Herodian

American  

[huh-roh-dee-uhn] / həˈroʊ di ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Herod the Great, his family, or its partisans.

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noun

1. a partisan of the house of Herod.

2. a member of a political group that supported the dynasty of Herod and opposed Jesus.

Etymology

Origin of Herodian

< Late Latin (Vulgate) Hērōdiānī (plural); see Herod, -ian

Example Sentences

Jesus opposed not only the Roman overlords, Mr. Aslan writes, but also their representatives in Palestine: “the Temple priests, the wealthy Jewish aristocracy, the Herodian elite.”

From New York Times • Aug. 5, 2013

The harmony with Rome stretched Herodian Judea's borders into current-day Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2013

A massive Ionic capital hanging from the hall's ceiling and a chunk of limestone on the floor—a typical Herodian "brick" the size of a small refrigerator—explain why Herod was called "the great."

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2013

The Essenes repudiated worship at the Herodian Temple in Jerusalem, which they considered corrupt, and scholars have long wondered whether they rejected all temple worship, as the Christians later did.

From Time Magazine Archive

Here I stayed behind the rest of the party for a considerable time, charmed with the spectacle of nature, and revolving over the incidents of Herodian history, so vividly portrayed by Josephus.

From Byeways in Palestine by Finn, James