Category:Herod Agrippa II (subject)
Herod Agrippa II was a member of the Herodian family.
Overview
Herod Agrippa II (Marcus Iulius Agrippa) was the son of Herod Agrippa I and Cypros. His paternal great-grandparents were Herod the Great and Mariamne, while Aristobulus IV and Berenice I were his paternal grandparents. He was thus related to both the House of Herod and the House of Hasmoneus. His siblings were Berenice, Mariamne, and Drusilla.
Like all the younger members of the Herodian family, Agrippa II was educated at Rome. When his father died in 44 CE, he was only seventeen, and was deemed to be too young to succeed to the throne. However he retained important rights at Jerusalem including the appointment of the High Priest, a right of which he would make frequent use until the outbreak of the Jewish War in 66 CE. He also played an influential role on behalf of his compatriots, notably in the dispute over the High Priest's vestments, successfully opposing the decision of the new Roman governor Cumanus. By 50, the Emperor Claudius gave him the small territories of his deceased uncle, Herod of Chalcis.
Agrippa II returned in the land of Israel in 53 CE, when in return for the surrender of the small kingdom of Chalcis, Claudius granted him the rule over the former tetrarchy of Herod Philip. Emperor Nero then added important parts of Galilee and Perea to his possessions, and Agrippa in his honor renamed Neronia the capital Caesarea Philippi.
Agrippa's sister, Berenice, who had been the wife of Herod of Chalcis, came to live with his brother after her husband's death. The two siblings lived together ever since, and Herod Agrippa never married. Rumors soon spread of an incestuous relation, in spite of Berenice's brief marriage to Polemon of Cilicia.
The Acts of the Apostles shows Herod Agrippa II and Berenice as a royal couple visiting Caesarea Maritima in the year 60 to welcome the new Roman governor Festus. They also frequently resided in Jerusalem, on the former palace of the Hasmoneans. Agrippa took an active role as custodian and inspector of the Temple. When at the time of Albinus the building of the Herodian Temple was finally completed, he initiated a project of paving the streets of Jerusalem in order to employ the crowd of workers.
Herod Agrippa II, Berenice, and Drusilla (who had married the Roman governor Felix) remained the most loyal allies of the Romans in the region, before, during and after the Jewish War. In 66 CE, after unsuccessfully using their influence to forestall the revolt, they unwaveringly sided with the Romans, in spite of the initial loss of territories. By 67 CE Agrippa II had regained his entire kingdom and became the official host of Vespasian in the region. Herod Agrippa II befriended Titus and supported the love affair between his sister and the heir to the Roman throne. In 69 CE, the Year of the Four Emperors, Herod Agrippa II and Berenice supported Vespasian's rise to imperial power (Tacitus, Historiae II.81).
After the Jewish War ended, Agrippa II was not only confirmed in his possessions but rewarded with considerable territorial increments. In 75 CE, Agrippa was in Rome, welcomed with the rank of praetor, while Berenice lived more uxore with Titus. The affair did not end in marriage. Agrippa and Berenice ultimately returned to Palestine and very little is known about their whereabouts. Agrippa died by the end of the first century, leaving no children or heirs. His possessions were incorporated in the Roman province of Syria.
Agrippa, and Paul of Tarsus
According to the Acts of Apostles, when "Berenice and Agrippa arrived at Caesarea to welcome [the new Roman governor] Festus" (Acts 25:13), Festus laid Paul's case before the king (25:14)... On the next day Agrippa and Berenice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in" (25:23). After listening to Paul's speech "the king rose, and the governor and Berenice and those who were sitting with them; and as they were leaving they said to one another, This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment" (26:30-31).
Herod Agrippa II in ancient sources
The writings of Flavius Josephus are the major source of information for the life and deeds of King Herod Agrippa II. He is also mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles.
- See Agrippa II (sources) -- survey of ancient sources
Herod Agrippa II in literature & the arts
Herod Agrippa II has never become an autonomous character in literature and the arts. The fact however that he is mentioned in the Acts of Apostles, made him present with a marginal role in some fictional works on Paul of Tarsus.
- See Agrippa II (arts) -- survey of fictional works
Herod Agrippa II in scholarship
- See Agrippa II (research) -- survey of scholarly works
Related categories
References
- Agrippa II / Schurer / Vermes / 1 (1973) 471-183
- Agrippa / David C. Braund / In: The Anchor Bible Dictionary (1992 Freedman), dictionary, 1:98-100
External links
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