The Yale expositor., 1910-05-20
The Death of
John the Baptist
'unday school Lesson tor May ZZ, l9l
Specially Arranged for This Paper

SOlDEN TEAT-"He that Is slow 10
anger is better than the mighty; and he
that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh
a city."-Prov. 1852.
TIME.-John probably was beheaded I'm
March A. ID. %. after spending a year in
| prison.
PLACE.-John was Imprisoned at
Machaerus. Herod's palace-fortress on the
east of the Dead Sea.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
Herod: a scoundrel on a Throne
Who was the Herod that imprisoned
John the Baptist? Four Herods are
mentioned in the New Testament, and
1t is necessary to keep them distinct.
/. Herod the Great, king of Judea
from 81 B. C. to A. d., the Herod
who ruled when Christ was born, and
massacred the babies of Bethlehem.
He was a cruel tyrant. He married
ten wives and had many children, ore
Of whom was
z. Herod the Tetrarch, called Herod
Antfpas, the ruler of Galilee and
Peraea from 4 A. d. TO 80 A. d., or
during our Lords ministry. He was
the Herod to whom Plate sent Christ
during his trial. and it was he who i'm
prisoned John the Baptist.
8. Herod Agrippa l., grandson of
Herod the Great, his father being
Arfstobulus, was king of Judea A. D..
4l-44, having realm equal to that OF
Herod the Great II was he that slew
James the brother of John, imprisoned
Peter, accepted divine honor, and was
miserably eaten up of worms.
4. Herod Agrippa H., son of the fore
going, was therefore great-grandson
of Herod the Great. When Paul made
his famous plea before Festus this
Herod was present. with his sister
wife Bernice.
What was the character OF Herod
Antipas? He was a weak, sensual,
and treacherous man. Our Lord spoke
of him as that fox"
John: Hero in Dungeon.-Vs. 3-5
How did John the Baptist get into
the foxes den?" Josephus says that
Herod imprisoned him because he
feared that Johns vast audiences
might be used to foment a revolution
That may have been assigned in pub
lie as a pretext, but the reason given
by Matthew Is certainly the real one
that John had openly rebuked Herod
for his unholy connection with his
brothers wife.
Herodias: an Unnatural Mother
VS.. 6-S. Who was Herodias, who was
plotting against the prophet? She
was the niece of Herod and of his
brother Philip.
What opportunity did Herodias find
for gaining her desire against John?
Herod's birthday was kept with bril-
liant feast ito his lords, and the high
captains. and the chief men OF Cali
lee" (Mark). "A luxurious feast of
the period was not regarded as COM
plete unless 1t closed with some gross
pantomimic representation; and
doubtless Herod had adopted the civil
fashion OF his day. But he had not
anticipated for his guests the rare lux
ury of seeing a princess-his own
niece, a granddaughter of Herod the
Great and Of Marianne. a descendant
therefore of Simon the high priest and
the great line of Maccabaean princes
"a princess who afterward became.
the wife of tetrarch and the mother.
of king."-Farrar.
Who was this degraded girl? Her
name was Salome, and she was the
daughter of Herodias and her first
husband. Philip.
What are we to think of Herod's
promise, whatsoever she would ask?
IL shows that, weak and foolish as he
was, his wits we're infamed and con-
fused by wine.
Why did Salome go out and ask her
mother what TO ask MARK? This
feature of the story does not look like
plot, or as If Herodias had not dared
to confide the whole of IL to her
daughter. Should she ask for jewels,
beautiful clothes, a palace? Prof.
Stalker puts these words into the
mothers mouth: Little fool, you
know not what you ask; what would
all these things be to you and me un-
queened and outcast as we may b. - y
day II John the Baptist lives?" So
the girl went back "straightway with
haste" Mark and exclaimed: my
wish is that you give me here, immedi-
ately, on a dish, the head of John ahe
Baptist" "Her indecent haste, her
hideous petition, show that she shared
the furies of her race."-Farrar.
The Transient Triumph of Wrong
VS.. 9.12. How did Salome's request
affect Herod? The king was sorry"
MARK: exceedingly sorry'O. This
was not genuine repentance, or Herod
would have withdrawn his promise;
since falsehood. though always a sin.
Is far less sin than murder.
What was the close of the tragedy?
The noble head was placed upon a
charger broad, fat platter wont to
contain meat for the table; and In
deed the sight was meat to the ven
geance-hungry Herodias. THE young
dancing girl received 1t, and, now
frightful as Megaera. carried the
hideous burden to her mother.
The Voice OF Conscience. I'VE have
all of us evils enough In these charnel
houses of our memory to make us