Herod Antipas

Herod Antipas governed Galilee and Perea during the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus. He founded Tiberias, ordered John’s execution, and questioned Jesus when Pilate sent Jesus to him.

Antipas was a son of Herod the Great and Malthace. Following his father’s death in 4 BC, Augustus confirmed him as tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. Although the Gospels sometimes call him king, his formal title was tetrarch.

Antipas governed the territory where much of Jesus’ Galilean ministry took place. He developed Sepphoris and established Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, naming it in honor of Emperor Tiberius.

His marriage to Herodias, who had previously been married to his half-brother, caused controversy. John the Baptist criticized the union. The Gospels report that Antipas imprisoned John and later ordered his execution after a banquet; Josephus also records John’s execution and describes Antipas’s concern over John’s influence.

Antipas’s divorce of his earlier wife, a daughter of the Nabataean king Aretas IV, contributed to a conflict with Aretas. Antipas’s forces suffered defeat, and Roman involvement was contemplated.

Luke reports that Pilate sent Jesus to Antipas during the proceedings before the crucifixion because Jesus was from Galilee. Antipas questioned and mocked him, then returned him to Pilate.

In AD 39 Antipas sought a royal title from Emperor Caligula. Instead, accusations brought against him led to his removal and exile. Herodias accompanied him.

Antipas connected Roman provincial politics with everyday life in Galilee. His rule provides essential background for John the Baptist, Jesus’ public ministry, and the political circumstances surrounding the crucifixion.

• 4 BC: Became tetrarch of Galilee and Perea.
• Early first century AD: Developed Sepphoris and founded Tiberias.
• c. AD 28–30: Imprisoned and executed John the Baptist.
• c. AD 30: Questioned Jesus during the Passion narrative in Luke.
• AD 36: Defeated in conflict with Aretas IV.
• AD 39: Removed from power and exiled.

Antipas was exiled in AD 39, traditionally to Gaul. The exact date and circumstances of his death are uncertain; his burial place is unknown.

Antipas is the Herod most directly involved in the adult ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus. He appears in the accounts of John’s death and in Luke’s narrative of Jesus’ trial.