Samuel Rocca analyzes the Herodian society. The most important facet of his analysis is the relationship between Herod as a ruler and the Jewish subjects over whom he ruled. The author contends that Herod, though a Jewish ruler, regarded both Alexander the Great-the embodiment of the Hellenistic ruler-and Augustus as ideal models who were worthy of imitation. In fact, Herod pushed Judaea towards major Hellenization, albeit with many elements more akin to Rome. The author's research, therefore, is not a biographical study of King Herod. Instead, it deals with Herod as the head of Jewish society in Judaea. It is first and foremost a study of Herodian society. Thus the author analyzes the Herodian ideology of rule, the court, the army, the administration, the economy, the ruling political bodies, the city as a microcosm, the religion, and the burial customs.weiterlesen