\n
He also criticised Herod Antipas<\/strong>, the governor of Galilee and Perea, for unlawfully marrying his half-brother\u2019s wife, Herodias \u2014 thereby earning her enmity.John preached a baptism of\u00a0repentance<\/strong> at the Jordan River<\/a> and foretold the coming of Jesus the Messiah, who was his cousin.<\/p>\n Herod Antipas imprisoned<\/strong> John, but Mark\u2019s Gospel<\/a> says he protected him, \u201cknowing that he was a righteous and holy man\u201d, and \u201cliked to listen to him\u201d (6:20).<\/p>\n The governor\u2019s birthday banquet for the leaders of Galilee gave Herodias<\/strong> her opportunity to get rid of John. Her daughter, Salome, danced for the gathering and so enthralled Herod that he offered her whatever she wanted \u2014 \u201ceven half of my kingdom\u201d (6:23).<\/p>\n Herod, \u201cdeeply grieved\u201d, gave the order. John was executed<\/strong> and his head brought in \u201con a platter\u201d. John\u2019s disciples took away his body for burial. (6:26-29)\u00a0Salome<\/strong>, who was probably no older than 14 (so her dance might not have been the erotic performance usually imagined), sought her mother\u2019s advice and then asked for John the Baptist\u2019s head.<\/p>\n According to the historian Josephus<\/a>, John\u2019s execution took place at Machaerus. An early Christian tradition says his body was buried at Sebastiya<\/strong><\/a> in Samaria, which Orthodox<\/a> Christians believe was also the venue for the banquet.<\/p>\n Herod built \u2018breathtaking\u2019 palace<\/strong><\/p>\n Machaerus (the name means \u201cblack fortress\u201d) was one of a series of hilltop\u00a0strongholds<\/strong> established by Herod the Great<\/a> \u2014 the father of Antipas \u2014 along the edge of the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea.<\/p>\n On top of the mountain, more than 1100 metres above the Dead Sea, Herod erected a fortress wall with high corner towers. In the centre he built a palace<\/strong> that was \u201cbreathtaking in size and beauty\u201d, according to Josephus. Numerous cisterns<\/a> were dug to collect rainwater.Protected on three sides by deep ravines, it afforded seclusion andsafety<\/strong> in times of political unrest. Fire signals linked Machaerus to Herod\u2019s other fortresses and to\u00a0Jerusalem<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n When Herod the Great died in 4 BC, Machaerus passed to his son Herod Antipas<\/strong>, who ruled Galilee and Perea (an area on the eastern side of the Jordan River) until AD 39.<\/p>\n Jesus appeared before Antipas<\/strong><\/p>\n Herod Antipas had married Phasaelis, daughter of King Aretas of Nabatea<\/strong>, the kingdom whose capital was Petra<\/a>. But while visiting Rome in AD 26 he stayed with his half-brother Herod Philip I and fell in love with Philip\u2019s wife Herodias.<\/p>\n When Phasaelis learnt that Antipas intended to divorce<\/strong> her and marry Herodias, she obtained permission to visit Machaerus and from there fled to her father in Nabatea.<\/p>\n According to Josephus, some of the Jews saw this devastating defeat as divine retribution<\/strong> for killing John the Baptist.Antipas\u2019s rejection of Phasaelis added a personal note to existing disputes<\/strong> with King Aretas over the boundary of Perea and Nabatea. In AD 36 Aretas attacked Antipas and completely destroyed his army.<\/p>\n Some time before the war with Aretas, Jesus was arrested in Jerusalem and brought before Pontius Pilate<\/strong><\/a>. When Pilate learnt that Jesus came from Galilee, he sent him to Herod Antipas, who was also in Jerusalem at the time.<\/p>\n Luke\u2019s Gospel says Antipas \u201chad been wanting to see him for a long time\u201d and \u201cwas hoping to see him perform some sign\u201d. He questioned<\/strong> Jesus at length, but Jesus gave no answer. Antipas then mocked Jesus and sent him back to Pilate in an elegant robe. (23:8-11)<\/p>\n Romans captured fortress by deception<\/strong><\/p>\n In AD 39 Herod Antipas was accused of conspiring against the Roman emperor Caligula, who exiled<\/strong> him to Gaul.<\/p>\n At the time of the First Jewish Revolt (AD 66-73), Machaerus was in the hands of Jewish rebels<\/strong>. Roman forces took the fortress only by deception \u2014 they captured a young Jewish defender and threatened to crucify him if the rebels did not surrender.<\/p>\n Excavations<\/strong> at the site have uncovered remains of Herod\u2019s palace, including rooms designed around a central courtyard, an elaborate bath and floor mosaics<\/a>.\u00a0When the rebels agreed to abandon Machaerus, the Romans systematically dismantled<\/strong> the Herodian fortifications.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sfioanevanghelistul.ca\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/machaerus-colored-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sfioanevanghelistul.ca\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/taierea.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sfioanevanghelistul.ca\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/machaerus-ioan-botezatorul1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sfioanevanghelistul.ca\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/machaerus-ioan-botezatorul-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sfioanevanghelistul.ca\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Machaerus2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n