks”
  • Jesus uses the word hupokrites (actors/hypocrites)
  • Suggests Jesus grew up around theater culture
  • Jesus’ family may have eaten food bought with Herodian wages
  • This raises profound questions about Jesus’ cultural context

Examples & Applications

Historical Examples

Zippori’s Transformation: A Jewish village that revolted against Rome was destroyed and rebuilt as a showcase of Herodian compromise - Jews living in Greco-Roman luxury while maintaining some Jewish practices.

The Nile House Owner: A wealthy Jew who maintained geometric patterns (avoiding images) in public spaces to appear religiously faithful, while privately decorating with Greek gods and mythology - embodying the double-mindedness of Herodian life.

The Mona Lisa Commissioner: A patriarch spending enormous wealth (22.5 million mosaic pieces) to honor his wife, yet centering their dining experience around Dionysus defeating Zeus in a drinking contest - showing how even noble intentions could be compromised by cultural values.

Modern Applications

Entertainment Consumption: Watching Game of Thrones or other morally complex shows while maintaining we don’t worship that content - exactly parallel to Herodians enjoying Pan mythology while claiming not to worship Pan.

Housing Choices: Installing granite countertops, hardwood floors, or other aesthetic improvements purely for pleasure - mirroring the elaborate mosaics of Herodian homes that served no practical purpose beyond beauty.

Technology and Luxury: Owning the latest iPhone, luxury vehicles, and comfort-focused possessions while professing devotion to God and His mission to the poor and marginalized.

Professional Engagement: Christians in entertainment, sports, academia, or medicine who are uniquely positioned to influence culture but must constantly wrestle with compromise versus transformation.

Social Justice Blind Spots: Enjoying products and services without questioning whose labor produced them, what wages were paid, or who was exploited - the same question faced about who built the Herodian villas.

The Wrestling Match

Questions for Self-Examination:

  • Where am I enthusiastically, moderately, or reluctantly Herodian?
  • What cultural luxuries do I rationalize while claiming devotion to God?
  • Am I using my cultural positioning for God’s mission or my comfort?
  • What compromises am I making in private that I hide in public?
  • Whose labor supports my lifestyle and are they treated justly?
  • Does my lifestyle reflect “heroes at drinking wine” or Kingdom values?

The Practical Tension: There is no simple answer to whether being Herodian is right or wrong. The challenge is living in constant awareness, choosing mission over comfort, and using cultural engagement for God’s redemptive purposes rather than personal pleasure.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Historical Deep Dives
  1. The Herodian Dynasty - Detailed study of Herod the Great and his descendants, their political strategies, and their influence on Jewish culture
  2. Zippori Archaeology - Comprehensive examination of archaeological findings, dating techniques, and what they reveal about daily life
  3. Josephus’ Writings - Primary source analysis of how Josephus described Herodians and their role in Jewish society
  4. Greco-Roman Art in Jewish Contexts - Study of how Jewish communities navigated image-making and artistic expression under Hellenistic influence
  5. Economic Systems - Investigation of labor, slavery, trade, and wealth distribution in Herodian cities
Theological Themes
  1. Christ and Culture - H. Richard Niebuhr’s framework applied to the Herodian response
  2. Wealth and Discipleship - Biblical teaching on luxury, comfort, and following Jesus
  3. Contextual Mission - How cultural engagement enables or hinders Gospel proclamation
  4. Idolatry in Modern Forms - Identifying contemporary idols hidden within cultural participation
  5. Isaiah 5 and Prophetic Critique - Deep study of prophetic warnings against luxury and exploitation
Contemporary Issues
  1. Consumerism and Christianity - How does modern capitalism shape discipleship?
  2. Entertainment Ethics - Guidelines for consuming morally complex media
  3. Social Justice and Lifestyle - Connection between personal comfort and systemic injustice
  4. Technology and Spirituality - Benefits and dangers of digital culture for faith
  5. Missional Engagement vs. Cultural Compromise - Practical frameworks for discernment
Biblical Studies
  1. Jesus’ Carpentry/Stonework - What tekton really meant and its implications for understanding Jesus’ upbringing
  2. Jesus’ Cultural References - Cataloging all instances where Jesus quotes or references Greco-Roman culture
  3. Herodians in the Gospels - Examining the two (or more) Gospel references to Herodians and their context
  4. Theater Terminology in Jesus’ Teaching - Study of hupokrites and other dramatic language in the Gospels
  5. Parables and Cultural Context - How Jesus’ stories engaged or critiqued Herodian values
Personal Application
  1. Creating a Personal Inventory - Cataloging areas of Herodian compromise in your life
  2. Developing Discernment Practices - Tools for evaluating cultural engagement
  3. Living on Mission - Practical steps to leverage cultural positioning for Kingdom purposes
  4. Simplicity and Generosity - Counter-cultural lifestyle experiments
  5. Community Discernment - Small group practices for wrestling with these tensions together

Comprehension Questions

  1. What distinguished Herodians from Sadducees in terms of social position, and what did they share in common regarding their approach to Hellenism?
    • Answer: While Sadducees were all priests (though not all priests were Sadducees), Herodians were non-priestly Jews from various tribes. However, both groups shared a pragmatic, accommodating approach to Hellenistic culture, believing they could enjoy Greco-Roman benefits without compromising their worship of God.
  2. How did the mosaic artwork in the Nile House demonstrate both Jewish faithfulness and Herodian compromise?
    • Answer: In the public areas of the home, the mosaics featured only geometric patterns, avoiding images in adherence to Jewish interpretation of commandments against graven images. However, in the private, intimate quarters, the mosaics depicted Greek gods like Pan and Egyptian mythology, revealing a double standard where public religiosity masked private cultural assimilation.
  3. What are the “positive potential” and “negative dangers” of the Herodian approach, and how do these apply to modern Western Christians?
    • Answer: Positive: Herodians were perfectly positioned to engage and redeem their culture, understanding it intimately and able to influence it for God’s purposes (like Christians in entertainment, sports, or education today). Negative: The danger of idolatry, moral compromise, exploitation of others, and prioritizing comfort over mission - exactly what happens when modern Christians rationalize luxury and cultural consumption while claiming devotion to God.
  4. Why is the question “Is there anything wrong with this?” regarding Herodian lifestyle described as not “black and white”?
    • Answer: Because the content of Hellenism (art, theater, technology, wealth) is not inherently sinful - these things are morally neutral or can even be good. The danger lies in the worldview and story behind them (self-centeredness, idolatry, exploitation). This creates a complex tension where we must constantly discern between godly engagement and ungodly compromise, mission and comfort, cultural influence and cultural captivity.
  5. What evidence suggests Jesus may have had exposure to Herodian culture, and why is this significant for understanding His ministry?
    • Answer: Nazareth was three miles from the wealthy Herodian city of Zippori, with a stone quarry between them. Joseph was a tekton (stone worker), likely working in Herod’s quarry. Jesus quotes Greek plays (Euripides’ “Trojan Women”), uses theater terminology (hupokrites/actors), suggesting familiarity with Hellenistic culture. This is significant because it means Jesus likely grew up with intimate knowledge of both the benefits and dangers of cultural compromise, giving Him unique authority to speak to issues of wealth, power, and mission.

Summary

BEMA Episode 77 explores the Herodian response to Hellenism in first-century Judaism, challenging modern Western Christians to recognize themselves in this ancient compromise. Herodians were followers of Herod the Great who believed they could embrace Greco-Roman culture - its luxury, art, entertainment, and technology - while maintaining their Jewish faith and worship of God. The archaeological evidence from Zippori, a wealthy Herodian city three miles from Nazareth, reveals the extent of this cultural assimilation through elaborate homes with millions of mosaic pieces depicting Greek and Egyptian mythology.

The episode presents Herodians on a spectrum from reluctant to enthusiastic, noting that nearly all modern American Christians fall somewhere on this spectrum. We enjoy our technology, entertainment, comfortable homes, and cultural engagement while insisting we still worship God alone. Like ancient Herodians, we rationalize: “I appreciate this cultural element, but I don’t worship it.”

The teaching carefully avoids simplistic judgments, acknowledging that Herodian cultural engagement had both positive potential and negative dangers. Positively, Herodians were uniquely positioned to influence and redeem their culture, understanding it intimately and able to engage it for God’s mission - just as Christians today in entertainment, sports, education, or medicine can leverage their cultural positioning for Kingdom purposes. Negatively, the constant danger was idolatry, moral compromise, exploitation of the marginalized, and ultimately forgetting God’s mission in favor of personal comfort and luxury.

The episode concludes by suggesting Jesus Himself likely had exposure to Herodian culture, growing up in Nazareth near wealthy Zippori, possibly supported by wages from Herod’s stone quarry where Joseph likely worked. This raises profound questions about Jesus’ cultural context and His unique authority to address issues of wealth, power, and mission. The call throughout is not to simple rejection of culture, but to constant wrestling with the tension between engagement and compromise, mission and comfort, cultural influence and cultural captivity - a wrestling match that requires ongoing community discernment and personal honesty about where we truly place our devotion.

Original Notes

  • About the Herodians
    • Herodians are mentioned in the Gospels twice and more in Josephus.
    • They were named after Herod and clearly followers of him but we aren’t sure what like of allegiance they actually had to Herod.
    • Herodians were the ones who believed they could embrace Hellenism without sacrificing their devotion or God or their Judaism.
    • Herodians would have been non-levitical Jews who reacted in a similar way to Hellenism as the Sadducees did.
    • Hellenism is not sinful. Enjoying Hellenism is not the problem. The problem with it is that the world view of Hellenism puts the self at the center of the universe.
  • Sepphoris/Zippori
    • A city (photos of the “Nile House” in the presentation) is a Herodian village that had mosaics decorating the homes.
    • The Herodians from this village decorated everything because they loved the art and wanted to enjoy it.
      • Do we do similar things? Granite countertops or artwork?
    • The money and the effort that would have gone into the mosaics on the floors would have been astounding.
    • Marty questions their devotion to their Judaism but has matured over the years and his perspective has changed.
    • Photos of the Greek god of Pan.
    • The floor in the dining room depicts the mythology of the Nile. Brent mentions that God defeated the gods of the Nile. It’s odd that they would depict such things.
  • What is the positive and negative of this?
    • God wants to redeem these story. Who knows this world better than Herodians.
      • If God wants to redeem theater, sports, education, healthcare? Who knows those things better than Herodians?
  • Joseph the Tekton
    • Joseph is referred to as a carpenter in our Bibles but he’s actually referred to in the text as a Tekton which is a stone worker.
    • Joseph would have lived in Nazareth and between Nazareth and Zapphori would have been a rock quarry owned by Herod.
    • Much of the rock for the Herodian artwork, including mosaics, likely came from that rock quarry.
    • This leads Marty to wonder what kind of home Jesus would have grown up in.
    • He likely had exposure to the Herodian worldview, possibly even in his own household.
    • Something we cannot know until we meet Jesus again but it’s curious to wonder about nonetheless.

Discussion

  • Remember
    • Hold these ideas loosely.
    • The western culture likely struggles with the Herodian world view.
  • Head
    • What is the good and bad of Hellenism and the Herodian world view?
  • Heart
    • What is the significant yet sustainable steps that you can create to help you deal with this that will help you honor what your learning about who God is and how he’s showing up in your life?
      • There are people who are deeply convicted about this: that’s ok. Others will overcompensate and will need encouragement to slow down to something that’s sustainable.
      • This conversation can go sideways really quick. We have been taught how to feel terrible about ourselves and need to be careful not to overdo it.
  • Hands
    • What confession or repentance is there?
    • What is the beautiful stuff that we get from Hellenism and the Herodian world view?
      • Understanding that Herodian is not evil. All groups fall short and all groups have something to bring to the table.

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