Herod הורדוס
Rome-appointed king of Judea, rebuilder of the Temple
Herod was the son of the Idumean Antipater, from a people forcibly converted a generation earlier. With Roman backing he seized power in Judea in 3724, destroying the Hasmonean dynasty — including his own wife Mariamne of that house, her brother and her grandfather.
The Talmud relates that he also killed the sages, sparing only Bava ben Buta, whom he blinded. Coming to him later in disguise and hearing that the old man would not curse the king, Herod revealed himself and asked how to make amends. The answer: «You extinguished the light of the world — busy yourself with the light of the world, the Temple.»
So the rebuilding began. Herod levelled the summit of the mount, raised an enormous platform — its retaining walls, including the Western Wall, still stand — and rebuilt the Temple itself. The Talmud says: «Whoever has not seen Herod's building has never seen a beautiful building.»
He also built Caesarea, Masada and Herodion. And he ruled by fear, executing wife and sons. He died around 3757.