Finding Jesus looks at The Tomb of King Herod

Herodium
Herodium is remarkable place and the highest point in the area, many people believe King Herod’s tomb lies within

This week Finding Jesus examines The Tomb of King Herod and asks how conclusive the proof is that it belonged to the infamous biblical king.

The tomb was found by Israeli archeologist Ehud Netzer back in 2007 about 8 miles south of Jerusalem. It was about halfway up the hill to Herodium and inside they found a sarcophagus, but it was broken open and their was no body.

Herod is painted as a bloody-handed murderer in the bible
Herod is painted as a bloody-handed murderer in the bible

More recently in 2013 archaeologists Benjamin Arubas and Joseph Patrich questioned whether the identification was correct. Pointing out that it seemed too simple to be the tomb of such a great king and included some rather strange details. Though others have countered that even Herod’s coins did not have his image on them, they say he was a modest king and so his tomb reflects this.

But like many such stories, the truth is more complex
But like many such stories, the truth is more complex

In the bible King Herod gets a pretty bad press, a ruthless killer of children and innocents.

However, Jewish historical documents mentioned Herod quite a lot and include details of his rise from courtier to king and paint a broader and more complex picture of the king.

Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, Forgery airs at 9:00 PM on CNN.

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