Herod’s Sons and Grandson. Herod’s kingdom was divided among three of his sons. Archaelus was appointed ethnarch of Judaea, Samaria, and Idumea. Herod Antipas was appointed tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. Philip was appointed tetrarch of Auranitis, Trachonitis, and Iturea. Archaelus proved himself incompetent, with several uprisings occurring in his territory. He was thus replaced by direct Roman rule through Roman prefects. Among these was Pontus Pilate, who governed Judaea from ad 26–36.

Under the rule of Roman prefects, the Sanhedrin was granted jurisdiction over religious matters and minor civil offenses (Koester, Introduction, 396). Herod Antipas, responsible for the execution of John the Baptist (Mark 6:14–29), fared somewhat better than Archaelus, but he too was eventually deposed by Caligula in ad 37 (Levine, “Visions of Kingdoms,” 477–80). Herod’s grandson, Agrippa I (compare Acts 12), later ruled as king over all of the territory included in his grandfather’s kingdom (ad 41–44).