King Herod the Great, though briefly mentioned in accounts of Bethlehem's tragedy, left an indelible mark on Judea during his reign from 37 to 4 BC. As a Roman-appointed king, the son of Antipater the Edomite, he shifted political control from the Hasmonean dynasty to his own Herodian lineage. Intelligent and charismatic, Herod used cunning to secure his throne under Caesar Augustus, transforming Judea through extensive building projects and the introduction of Greek culture, known as Hellenization, thus reshaping the world into which the Savior was born. Herod's political ascent began at age 25 as governor of Galilee, where his opportunistic and ambitious nature was evident. His swift execution of the bandit-chief Hezekiah, bypassing the Sanhedrin's legal process, earned Roman praise but Jewish scorn, leading to a trial from which he was acquitted under Roman influence, forcing him to flee to Damascus. Amid civil unrest and his father's assassination, Herod seized opportunity, gaining Roman support to depose Antigonus and claim kingship over Judea with a formidable army. His reign is divided into three periods. From 37 to 25 BC, Herod consolidated power, facing Jewish disdain as a half-Jewish usurper. He married the Hasmonean princess Mariamne to win favor, bribed the Pharisees for support, and brutally executed 45 prominent nobles to quell opposition, seizing their wealth for Roman tribute. He also navigated Hasmonean discontent over the high priesthood, appointing and later assassinating Mariamne's brother Aristobulus, and executed Hyrcanus and other relatives to eliminate threats. From 25 to 13 BC, the peak of his reign, Herod launched massive construction, including cities like Caesarea and the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple, while aggressively promoting Greek culture to align with Rome, though this stirred Jewish unrest. He increased taxes, banned assemblies, and imprisoned critics to maintain control. The final period, 13 to 4 BC, was marked by paranoia and tragedy, as he executed his sons Alexander and Aristobulus on suspicion of conspiracy, and later his son Antipater for an assassination plot. In his last days, fearing a new King of the Jews, Herod ordered the massacre of Bethlehem's male children under two years old, an act of unparalleled cruelty before his death from a painful illness. Herod's legacy shaped Judea's political, economic, and cultural landscape, expanding its territory and wealth under Roman influence while blending Jewish and Gentile elements. His appointments of successors like Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip further influenced the region's future, marking him as a towering, though morally repugnant, figure in Judean history.