Herod the Great: not really that great

I've recently begun revisiting some earlier work on Herod the Great and the historical context of Judaism in the first century BCE as part of the backdrop for the Psalms of Solomon. With the arrival of June and the celebration of Father's Day this month, I was struck by the famous quote about Herod: "It is better to be Herod's pig than his son" (recorded by Macrobius in Saturnalia 2.4.11, and attributed to Augustus). The remark is meaningful on a number of levels, but most obviously refers to Herod's observance of Jewish dietary laws (or at least his association with Judaism to some degree) and, more pointedly, to his family dysfunction which resulted in the murders of two of his sons. So this is not necessarily a Hallmark moment kind of quote but rather points to the ambiguity with which Herod the Great is remembered. Among his many glorious architectural projects he renovated the Second Temple (technically, tore down the second and built the third) and in some significant ways made a claim for himself as a Jewish king in the tradition of Solomon, the original builder of the Temple. He also maintained his rule for over 30 years and passed on the rule successfully to his sons (those fortunate enough to have survived him). In these respects, Herod the Great's legacy is almost without equal among the rulers of antiquity. Nevertheless, he is more readily remembered for his paranoia and the atrocities which he committed against friend, foe, and family.