{
  "id": "dict_002472",
  "term": "Herod Antipas",
  "slug": "herod-antipas",
  "letter": "H",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Herod Antipas was the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea during much of Jesus’ ministry. The Gospels portray him as the ruler who imprisoned and executed John the Baptist and later questioned Jesus.",
  "simple_one_line": "The Herodian ruler who executed John the Baptist and encountered Jesus at the Passion.",
  "tooltip_text": "Son of Herod the Great; ruler of Galilee and Perea under Rome; involved in John the Baptist’s death and Jesus’ trial.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Herod the Great",
    "Herodias",
    "John the Baptist",
    "Pontius Pilate",
    "Tetrarch",
    "Galilee",
    "Perea"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "John the Baptist",
    "Pilate",
    "Herod Agrippa I",
    "Herodians",
    "Passion of Christ"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Herod Antipas was a first-century ruler in the Herodian dynasty who governed Galilee and Perea under Roman authority. In the New Testament he is remembered chiefly for imprisoning and executing John the Baptist and for his brief, mocking encounter with Jesus during the Passion.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A Herodian tetrarch under Rome, notorious in the Gospels for John the Baptist’s death and for questioning Jesus.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Son of Herod the Great",
    "tetrarch of Galilee and Perea",
    "condemned by John the Baptist for an unlawful marriage",
    "executed John",
    "questioned and mocked Jesus before sending Him back to Pilate."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Herod Antipas was a son of Herod the Great and served as tetrarch of Galilee and Perea under Roman oversight. The New Testament associates him with the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist and with Jesus’ Passion narrative.",
  "description_academic_full": "Herod Antipas was a first-century ruler in the Herodian dynasty, the son of Herod the Great, who governed Galilee and Perea as tetrarch under Roman authority. The New Testament presents him as politically cautious and morally compromised. John the Baptist publicly rebuked Antipas for his unlawful marriage to Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, and Antipas ultimately had John executed, though the Gospel accounts indicate that he was both intrigued by John and pressured by Herodias and his own public oath. Luke also records that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod Antipas because Jesus was a Galilean. Herod questioned Jesus, hoped to see a sign, mocked Him when Jesus remained silent, and then returned Him to Pilate. Antipas therefore appears in Scripture as an example of corrupted power, hardened conscience, and curiosity without repentance.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Herod Antipas appears in the Gospel and passion narratives as a ruler connected to both John the Baptist’s ministry and Jesus’ death. His presence helps situate the events of the New Testament within real first-century political authority.",
  "background_historical_context": "Antipas was one of the sons of Herod the Great and ruled as tetrarch of Galilee and Perea from the early first century until his exile. He governed under Roman oversight and is known from both the New Testament and broader first-century historical tradition.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Antipas belonged to the Herodian client-ruler system that governed parts of Judea and the surrounding regions under Rome. John the Baptist’s rebuke of his marriage to Herodias reflects the moral and covenantal concerns of Jewish prophetic preaching.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Matthew 14:1-12",
    "Mark 6:14-29",
    "Luke 3:1, 19-20",
    "Luke 23:6-12"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Luke 9:7-9",
    "Luke 13:31-33"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Greek: Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπας (Hērōdēs Antipas). The title tetrarch refers to a regional ruler under a larger imperial authority.",
  "theological_significance": "Herod Antipas illustrates the dangers of fear of man, misuse of authority, and moral compromise. His account also shows that proximity to Jesus or to prophetic witness does not by itself produce repentance.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "Antipas is a study in the failure of political power when conscience is subordinated to reputation, desire, and expedience. The Gospels present him as curious but unmoved, a ruler who had information without submission.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not confuse Herod Antipas with Herod the Great, Herod Agrippa I, or Herod Agrippa II. Read the Gospel accounts together, noting that each writer highlights different aspects of the same historical figure.",
  "major_views_note": "There is little interpretive dispute about the basic identification of Herod Antipas. The main questions concern historical chronology and the relationship between the Gospel accounts, not the core facts of his role.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "Herod Antipas is a historical person, not a symbolic figure requiring speculative typology. The text should be used to derive moral and theological lessons only where the biblical narrative supports them.",
  "practical_significance": "His life warns against yielding truth to convenience, silencing conscience, and treating spiritual things as entertainment. He also shows that hearing about Jesus is not the same as believing in Him.",
  "meta_description": "Herod Antipas was the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea who imprisoned and executed John the Baptist and encountered Jesus during the Passion.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/herod-antipas/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/herod-antipas.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}