Kings over Jerusalem
Herod the Great was named by the Senate as “King of the Jews,” with a tacit order for him to control the Jews, who by their numbers were a force for the Roman Empire to contend with in the satellite kingdoms of Jerusalem and Judea. He ruled as tyrannical King for some 40 years, calling himself a believer in Judaism — though his subjects, the Jews, did not trust him, knowing that support from the Roman Empire was a major factor in enabling him to maintain his power (Biblical Archaeology Society, 1999). Herod was disliked for his lavish lifestyle that drained tax collections and for his inability to take criticism or any show of disloyalty. For his loss of trust on them, he had his wife (one of many) and several sons killed (Perowne, Stewart, Herod the Great,com). cited in wikipedia.
In the Christian Gospel of Matthew, Herod is the ruler of Judea who orders the Massacre of the Innocents at the time of the birth of Jesus (Matthew 2:16–18). By the warning of an angel, Joseph and Mary were able to escape to Egypt and save the Infant Christ, who was born in Bethlehem. And so Christians in the world — 32% of total population today — have been joyfully remembering the birth of Jesus for the past more than two millennia. The 68% non-believers in Christ the Redeemer nonetheless celebrate a “Christmas” in their own fashion, in December of each year. Peace on earth, goodwill to men.
Yet just when it is Christmas time again, world peace is gravely threatened, as Herodian rulers of the world ruthlessly compromise what should be a humanitarian moratorium on challenges to already-tender old wounds among nations and peoples. How unimaginably lacking in timing that US President Donald Trump should rouse and rile the more- than a century-old Arab–Israeli conflict over Jerusalem on the first week of the Christmas month!
“Trump reversed decades of US policy and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, imperiling Middle East peace efforts and upsetting Washington’s friends and foes alike. Trump announced his administration would begin a process of moving the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step expected to take years and one that his predecessors opted not to take to avoid inflaming tensions. (Reuters, Dec. 7, 2017).”
Arabs and Jews have long been fighting for territory and principle in the long-running conflict between Palestine and Israel. Jerusalem is home to sites holy to the Muslim, Jewish, and Christian religions, and decision on the status and ownership of this divided