Christian Headlines Blog Christian Blog and Commentary

Get guidance on Bible study from C.S. Lewis - Free Course!

'Killing Jesus' Star Kelsey Grammer: Herod 'Wasn't Necessarily Evil'

  • Carrie Dedrick Religious persecution, missions, Christianity around the world
  • Updated Jan 16, 2015

Kelsey Grammer of “Frasier” fame will play King Herod in the upcoming Bible-based miniseries “Killing Jesus.” The star recently said that the king who ordered the deaths of all baby boys in Bethlehem “wasn’t necessarily evil” but simply power hungry. 

According to the “Massacre of the Innocents” in the New Testament, King Herod commanded all boys under the age of two to be killed after hearing of Jesus’ birth. Jesus parents fled to Egypt to save him and remained there until Herod died. 

At a press conference, Grammer said that Herod’s actions needed to be put into perspective. The King "wasn't necessarily evil - he was just a guy who had to do some despicable things to maintain a balance of power," Grammer said. 

“Killing Jesus” is based on the book of the same title by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. The miniseries will be shown on the National Geographic Channel this year. 

Publication date: January 16, 2015