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1.1
Life
Rome
ing Claudius.[4] After becoming Emperor, Claudius gave after ve days.[8] Josephus then relates how Agrippas
Agrippa dominion over Judea and Samaria and granted brother, Herod of Chalcis, and Helcias sent Aristo to kill
him the ornamenta consularia, and at his request gave Silas.[9]
the kingdom of Chalcis in Lebanon to Agrippas brother
Herod of Chalcis. Thus Agrippa became one of the most
From Josephus, Antiquities 19.8.2 343powerful kings of the east. His domain more or less
361: Now when Agrippa had reigned three
equaled that which was held by his grandfather Herod the
years over all Judea he came to the city
Great.
Caesarea, which was formerly called Stratos
In the city of Berytus, he built a theatre and amphitheatre,
Tower; and there he exhibited spectacles in
baths, and porticoes. He was equally generous in Sebaste,
honor of Caesar, for whose well-being he'd
Heliopolis and Caesarea. The suspicions of Claudius prebeen informed that a certain festival was being
vented him from nishing the fortications with which
celebrated. At this festival a great number
he had begun to surround Jerusalem. His friendship was
were gathered together of the principal persons
courted by many of the neighboring kings and rulers,[1]
of dignity of his province. On the second
some of whom he housed in Tiberias, which also caused
day of the spectacles he put on a garment
Claudius some displeasure.[5]
made wholly of silver, of a truly wonderful
texture, and came into the theater early in
the morning. There the silver of his garment,
being illuminated by the fresh reection of the
2 Reign and death
suns rays, shone out in a wonderful manner,
and was so resplendent as to spread awe over
2.1 Accounts in Josephus
those that looked intently upon him. Presently
his atterers cried out, one from one place,
and another from another, (though not for
his good) that he was a god; and they added,
Be thou merciful to us; for although we have
hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet
shall we henceforth own thee as superior to
mortal nature. Upon this the king neither
rebuked them nor rejected their impious
attery. But he shortly afterward looked up
and saw an owl sitting on a certain rope over
his head, and immediately understood that this
Agrippa I prutah.
bird was the messenger of ill tidings, just as it
had once been the messenger of good tidings
Agrippa returned to Judea and governed it to the satisto him; and fell into the deepest sorrow. A
faction of the Jews. His zeal, private and public, for Jusevere pain arose in his belly, striking with a
daism is recorded by Josephus, Philo the Alexandrian and
most violent intensity. He therefore looked
the rabbis. Perhaps because of this, his passage through
upon his friends, and said, I, whom you call a
Alexandria in the year 38[6] instigated anti-Jewish riots.[5]
god, am commanded presently to depart this
At the risk of his own life, or at least of his liberty, he inlife; while Providence thus reproves the lying
terceded with Caligula on behalf of the Jews, when that
words you just now said to me; and I, who
emperor was attempting to set up his statue in the Temwas by you called immortal, am immediately
ple at Jerusalem shortly before his death in 41. Agrippas
to be hurried away by death. But I am bound
eorts bore fruit and persuaded Caligula to rescind his
to accept what Providence allots, as it pleases
order thus preventing the Temples desecration.[7]
God; for we have by no means lived ill, but
in a splendid and happy manner. When
After Passover in 44, Agrippa went to Caesarea, where he
he had said this, his pain became violent.
had games performed in honor of Claudius. In the midst
Accordingly he was carried into the palace,
of his speech to the public a cry went out saying this is
and the rumor went abroad everywhere that
not the voice of a man but of a god and Agrippa did not
he would certainly die soon. The multitude
publicly react. At this time he saw an owl perched over
his head. During his imprisonment by Tiberius a similar
sat in sackcloth, men, women and children,
omen had been interpreted as portending his speedy reafter the law of their country, and besought
lease and future kingship, with the warning that should he
God for the kings recovery. All places were
behold the same sight again, he would die. He was immealso full of mourning and lamentation. Now
diately smitten with violent pains, scolded his friends for
the king rested in a high chamber, and as he
attering him and accepted his imminent death. He exsaw them below lying prostrate on the ground
perienced heart pains and a pain in his abdomen, and died
he could not keep himself from weeping. And
2.2
3
to be dawning anew for the Jews. The Romans, however, became jealous of this rising
prosperity, andsometimes covertly, sometimes openlylaid all manner of obstacles in
his way. When he began to repair the fortications of the capital, he was abruptly bidden to cease. His attempts to fraternize with
neighboring peoplesvassals of Romewere
construed as portending rebellion. His sudden
death at the games in Csarea, 44, must be
considered as a stroke of Roman politics. His
death, while in the full vigor of his years, was
deeply lamented by his people, notwithstanding the fact that he had made many considerable concessions to heathen manners and customs. The Christians looked upon his death as
a judgment for his undisguised hostility to their
young community (Acts, xii.).[10][11][12]
he was eaten by worms. Further evidence is the identication of the ruler in Acts 12:1 as Herod the king, since
Agrippa is the only Herod who would have had authority
in Jerusalem at that time.[15]
The description of Herod Agrippa as a cruel, heartless
king who persecuted the Jerusalem church, having James
son of Zebedee killed and imprisoning Peter, stands in
contrast with Josephus account of a kindly man. According to Josephus, he was a milder ruler than his grandfather Herod the Great, and Josephus records him as talking
with and then forgiving a law student accused of political
rabble rousing, rather than punishing him as his grandfather and some other Herods would have done. Christian
scholars argue that the biblical account makes sense given
that Agrippa had been raised with a strong Jewish identity. Agrippa would resent a movement begun during his
absence from Juda that tried to declare a man as divine.
Blastus is mentioned in the New Testament as Herods
chamberlain.[16] Herod Antipas, uncle and predecessor of
Agrippa as ruler of Galilee and Pera, is the Herod mentioned in the Gospels who authorized the execution of
John the Baptist and played a role in the trial of Jesus.[17]
Herod Agrippa II, son of Herod Agrippa, was asked, with
his sister Berenice, by the Roman Procurator of Judea,
Porcius Festus, to assist in the mini-trial of the Apostle
Paul.[18]
Progeny
4 Family tree
5 Agrippa in other media
Herod Agrippa is the protagonist of the Italian
opera, LAgrippa tetrarca di Gerusalemme (1724) by
Giuseppe Maria Buini (mus.) and Claudio Nicola
Stampa (libr.), rst performed at the Teatro Ducale
of Milan, Italy, on August 28, 1724.[25]
Herod Agrippa is a major gure in Robert Graves'
novel Claudius the God, as well as the BBC television
adaptation I, Claudius, wherein he was portrayed by
James Faulkner as an adult and Michael Clemments
as a child. He is depicted as one of Claudius closest lifelong friends. Herod acts as Claudius last and
most trustworthy friend and advisor, giving him the
key advice to trust no one, not even him. This advice
proves prophetic at the end of Herods life, where he
is depicted as coming to believe that he is a prophesied Messiah and raising a rebellion against Rome,
to Claudius dismay. However, he is struck down by
a possibly supernatural illness and sends a nal letter
to Claudius asking for forgiveness.
Notes
7 References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed.
(1870). "article name needed ". Dictionary of Greek and
Roman Biography and Mythology.
8 External links
Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Agrippa, Herod, I.".
Encyclopdia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Jewish Encyclopedia: Agrippa I.
Agrippa I, article in historical sourcebook by
Mahlon H. Smith
Sergey E. Rysev. Herod and Agrippa
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