an eminent Greek historian, who spent the greatest part of his life at Rome, flourished in the third century, in the reigns of Severus, Caracalla, Heliogabalus, Alexander, and Maximin. His history begins from the death of Marcus Aurelius the Philosopher; and ends with the death of Balbinus and Maximin, and the beginning of the reign of Gordian. It is written in very elegant Greek; and there is an excellent translation of it into Latin, by Angelus Politianus. Herodian has been published by Henry Stephens in 4to, in 1581; by Boecler, at Straßburg, in 1662, 8vo; and by Hudson, at Oxford, in 1699, 8vo.

HERODIANS, a sect among the Jews at the time of our Saviour: mentioned Matt. xxii. 16. Mark iii. 6.

The critics and commentators are very much divided with regard to the Herodians. St Jerome, in his Dialogue, against the Luciferians, takes the name to have been given to such as owned Herod for the Messiah; and Tertullian and Epiphanius are of the same opinion. But the same Jerome, in his Comment on St Matthew, treats his opinion as ridiculous; and maintains, that the Pharisees gave this appellation by way of ridicule to Herod's soldiers who paid tribute to the Romans; agreeable to which the Syrian interpreters render the word by the domestics of Herod, i.e. "his courtiers." M. Simon, in his notes on the 22d chapter of Matthew, advances a more probable opinion.

The name Herodian he imagines to have been given to such as adhered to Herod's party and interest; and were for preferring the government in his family, about which were great divisions among the Jews.—F. Hardouin will have the Herodians and Sadducees to have been the same.—Dr Prideaux is of opinion that they derived their name from Herod the Great, and that they were distinguished from the other Jews by their concurrence with Herod's scheme of subjecting himself and his dominions to the Romans, and likewise by complying with many of their heathen usages and customs. This symbolizing with idolatry upon views of interest and worldly policy, was probably that leaven of Herod, against which our Saviour cautioned his disciples. It is farther probable that they were chiefly of the sect of Sadducees; because the leaven of Herod is also denominated the leaven of the Sadducees.