Jesus at Herod's court refers to an episode in the

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

which describes

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

being sent to

Herod Antipas Herod Antipas (, ''Hērṓidēs Antípas''; ) was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea. He bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "Herod the Tetrarch" and "King Herod" in the New Testament. He was a s ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, prior to his crucifixion.''New Testament History'' by Richard L. Niswonger 1992 page 172 This episode is described in

Luke 23 Luke 23 is the twenty-third chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christianity, Christian Bible. The book containing this chapter is Anonymity, anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke the Evangelis ...

().''The Gospel according to Luke'' by Michael Patella 2005 page 16

Biblical narrative

In the Gospel of Luke, after the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus, the Court elders ask

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official wh ...

to judge and condemn Jesus in Luke 23:2, accusing Jesus of making false claims of being a king. While questioning Jesus about the claim of being the King of the Jews, Pilate realizes that Jesus is a Galilean and therefore under Herod's jurisdiction. Since Herod already happened to be in Jerusalem at that time, Pilate decides to send Jesus to Herod to be tried.

(the same man who had previously ordered the death of

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

and, according to some

Pharisees The Pharisees (; ) were a Jews, Jewish social movement and school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. Following the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became ...

, had plotted to have Jesus killed as well, but not to be confused with Herod Antipas's father,

Herod the Great Herod I or Herod the Great () was a History of the Jews in the Roman Empire, Roman Jewish client king of the Herodian kingdom of Judea. He is known for his colossal building projects throughout Judea. Among these works are the rebuilding of the ...

who was alleged to have ordered the

Massacre of the Innocents The Massacre (or Slaughter) of the Innocents is a story recounted in the Nativity narrative of the Gospel of Matthew ( 2:16– 18) in which Herod the Great, king of Judea, orders the execution of all male children who are two years old and u ...

) had wanted to see Jesus for a long time, hoping to observe one of the miracles of Jesus.''Pontius Pilate: portraits of a Roman governor'' by Warren Carter 2003 pages 120-121 However, Jesus says nothing in response to Herod's questions, or the vehement accusations of the chief priests and the scribes. Soldiers put a gorgeous robe on Jesus, mocking him as King of the Jews, and send him back to Pilate. That day, Herod and Pilate, who had previously been enemies, become friends. The Gospel of Luke does not state that Herod did not condemn Jesus, and instead attributes that conclusion to Pilate who then calls together the Court elders, and says to them:

"I having examined him before you, found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him: no, nor yet Herod: for he sent him back unto us; and behold, nothing worthy of death hath been done by him."

After further conversations between Pilate and the Court elders, Jesus is sent to be crucified on

Calvary Calvary ( or ) or Golgotha () was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, Jesus was crucified. Since at least the early medieval period, it has been a destination for pilgrimage. ...

Christology

This statement by Pilate that Herod found no fault in Jesus is the second of the three declarations he makes about the innocence of Jesus in Luke's Gospel, (the first being in 23:4 and the third in 23:22) and builds on the "

Christology In Christianity, Christology is a branch of Christian theology, theology that concerns Jesus. Different denominations have different opinions on questions such as whether Jesus was human, divine, or both, and as a messiah what his role would b ...

of innocence" present in that Gospel.''The character and purpose of Luke's christology'' by Douglas Buckwalter 1996 pages 109-111''Early narrative Christology: the Lord in the Gospel of Luke'' by Christopher Kavin Rowe 2006 page 183''Luke's presentation of Jesus: a christology'' by Robert F. O'Toole 2004 pages 96-101 In the narrative that follows this episode, other people beside Pilate and Herod also find no fault in Jesus. In 23:41 one of the two thieves crucified next to Jesus also states Jesus's innocence, while in 23:47 the Roman

centurion In the Roman army during classical antiquity, a centurion (; , . ; , or ), was a commander, nominally of a century (), a military unit originally consisting of 100 legionaries. The size of the century changed over time; from the 1st century BC ...

says: "Certainly this was a righteous man." The centurion's characterization illustrates the Christological focus of Luke on innocence (which started in the courts of Pilate and Herod), in contrast to Matthew 27:54 and Mark 15:39 in which the centurion states: "Truly this man was the Son of God", emphasizing Jesus's divinity.

John Calvin John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...

considered the lack of response from Jesus to the questions posed by Herod, his silence in the face of the accusations made by the Jewish elders, and the minimal conversation with Pilate after his return from Herod as an element of the "agent Christology" of the crucifixion.''The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures'' by

Hughes Oliphant Old Hughes Oliphant Old (April 13, 1933 – May 24, 2016) was an American theologian and academic. Until his retirement in 2014 he was the John H. Leith Professor of Reformed Theology and Worship at Erskine Theological Seminary. Previously he had taug ...

2002 page 125''Calvin's Christology'' by Stephen Edmondson 2004 page 91 Calvin stated that Jesus could have argued for his innocence, but instead remained mostly quiet and willingly submitted to his crucifixion in obedience to the will of the Father, for he knew his role as the "willing

Lamb of God Lamb of God (; , ) is a Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, title for Jesus that appears in the Gospel of John. It appears at wikisource:Bible (American Standard)/John#1:29, John 1:29, where John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, " ...

". The "agent Christology" reinforced in Herod's court builds on the prediction by Jesus in Luke 18:32 that he shall be: "delivered up unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and shamefully treated." In Herod's court, Luke continues to emphasize Jesus's role not as an "unwilling sacrifice" but as a willing "agent and servant" of God who submitted to the will of the Father.''Holiness and ecclesiology in the New Testament'' by Kent E. Brower, Andy Johnson 2007 page 115

References

{{Reflist, 2 Passion of Jesus Gospel of Luke Herod Antipas

Biblical narrative

Christology

See also

References