herod saw himself as the perfect example of a refined king even if bible writers saw him as a tyrant. he became completely involved in greco-roman history, culture and philosophy. at the same time he began neglecting the affairs of state and the study of halakha (jewish law). he needed the consent of the pharisees in order to rule so he kept trying to gain their approval in a number of ways. he never won them over completely. when he built the caesarea maritima (22–10 bc) in honor of his patron caesar augustus, the pagan symbols decorating his cities upset the jewish leaders. he organized fights between gladiators every five years and celebrated with orgies, which further upset the jewish leaders. in 20 bc, herod turned his attention to building the renovations for the second temple, also called herod's temple. while herod wanted the temple to be the crowning monument to the jewish faith, he used greek architects. he allowed moneylenders to operate in the temple courtyard which angered many jews.