Herod Agrippa II, or AGRIPPA II, officially named Marcus Julius Agrippa and sometimes shortened to Agrippa, was the last ruler from the Herodian dynasty, reigning over territories outside of Judea as a Roman client. Agrippa was overthrown by his Jewish subjects in 66 and supported the Roman side in the First Jewish–Roman War.
Born: 27 AD, Rome, Italy
Died: 100 AD, Rome, Italy
Siblings: Berenice, Drusilla, Mariamne
Parents: Herod Agrippa, Cypros
Alternate titles: Agrippa II
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Born: 27
Died: c.93
Notable Family Members:
Sister: Berenice
Role In: First Jewish Revolt
Herod Agrippa II, (born 27 CE—died c. 93), king of Chalcis in southern Lebanon from 50 CE and tetrarch of Batanaea and Trachonitis in south Syria from 53 CE, who unsuccessfully mediated with the rebels in the First Jewish Revolt (66–70 CE). He was a great-grandson of Herod I the Great.
Agrippa II was raised and educated at the imperial court in Rome. Because of his youth at the death of his father, Agrippa I, in 44, the emperor Claudius returned Judaea to the status of a province. The young prince, however, took an interest in the welfare of the Jews and helped secure them an edict of moderation. In 48 he received authority over temple affairs in Jerusalem. Two years later he became king of Chalcis, and in 53 he exchanged this land for Philip the Tetrarch’s former holdings. Nero, the new emperor, in 54 added territory near the Sea of Galilee to Agrippa’s realm. As his father had been, Agrippa II was an ardent collaborator with Rome and did all in his power to prevent the rupture between Rome and Jewry, but in vain.
Between 52 and 60, he appointed several high priests and earned the enmity [hostility] of the conflicting parties. Though he supported the rights of the Jews at Alexandria, who faced trouble from the Hellenized populace, he avoided politics in Judaea, where the Zealots [extrimests], a terrorist group, were active. In 60, when St. Paul was arrested, the procurator consulted Agrippa concerning the Apostle’s case; the Tetrarch[a] found him innocent.
[a] tetrarch – (In the Roman Empire) the governor of one of four divisions of a country or province.]
In 66 the procurator[b] Gessius Florus permitted a massacre of Jews in Jerusalem, and the Zealots there rose in revolt. When Agrippa supported Florus, urging moderation, the Zealots gained the upper hand, and the case became hopeless.
[b] procurator - an agent representing others in a court of law in countries retaining Roman civil law. A deputy, representative, delegate, agent, etc.
Trouble threatened in his own kingdom. Some troops he had sent to Jerusalem capitulated in the summer of 66, and the rebels massacred the Roman garrison. Vespasian arrived in Judaea in 67, and Agrippa assisted Roman operations. In 70 he aided Vespasian’s son Titus in the final conquest of Jerusalem itself. After the war, his territory was enlarged by Titus, and he apparently survived until 93 CE.
The emperor Claudius refused to let him succeed on account of his youth. His uncle, *Herod II of Chalcis, died in the year 48 and Agrippa received this small kingdom two years later. Agrippa's coins indicate that he reckoned his reign from the year 50. During his reign he was accorded the title "king" although at no time was he king of Judea as his father had been. In 54 his rule over Chalcis was brought to an end; he was compensated with the tetrarchy of Lysanias which consisted of Bashan-Trachonitis and Gaulanitis and with the administration of the province of Varus. From then on he was one of the most important rulers in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. During Nero's reign his borders were extended once again.
At the Jewish revolt against Rome in 66, Agrippa was in Alexandria. He hurried back to Jerusalem to try to convince the people of their helplessness against the power of Rome. His mission failed and he supported Rome in the war that ensued. He fought in Vespasian's campaign and was slightly wounded in an engagement near Gamala. In 68, on receiving the news of Nero's death, he set sail with Titus for Rome. On the way they heard of the murder of the new emperor Galba. Titus immediately returned to his father while Agrippa journeyed on to Rome. When Vespasian was proclaimed emperor, he sent word to Agrippa, who left Rome furtively and offered his services to the new emperor. Vespasian granted him new estates which appear to have been in the north. Agrippa's kingdom was populated mostly by non-Jews, but his attitude toward Judaism was different from that of his forefathers. At least while he was in Judea he showed a superficial respect for Jewish religious practices; some scholars even claim that he was the Agrippa whose attachment to Judaism was praised by the rabbis. According to the New Testament he showed an indifferent attitude toward the spread of Christianity (Acts 25–26). His promotion of Hellenistic culture is attested by a number of inscriptions. There were rumors that Agrippa had incestuous relations with his sister *Berenice (cf. Juvenal, Satires, 6:156), but this may have been merely Roman gossip based on the fact that Berenice lived for some years in her brother's house.
King Agrippa II
Fast Facts & Related Content
• Agrippa II was born in either 27 or 28 CE. He was the son of Agrippa I, who was the son of Aristobulus, who was the son of Herod the Great.
• His original name was Marcus Julius Agrippa. He was the seventh and last "king" of the Herodian dynasty. He was also known as Herod Agrippa II.
• He was only 17 when his father died. At the time, he was in Rome, where he was being educated. Like his father, he lived excessively at court. When his father died, the Emperor Claudius felt he was too young to govern, so his father's territory once again became a Roman province.
• During that time, Agrippa was a supportive voice in the Roman court on Jewish matters.
• When his uncle, Herod II of Chalcis, died in 48, Agrippa was given his territory along with oversight over the Temple and High Priest.
• A few years later, he was given the territory of his uncles, Philip and Lysanias, to which Nero would later add parts of Galilee and Perea in 55 CE.
• It was probably at this point that he assumed the title "king." • While fulfilling his expanded role, he began to alienate most of his subjects by spending most of his time on building programs.
• He paid particular attention to Caesarea Philippi, his capital. He erected many beautiful and magnificent structures there, and called the city Neronias as a tribute to (some say, to flatter) Nero.
• He loved his life and cared little for the welfare of his people, nor did he try to secure their independence from Rome.
• When the temple was completed, a lot of artisans became unemployed. That, plus excessive taxation by the Romans, led to serious unrest among the people.
• In 65-66 CE the Roman governor put down a small revolt; several people were crucified and many were killed.
• When Agrippa came back from a trip abroad, the Jews were in the midst of their struggle for independence. Agrippa tried to talk them out of it – and spoke with great eloquence.
• At the beginning of the Jewish war in 66 CE, he barely escaped out of Jerusalem. The Jews threw both him and his sister, Berenice, out of the city.
• From then on, during the Jewish-Roman war of 66-73, Agrippa definitely supported the Roman position, celebrating their victories with drunken parties that sometimes lasted for weeks.
• The war slowed down in 68 CE, when Nero died. That led to the year of four emperors and much uncertainty.
• After being wounded during the war, Agrippa retired to Rome with his sister and was given additional territories.
• Though he occasionally followed tradition (for example, requiring his sister's suitors be circumcised), he mostly disregarded anything religious. His arbitrariness over appointing the High Priest was a constant source of irritation, as was his policy of stamping coins with pagan symbols.
• In addition to the questions surrounding his Judaism, Agrippa was rumored to be having an incestuous relationship with his sister, Berenice. • He also had two other sisters, Marianne and Drusilla, but they were married and lived elsewhere.
• Most of what we know about Agrippa comes from Josephus, who was one of his close friends.
• Jospehus lived in both Jerusalem and Caesarea, where he met Paul in 58 or 59.
• Paul pleaded his case before Agrippa in Caesarea Maritima in 59 CE.
• Paul told him about God's promise of deliverance and salvation which was why he was on trial at that time.
• •Paul told him his whole life story: he had persecuted Christians, had an encounter with the Lord, went to the Jews first, but then worked with Gentiles the rest of his life. He had taught many to repent and turn to God.
• This was all backed up with Old Testament references and stories about Moses and the prophets.
• Agrippa replied, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." (NIV –Acts 26:28)
• Converted or not, Agrippa and Berenice rose up and said, "This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment." Agrippa added that Paul could have been set free if he had not appealed to the emperor.
• After the destruction of the Temple in 70, Agrippa ruled for another 25 years, but there wasn't much for him to do. He had no temple, the Jews had dispersed, and Rome had taken control of most of his territory.
• He apparently died childless sometime in the 90s or perhaps in 100 CE.
