Nadav Sharon, «Herod's Age When Appointed Strategos of Galilee: Scribal Error or Literary Motif?», Vol. 95 (2014) 49-63
In Antiquities Josephus says that Herod was only fifteen-years-old when appointed strategos of Galilee in 47 BCE. This is often dismissed as scribal error and corrected to twenty-five, because it contradicts other Herodian biographical information. However, this unattested emendation does not fit the immediate context, whereas 'fifteen' does. This paper suggests that rather than a scribal error, this is a literary motif, presenting Herod as a particularly young military hero. The specific age of fifteen may have had a deeper intention, fictively linking Herod's birth to the year 63, the year of Augustus' birth and Pompey's conquest of the Temple.
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HEROD’S AGE WHEN APPOINTED STRATEGOS OF GALILEE
Temple was not destroyed in 63 BCE, according to Josephus some of
its surrounding buildings were set ablaze and the priests were massa-
cred as they were performing the Temple rites (War 1.148-150; Ant.
14.65-68, 70). There is no doubt that this was remembered as a cata-
strophic event, such as is likely to arouse messianic expectations 40;
Psalms of Solomon 17 is a prime example of such messianic expec-
tations on the heels of Pompey’s conquest 41. Therefore, it would make
sense for any messianic claimant to form a link with that event.
The fact that Herod later rebuilt the Temple; his miraculous es-
capes from dangers by God’s providence, “which won him the rep-
utation of a special favorite of heaven†(War 1.331-332; see also
340-341; Ant. 14.455; 462-463); the story of the prophecy of the Es-
sene prophet Menahem predicting that Herod would become “king
of the Jews†when he was still a boy, since he had “been found wor-
thy of this by God†(Ant. 15.373-375); and the likely employment of
the David typology, as suggested by Tal Ilan, all significantly play
into a messianic portrayal of Herod. Indeed, Abraham Schalit sug-
gested that Herod tried to present himself in Judea, and perhaps ac-
tually saw himself, as the messiah, and other scholars also assert
Herodian messianism 42. Herod’s speech to the Judean people in
that the Temple was purified by the Hasmoneans on the exact date as its ear-
lier contamination (1 Macc 4,52-54; 2 Macc 10,5; D.R. SCHWARTZ, 2 Mac-
cabees [Berlin 2008] 377); and the Roman tradition that Ventidius defeated
the Parthians and killed Pacorus, the Parthian king’s son, on the exact date
that the Parthians had defeated the Romans and killed Crassus some years
before (Cassius Dio 49.21.2; Eutropius 7.5).
40
Cf. O. IRSHAI, “Dating the Eschaton: Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic
Calculations in Late Antiquityâ€, Apocalyptic Time (ed. A.I. BAUMGARTEN)
(Numen Book Series: Studies in the History of Religions 86; Leiden 2000)
115-117, 133-134 and n. 64, 142-143.
41
Although some scholars view Psalm 17 as alluding to Herod’s conquest
(e.g., K. ATKINSON, “On the Herodian Origin of Militant Davidic Messianism
at Qumran: New Light from Psalm of Solomon 17â€, JBL 118 [1999] 440-
444; R.A. HORSLEY, Revolt of the Scribes: Resistance and Apocalyptic Origins
[Minneapolis, MN 2010] 152-155), according to many others it alludes to
Pompey’s conquest (e.g., SCHÜRER, History, III, 194; D. FLUSSER, “Psalms,
Hymns and Prayersâ€, Jewish Writings of the Second Temple Period [ed. M.E.
STONE] [Assen – Philadelphia, PA 1984] 573; and even K. ATKINSON, I Cried
to the Lord. A Study of the Psalms of Solomon’s Historical Background and
Social Setting [JSJSup 84; Leiden 2004] 135-139). Cf. B. ECKHARDT, “PsSal
17, die Hasmonäer und der Herodompeiusâ€, JSJ 40 (2009) 465-492.
42
A. SCHALIT, King Herod: Portrait of a Ruler (Jerusalem 1960) 226-228,
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