A Brief History of Christianity

Book of Proverbs, Chapter 17, Verse 2:

"(2) A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame, and will share the inheritance among the brothers."

In a homiletical interpretation, the 'wise servant' refers to Herod the Edomite who cunningly used wisdom from above and did everything to be accepted as king among the people of Israel. He murdered everyone who refused to accept an Edomite king, except for Bava ben Buta, the student of Shammai.

Eventually, his grandson from his Hasmonean wife was accepted by the community, but the harm he inflicted on the sages of Israel was severe. Due to their severe lack of knowledge, a prophet arose in Israel whose end was bitter. The disdain for him led Rome to fill the dry channels with blood and then to adopt his words with all their might.

In the year 3760 from the creation of the world, a process began that purified the world from the stench of idolatry and is still ongoing to this day.

And in detail...

Introduction:

Herod is considered insane because he initially killed all the sages of Israel except for one and then rebuilt the Temple for the sages.

1. Herod was an Edomite and called in the Talmud 'the servant of the house of Hasmonean'. He set his eyes on a girl from the Hasmonean house and, through this, rebelled and killed all his Hasmonean masters, becoming king. However, he was still perceived as a servant according to the lineage. One of his famous acts was rebuilding the Temple without obtaining approval from the Roman Empire, following the advice of a Jewish sage named Bava ben Buta.

2. The nature of a king requires knowledge and experience, just as a rich man needs to know how to appreciate and use his money correctly. If the public sees a corrupt person making millions, then the corruption will seem to have a place, similar to a king who performs acts of appeasement towards his kingdom and ignores how his actions will be interpreted by other nations, harming the essential status of a king as a leader.

3. Story:

1. Herod constantly sought recognition of his status and to feel like a king and not a servant. Consequently, he murdered all the sages who demanded that the king be Jewish, and when he realized that this would not help him, he sought advice from Bava ben Buta, who advised him to renovate the Temple.

1. Sources: (1) Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Bava Batra, page 3; (2) Proverbs, Chapter 30, Verse 22; (3) Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Bava Batra, page 4; (4) Sifrei, 31. (on Deuteronomy 17:15)"