Section 71b
Earlier imprisonment and beheading of John the Baptist
Perhaps Tiberias
Matthew 14:3-12
Mark 6:17-29
3For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. 4For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet.
17For Herod himself had sent men to arrest John and chain him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom Herod had married. 18For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.” 19So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him, but she was not able to do so. 20For Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When Herod listened to John, he would listen to him gladly and do many things. 21But an opportune day came. On his birthday Herod prepared a banquet for his nobles, military commanders, and the prominent men of Galilee.
6But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before the guests and pleased Herod. 7So he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.
22When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. So the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23He swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give to you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24So she went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” Her mother said, “The head of John the Baptist.”
8Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9The king was grieved, but because of his oaths and his guests, he commanded it to be given 10and sent orders to have John beheaded in the prison. 11John's head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12Later, John's disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and brought word to Jesus.
25Immediately the girl came in with haste to the king and made her request, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26Although the king was very sad, because of his oaths and his guests, he did not want to reject her. 27So the king immediately sent an executioner and commanded that John's head be brought back. 28The executioner then went and beheaded John in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother. 29When John's disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Notes
Tiberias
Joshua 19:35 lists Hammat, Rakkat and Chinneret as fortified cities in the tribal area of Naphtali. It is thought that Tiberias, built in approximately 20 A.D. by Herod Antipas, stands on the ruins of ancient Rakkat. Antipas, son of Herod the Great, is the Herod who executed John the Baptist and was described as “that fox” by Jesus. He apparently continued the family custom of currying favor with the Romans since he named his new city in honor of Emperor Tiberius. It was a Hellenistic city, avoided by observant Jews in the time of Jesus and his followers. Peter lived just a few miles away but probably never visited the place in view of his comment in Acts 10:28. Ironically, Tiberias became the center of Jewish learning after the destruction of Jerusalem. Sometime before the year 220 A.D. the Jewish scholars of Tiberias wrote the Mishna, the collection of civil and ritual laws, under the direction of Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi. The Jerusalem or Palestinian Talmud was completed here around the year 400 A.D. (A century later the Babylonian Talmud was completed in the academies of Mesopotamia and it overshadowed the shorter Palestinian Talmud.) The use of vowel points and punctuated Hebrew script also originated here.
The modern city is a bit north of the hot springs which have made the city a health spa in ancient and recent times. The hot springs, mentioned by historians such as Pliny and Josephus, are probably at the site of biblical Hammat. Recent archaeology has discovered a beautiful mosaic floor depicting the Ark of the Covenant between two menorahs. It is thought to be from a synagogue of the 4th century A.D.