it being both illegal and immoral under Jewish law, and for doing so he was thrown into prison and later beheaded. His fearless and righteous condemnation aroused the bitter hatred of Herodias, so that she seized the first opportunity to have the prophet put to death.—Matt. 14:1-11; Mark 6:16-28; Luke 3:19, 20; 9:9.

Herodias’ brother Herod Agrippa I returned from Rome in 38 C.E., having been appointed to be king of Judea. This greatly vexed Herodias, for her husband, although he was a king’s son, remained only a district ruler. She therefore did not cease pressuring her husband until he too went to Rome in hopes of also being crowned a king with a kingdom. Flavius Josephus tells how Herodias’ brother Agrippa secretly sent letters to Emperor Caligula accusing Antipas of being in conspiracy with the Parthians. As a consequence, Antipas was sent into banishment to Gaul, and was accompanied by Herodias.—Antiquities of the Jews, Book XVIII, chap. VII; Wars of the Jews, Book II, chap. IX, par. 6.

HERODION

(He·roʹdi·on).

One to whom Paul sent personal greetings in his letter to the Christian congregation at Rome. Paul refers to Herodion as “my relative.” (Rom. 16:11) Some suggest that this may simply mean that Herodion was a fellow Jew rather than an immediate member of Paul’s family, in view of the apostle’s use of the designation “relatives” at Romans 9:3. However, since Paul does not refer to all the Jews to whom he sent greetings as “my relatives” (compare Acts 18:2; Romans 16:3), likely a closer relative is meant.—See ANDRONICUS.

HEROD, PARTY FOLLOWERS OF

[Gr., He·ro·di·a·noiʹ].

The exact identity of this group is not certain, for there is no mention of the Herodians in secular history and little Scriptural reference is made to them. (Matt. 22:16; Mark 3:6; 12:13) There are strong objections to believing, as some do, that the Herodians were either household domestics of Herod, his soldiers or his court officials. The majority of scholars believe and the weight of supporting argument is that they were Jewish partisans or party followers of the Herodian dynasty, which received its authority from Rome. During Jesus Christ’s ministry Herod Antipas headed this dynasty.

Politically, the Herodians stood on middle ground, opposed on the one hand by the Pharisees and Jewish zealots who advocated a Jewish kingdom completely independent of Roman control, and on the other hand by those who advocated complete absorption of Judea by the Roman Empire. Some of the Sadducees, rated as free thinkers and moderates in Judaism, probably belonged to the Herodian school of thought. This latter conclusion is drawn from the reports of Matthew and Mark as to Jesus’ statement about leaven. According to Matthew 16:6, Jesus said, “Watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,” whereas Mark 8:15 says, “Look out for the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” Repeating the word “leaven” emphasized that there was a difference in the corrupt teachings of the two parties. Instead of “Herod,” this latter text reads “Herodians” in some manuscripts, namely, the Chester Beatty Papyrus I (P⁴⁵), the Codex Washingtonianus I and the Codex Koridethianus.

There is one thing certain: the party followers of Herod and the Pharisees, though openly opposed to one another in their political and Judaistic views, were solidly united in their violent opposition to Jesus. On at least two occasions these opposing parties consulted together on how best to do away with their common opponent. The first reported instance was shortly after Passover, 31 C.E., during Jesus’ Great Galilean Ministry. Upon seeing Jesus restore a man’s dried-up hand on the sabbath, “the Pharisees went out and immediately began holding council with the party followers of Herod against him, in order to destroy him.”—Mark 3:1-6; Matt. 12:9-14.

The second reported occasion was nearly two years later, just three days before Jesus was put to death, when disciples of the Pharisees and party followers of Herod joined forces in putting Jesus to the test in the matter of taxation. These men were secretly hired “to pretend that they were righteous, in order that they might catch him in speech, so as to turn him over to the government and to the authority of the governor.” (Luke 20:20) They prefaced their direct question about taxes with words of flattery designed to throw Jesus off guard. However, Jesus, perceiving their cunning wickedness, declared: “Why do you put me to the test, hypocrites?” He then completely silenced them by his answer on the matter of paying taxes.—Matt. 22:15-22; Luke 20:21-26.

HERON

[Heb., ʼana·phahʹ].

The birds that were not to be eaten according to the Mosaic law include “the heron according to its kind” (“in its several species,” AT). (Lev. 11:13, 19; Deut. 14:12, 18) Its placement in the lists after the “stork,” and the Septuagint and Vulgate translations evidently indicate a water bird. The Hebrew name is considered by some as being derived from a root word meaning “to breathe hard,” or, possibly, “to snort,” likely in anger. Others suggest a closer connection of the name with the Hebrew word for “nose” (ʼaph), perhaps as descriptive of the bird’s beak. Since the Bible account shows that the name embraces birds within a certain “kind,” the Hebrew name may well include the different varieties to be found within the heron family (scientifically designated Ardeidae), such as the true heron, the egret and the bittern. All these birds have long sharp bills or beaks and some are noted for the unusual raucous sound they make when disturbed or excited.

The Smithsonian Series (1944, Vol. Nine, p. 111) says that, when disturbed, the young night heron “suddenly darts out its head at an intruder and with wide-open mouth utters a vociferous squawk that startles any except the steadiest of nerves.”

The birds of the heron family are basically waders, frequenting marshes, swamps, inland streams and lakes. They have long slender necks and long, bare, extraordinarily thin legs, and long toes including a large hind toe. With a stately stride they wade along, searching for frogs, small crabs, or small reptiles; or else they stand motionless, patiently waiting for small fish to come within their range, whereupon a lightning thrust of the bird’s long neck spears the fish with its pointed beak. Though nesting in colonies, they usually fish alone. Where trees are available they build their rather loosely arranged nests on the treetops, while in treeless swamps they make their nests among the rushes or reeds. Their large wings carry them in a rather slow majestic flight, legs stretched out behind but with the long neck doubled back so that the head rests between the shoulders, thus differing from the crane and ibis that fly with both their necks and legs outstretched.

While only one type of stork is frequent in Palestine, there are several varieties of herons: the common or gray heron, the buff-backed heron (often called the white ibis), and the purple heron. They may average about three feet (1 meter) in length with a wingspread of about the same span. They can be found around the Sea of Galilee, along the banks of the Jordan and Kishon Rivers, in marshy regions and along the seacoast.

The bittern is a somewhat shorter, stouter, browner variety of heron, also found in Palestine in marshy regions. With a length of about thirty inches (76 centimeters), the bittern characteristically has plumage streaked with black, buff and white, the underparts being a pale buff color with brown stripes, and the legs yellowish green. This color combination harmonizes exactly with the marsh grass it inhabits, and, when in danger, the bird stands motionless with neck and bill pointed upward. This, together with the vertical stripes, causes it to blend in perfectly with its surroundings in effective camouflage. Bitterns are