[Herod], the first King of the Jews. He had three sons bearing his name and with a second name: Herod Antipas who beheaded the Precursor,[1] in whose time as well the Lord was crucified; Herod Philip, to whom his first wife Herodias bore a daughter Salome, the one who danced;[2] and Herod Agrippa who beheaded James the son of Zebedee.[3] It was to him that the crowd shouted: "this is the voice of God and not of a man," and he received punishment there and then. When he had put on a garment made from silver, he entered the theater and began speaking, seated on an upraised platform. With the sun's rays striking upon the garment, the luster glittering from the sunlight on the garment struck the eyes of those standing about. With the people being raised up by this, and as if they spoke a good omen by calling him God, the wretched king excited himself the more.[4] Immediately, however, an angel of the Lord struck him suddenly, and he leaped from his seat with his stomach in shreds. When James' accuser saw the apostle being led to his death, he repented and fell at his feet, saying: "forgive me, man of God, because I have repented of those things I said against you." The holy man immediately kissed him and said to him: "peace to you, child, peace to you and forgiveness of your sin." Then, with a loud voice, the accuser immediately proclaimed himself a Christian before all, so that he also carried off the prize of martyrdom. But the wretched Herod, the trophy won, suffering for some days and gushing worms from his body, pitifully ended his life in the same manner as his most sacrilegious father.[5] So, he obtained the reward of his daring against Christ and his age-mates[6] while still alive, and thus ended his life with a shameful fate.[7]