My dear friends, Christmas is more than an escapist fantasy, and we who celebrate the birth of Jesus have more to offer the world than candy canes and cocoa. He was the King whom the wise men visited while following the star to the little town of Bethlehem. King Herod, a descendant of Esau, wasn’t a Jew by birth although his family converted to Judaism before he was born. How this mighty king responds is how Herod and Caesar and every other earthly monarch ought to have responded to the message of angels, shepherds, and Magi: everyone should want to worship the holy child. We have courage and compassion and the hope of the Gospel. He was a master politician. Matthew 2:1-17.

We Christians like to talk about putting Christ back into Christmas, but let’s not forget to put Herod back into Christmas. They answered, in Bethlehem, citing Micah 5:2. If you know the story of the birth of Jesus, you will have heard his name.

And see The Miraculous Harvest and The Cherry-Tree Carol - Husk. Just as Herod could not resist the arc of salvation, neither will evil win in our own day. “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens, is not only a classic, but one of the best-loved stories ever written. Where did Adam lay ybounden? Herod, as King of the Jews, was alarmed at the prospect of a usurper. That is just where we need to learn of King Herod’s part in the whole Christmas drama, the main subject of the Orthodox Church’s Gospel reading for the Sunday after Nativity. He reminds us that Jesus didn’t enter a world of sparkly Christmas cards or a world of warm spiritual sentiment. Concerning the miracle of the Miraculous Harvest, see the notes in King Pharaoh. But who was this man? Herod assembled the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the "Anointed One" (the Messiah, Greek: Ὁ Χριστός, ho Christos) was to be born. See also King Pharaoh - Part 1 (The Miracle of the Cock) If you would like to help support Hymns and Carols of Christmas, please click on the button below and make a donation. And why was he so hostile to the news of the birth of Jesus?

There Are Too Many Scrooges In Our World Today. Luke sets the historical context of John’s story by saying “In the days of Herod, King of Judea” Luke 1:5. Herod has come in for something of a makeover of late. Herod the Great - Our anti-hero is one of the biggest baddies of all time – King Herod the Great.

Find out how well you really know your Christmas carols* by completing these lyrics. One of the central figures in the Christmas story is Herod the Great, who was king of the Jews when Jesus was born.

What did King Herod do in his raging? The “Coventry Carol” is from a play that occurs soon after the birth of Christ, in the city of Bethlehem. The carol invites us to do faithfully that which Herod failed to do. Herod and his sons ruled Judea during Jesus’ life and ministry. Herod represents the dark side of the gospel. 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the … This tribute site presents the text for your enjoyment, illustrated with images from my favorite screen adaptation, the 1951 version starring Alastair Sim in the role of everyone’s favorite miser. The reenactment depicted the slaughter of innocents, when King Herod ordered the massacre of the city’s male infants in an attempt to weed out the Messiah.