21. Herod may have gained a throne. However, he also lost his brother.
Herod did not gain the throne without suffering losses – specifically, his elder brother, Phasael. Phasael was noble and brave. When the Parthian’s invaded, rather than join Herod, their mother, and sister in their flight to Rome, Phasael remained at the side of King Hyrcanus and fought to hold Jerusalem. The Parthians captured the pair and handed them over to the new king, Antigonus. Antigonus had his Uncle mutilated to invalidate him for the Jewish high priesthood. Phasael was determined to escape this disgrace. So he committed suicide by dashing his brains out. Herod must have held Phasael in some esteem, for he later honored his brother’s memory by naming a new city “Phasaelis” after him, as well as a tower in his new palace.
