4. Herodias succeeded in Galilee in her efforts to gain clout and power because of the weakening of Jesus’ position. Josephus is right to describe Herod Antipas as a fickle ruler.

Thus, it is easy to imagine a situation as in the Old Testament’s narration of Naboth in 1 Kings 21: the confident queen Jezebel had Naboth, the adversary of King Ahab, executed.

Herodias mobilized the Jewish aristocracy, the old adversaries of the governor Jesus, and without Herod Antipas’ support he had no chance, Mark 3,6, see Luke 4, 29. Jesus became a sacrificed pawn in the chess game of power.