Today is, traditionally, the feast of the Holy Innocents - aka the day Herod killed all the babies.
So it's very appropriate that we've just received an endorsement for Geza Vermes' final book, 'The True Herod', from Professor Joan Taylor.
Geza Vermes, The True Herod
"In this final book of his career, published posthumously, Geza Vermes’ insightful eye remains as sharp as ever. Rejecting the traditional villainous presentation of Herod the Great, and drawing on both literary and archaeological evidence, Vermes argues that Herod was a complex figure, capable of terrible acts but also of loyalty and diplomatic brilliance. Beautifully illustrated, and written with a real relish for presenting a personality almost larger than life, this book vividly explores the history of the Jews, Herod’s stunning rise to power, the convolutions of Herod’s personal and political life, his maniacal murders, monumental architecture, death and legacy. Herod has both horrified and fascinated us throughout the centuries, and this book superbly captures why."
Joan E. Taylor
Professor of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism
King’s College London
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