to claim the holy city for himself, herod. >> i think herod would have been one of those people that would have been terrifying to be, both, friends or enemies with. if you were his enemy, he was ruthless, implacable, he held a grudge, he was scheming. and even if you were his friend, you never knew where ya stood. >> he is part monster, part hero. his name means hero in greek, so he was always going for that role. >> he deserves the reputation for cruelty that he gets because he wants what he wants, and he is willing to do and kill whomever he needs to to get what he wants. >> herod the great's grandfather, on his father's side, was forcibly converted to