Herodians

Biblical Text

The Herodians appear only in the Gospels, and they are mentioned in just three passages. They do not appear in Luke or John.

• Mark 3:6: Jesus heals a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath. The Pharisees then go out and take counsel with the Herodians on how they might destroy Him.
• Mark 12:13-17: Certain men sent from among the Pharisees and the Herodians ask, "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" Jesus answers, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." This passage is treated separately in the article Mark 12:13-17.
• Matthew 22:15-22: The same exchange about tribute is recorded here. In this passage the Pharisees send out "their disciples with the Herodians."

Background

The Greek name is Herōdianoi, understood to mean "those belonging to Herod," that is, the partisans of Herod. During Jesus' ministry, Galilee was ruled by Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great, and the Herodian dynasty governed by relying on the power of Rome.

For this reason, the prevailing view is that the Herodians were not so much a religious sect as a political group that supported the Herodian dynasty and the Roman order. Because sources outside the Bible are very scarce, however, their precise identity remains unclear. Scholars generally suggest the following possibilities:

• Officials of Herod's court
• Influential people who followed the Herodian dynasty
• Those who hoped the Herodian dynasty would once again rule all of Judea

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

The Gospels present the Herodians alongside the Pharisees. The Pharisees kept the Law strictly and were critical of Gentile rule, while the Herodians favored cooperation with the Roman order. These two groups, which ordinarily held differing positions, are portrayed as joining forces in their opposition to Jesus.

This dynamic also appears in the question about tribute. If Jesus told the people to pay the tax, He would lose the support of those who resented Roman rule; if He told them not to pay it, He would give grounds for a charge of rebellion against Rome. Many commentators understand the question as a trap of this two-sided kind.

Interpretation and Issues

• Distinction from King Herod: The term "Herodians" does not refer to King Herod or his family, but to those who took Herod's side.
• Relation to the Sadducees: "The leaven of Herod" in Mark 8:15 appears in Matthew 16:6 as "the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees." On this basis some hold that the two groups were closely related, though this has not been established.
• Explanations in patristic literature: Some patristic writings preserve the explanation that the Herodians were a group who regarded Herod as the Messiah. This, however, is not what the biblical text says.
• Interpretation of the tribute exchange: The saying "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's" is frequently cited in discussions of the relationship between the state and faith. Different traditions and denominations draw different conclusions from it. This discussion is treated in the article Church and Politics.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, the Herodians are mentioned mainly when the passage on the tribute question is expounded. In such contexts they are often presented as a group that allied itself with worldly power to test Jesus.