For instance, Mark Antony ordered the freshly severed head of Cicero to be displayed on the rostrum from which he had delivered scathing denouncements. Agrippina too mocked her rival Lollia Pavlina in a similar manner. Such monstrous offenses were characteristic of the brutal events that transpired in the semi-barbarous courts of the East during this dark period.
Herodotus narrates how Amestrisa, the wife of Xerxes, requested that her husband put his wife Masistus to death, a plea made during the celebration of Xerxes' birthday, and her demand was so fervent that he could not refuse. No plea from the unfortunate Masistus could save her, as Xerxes had decreed her transfer to her rival. Similarly, the bloodthirsty agenda of Herodias finds a grim echo in this tale, as Amestrisa wasted no time dispatching Xerxes' soldiers to take her revenge, leading to Masistus' brutal demise. This narrative reveals the unwavering seriousness of oaths among Eastern sovereigns. An incident illustrates this when Xerxes, while correcting an innocent actor in a tragedy, swore to grant the performer any desire. Foolishly, she requested his beautifully adorned cloak, crafted by his wife. Torn between his fondness for the cloak and fear of his wife, he could not part with it. Yet, adhering to his vow, he presented her with a substantial sum of gold and a contingent of troops, which she alone commanded. Believing she had been influenced by her mother to ask for the royal cloak, Amestrisa resolved to eliminate the unfortunate woman and succeeded.
In 53 B.C., following the Battle of Carrhae, the Parthian king Orod celebrated the wedding of his son, Pacorus. During a performance of Euripides’ The Bacchae, the actor playing Agave brought the half-naked head of Crassus onto the stage. Marcus Licinius Crassus, a triumvir and consul born around 115 B.C., met his fate at the hands of the Parthians after his defeat. The audience erupted in applause at this gruesome display. Such savage spectacles also unfolded in Rome, where Caligula frequently orchestrated tortures at court festivities. Born in 12 B.C. and executed in 41, Caligula's reign coincided almost perfectly with that of Jesus Christ. The skilled executioners entertained the court by artfully beheading prisoners, fetched from jails merely to showcase their grisly skills. At one public festival, Caligula commanded that a slave accused of stealing a silver plate have his hands severed. The unfortunate slave paraded with his dismembered hands dangling from his neck, accompanied by a sign declaring his crime.
For Herod Antipas, these dreadful events became a source of unending dread and regret. Upon hearing about Jesus Christ's ministry, he, previously a Sadducee who had not believed in resurrection, was filled with terror. He feared that John the Baptist, whom he had executed, might have risen to exact revenge. Desperate to learn the truth behind his fears, he sought to meet Christ. However, he was only able to do so later, for the Savior had taken to avoiding him, seemingly wishing that he would fully bear the weight of conscience and horror stemming from his heinous act.
After John's execution, Antipas returned to Tiberias, but his conscience remained restless. Even his lavish feasts were tainted, as he constantly envisioned the bloody head of John silently proclaiming his condemnation: "You must not have your brother's wife." Salome married the elderly Philip of Iturea, who had built himself a tomb in Bethsaida Julia, and she did not survive long. After becoming a widow, she returned to her mother. Herodias had orchestrated this union partly out of political ambition, hoping to seize the wealth of her neighbor and son-in-law. However, this plan unraveled when Philip was promptly reassigned to the province of Syria. Yet, Antipas continued to harbor covetous thoughts about him from his palace in Tiberias. Driven by ambition and the manipulations of his treacherous wife Herodias, he constantly attempted to gain prominence among the Palestinian rulers and to play a significant role in local governance.
Until that point, he had only held the modest title of tetrarch, indicating his claim to a fourth of his father's inheritance. Herodias could no longer tolerate this status and insisted that he pursue a royal title. Her ambition was only heightened when, in 39, Herod Agrippa I, Antipas' nephew, was granted the title of "king" by Emperor Caligula. This stirred Herodias from her slumber; she tormented Antipas with demands to secure this title for himself. Eventually, Antipas journeyed to Rome to advocate for a royal crown. The challenges he faced were significant — he needed to appease influential figures within the imperial capital, including senators, courtiers, and affluent citizens, which prompted him to host extravagant feasts, where he squandered enormous sums of money, rendering the crown of the "king of the Jews" virtually worthless.
Word of these lavish celebrations spread throughout Rome, bolstering Herodias's vanity as she reveled in the opportunity to showcase her fading beauty in the imperial city. Antipas, however, was tormented by guilt. The horror of his cowardice and the atrocity committed against the great prophet haunted him. While in Rome, he feared less that John, risen from the dead, would lead a rebellion among the discontented and threaten his newly erected cities and fortifications. The specter of John's severed head loomed ominously over him, both in his conscience and in visible moments of dread.
The opulence of Herod's feasts was undeniable, with luxuriously adorned halls and tables brimming with delectable fish and exquisite wines. But whenever Antipas glanced at the sumptuous dishes, the horrific visage of John's head would confront him, accompanied by the prophet's accusatory voice echoing, "You shall not have your brother's wife." Thus, he fell silent, gripped by terror, and sought to quiet his agitated spirit through fervent prayer in the synagogue. While the other guests may have been unaware, some noted his peculiar behavior and fervent prayer, leading to rumors about his disturbing conduct spreading throughout the city, which were later echoed in the verses of the Roman poet Persius.
“When the birthday of Herod arrived, and the opulent windows were illuminated by lamps that released fragrant clouds, adorned with violets, delicious fish swam in a red dish, and fine wine filled white vessels. You moved your lips in silent prayer, your pallid countenance betraying your fear.” This passage from Persius contains a sense of mystery, leading commentators to speculate various interpretations. However, this can best be understood in light of the Gospel accounts, which illustrate Antipas's troubled conscience plagued by thoughts of whether John the Baptist had risen from the dead.
In essence, the poems of Persius evoke imagery from nature, hinting at firsthand accounts and experiences. The term "lemures" denotes restless spirits who could either assist or harm, suggesting the existence of rituals meant to pacify these entities. Understanding such cultural aspects enriches the interpretation of the mentioned verses. Clearly, a profound psychological reality emerges, akin to that of Theodoric the Great, who too was tormented by visions of the innocent Simmachus, leading to a debilitating illness.
This concept of the impact of an unsettled conscience on the psyche is brilliantly illustrated in Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy "Macbeth," in which the king is constantly haunted by the ghost of Banquo, whom he has unlawfully slain. Ultimately, it becomes evident that Herod's extravagant banquets failed to achieve their intended outcome. He faced accusations of treachery from his relatives, and instead of acquiring the royal crown, he found himself exiled to the distant regions of Gaul, where he spent the rest of his days with Herodias, the architect of his ruin. Legend holds that Salome met a horrific fate, perishing when she fell through the ice, leading to her beheading. Truly, the blood of a righteous man was not without retribution!
THEOSIS