Difference between revisions of "Agrippa I" - New World Encyclopedia
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This account is a similar to the version in Acts 12, which adds he was eaten by worms. | This account is a similar to the version in Acts 12, which adds he was eaten by worms. | ||
| − | + | The [[New Testament]] (Acts 12) gives a slightly different account of these events. About the time of the [[Passover]] in 44, [[James, son of Zebedee]], was seized by Agrippa's order and put to death by beheading. Agrippa proceeded also to arrest [[Saint Peter|Peter]] imprison him. [[God]], however, sent an angel, and the angel released [[Peter]]. After that Passover, Agrippa went to [[Caesarea Maritima|Caesarea]], where the inhabitants of [[Tyre (Lebanon)|Tyre]] and [[Sidon]] waited on him to [[sue for peace]]. Agrippa, gorgeously arrayed, received them in the stadium and addressed them from a throne, while the audience cried out that his was "the voice of a god, not a man." (This part of the account is identical to that of Josephus). But "the [[angel of the Lord]] smote him," and shortly afterwards he died, "eaten of worms," in 44 C.E. | |
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===Death=== | ===Death=== | ||
Revision as of 03:13, 6 May 2008
Agrippa I also called the Great (10 B.C.E. - 44 C.E.), King of the Jews, was the grandson of Herod the Great, and son of Aristobulus IV and Berenice. His original name was Marcus Julius Agrippa, and he is the king named Herod in the Acts of the Apostles, in the Bible, "Herod (Agrippa)."
Life
Rome
Josephus informs us that, after the murder of his father, young Agrippa was sent by his grandfather, Herod the Great, to the imperial court in Rome. There, Emperor Tiberius conceived a great affection for him, and placed him near his son Drusus, who also befriended him. On the death of Drusus, Agrippa was obliged to leave Rome because of his extravagant ways. After a brief seclusion, Agrippa's fortunes improved due to the intervention of his uncle, Herod Antipas, who had been appointed tetrarch of Galilee Perea. Antipas had also married Agrippa's sister Herodias, an act for which he was famously denounced by John the Baptist.
Herodias apparently influenced Antipas to name Agrippa as overseer of markets in the new capital city of Tiberias. Antipas also supported him with a large sum of money. However, when this support was discontinued, Agrippa was forced to leave Judea, going first to Antioch, and afterwards returning to Rome in the year 36. There he was again welcomed by Tiberius and became the constant companion of the future Emperor Caligula, then a popular favorite. However, when Agrippa was allegedly overheard to express a wish for the aged Tiberius' death and the advancement of Caligula, he was betrayed to the emperor and cast into prison.
Caligula and Claudius
Agrippa suffered in prison for six months in constant terror of death, until Caligula indeed succeeded Tiberius reportedly freed Agrippa with his own hands. Agrippa was soon made governor of the territories of Batanaea and Trachonitis that his cousin Herod Philip I had held. He was then appointed to the tetrarchy of Lysanias, with the title of "king." In 39 C.E., Agrippa returned to Rome and secured the banishment of his uncle Antipas, whose tetrarchy of Galilee and Perea he was then granted.
His influence with Caligula put him in a position to help his people significantly and thereby win the praise of ancient Jewish historians. When Caligula ordered that his statues be set up in all temples and receive divine honors, the Jews alone dared to offer resistance to this decree. They induced the Syrian governor, Petronius, to postpone this desecration of the sanctuary for a long time. When he at last determined to inform the emperor that the execution of his order would be impossible without terrible massacres, Agrippa happened to be in Rome at that time. He was instrumental in convincing Caligula to repeal of his odious edict (Philo, "Legatio ad Cajum," §§ 30-43).
On the assassination of Caligula in 41, Agrippa's advice helped to secure Claudius' accession as emperor. As a reward for his assistance, Claudius gave Agrippa the government of Judea, while the kingdom of Chalkis in Lebanon was given to his brother Herod III and Agrippa's request. Thus Agrippa became one of the greatest princes of the east, the territory he possessed equaling in extent that held by his grandfather Herod the Great.
Agrippa returned to Judea where his government eared the praise of the Jewish historical sources. His zeal, private and public, for Judaism is recorded by Josephus, Philo of Alexandria, and the ancient rabbis.
After Passover in 44, Agrippa went to Caesarea, where he had games performed in honor of Claudius. In the midst of his elation Agrippa saw an owl perched over his head. During his imprisonment by Tiberius a similar omen had been interpreted as portending his speedy release, with the warning that should he behold the same sight again, he would die within five days. Josephus reports that he was immediately smitten with violent pains, scolded his friends for lying to him, and accepted his imminent death. He experienced heart pains and a pain in his abdomen, and died after five days.[1]
This account is a similar to the version in Acts 12, which adds he was eaten by worms.
The New Testament (Acts 12) gives a slightly different account of these events. About the time of the Passover in 44, James, son of Zebedee, was seized by Agrippa's order and put to death by beheading. Agrippa proceeded also to arrest Peter imprison him. God, however, sent an angel, and the angel released Peter. After that Passover, Agrippa went to Caesarea, where the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon waited on him to sue for peace. Agrippa, gorgeously arrayed, received them in the stadium and addressed them from a throne, while the audience cried out that his was "the voice of a god, not a man." (This part of the account is identical to that of Josephus). But "the angel of the Lord smote him," and shortly afterwards he died, "eaten of worms," in 44 C.E.
Death
A third account omits all the miraculous elements in the story and says that Agrippa was assassinated by the Romans, who objected to his growing power. At the time of his death, Agrippa's only legitimate successor was his adolescent son of the same name; therefore, the Roman Emperor Claudius decided to return Iudaea Province to the rule of Roman procurators.
Arts
- Herod Agrippa is the protagonist of the Italian opera, L’Agrippa tetrarca di Gerusalemme (1724) by Giuseppe Maria Buini (mus.) and Claudio Nicola Stampa (libr.), first performed at the Teatro Ducale of Milan, Italy, on August 28, 1724.[2]
- Herod Agrippa is a major figure in Robert Graves' novel Claudius the God, as well as the BBC television adaptation I, Claudius, (wherein he was portrayed by James Faulkner). He is depicted as one of Claudius' closest life-long friends.
Notes
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- Yohanan Aharoni & Michael Avi-Yonah, "The MacMillan Bible Atlas," Revised Edition, p. 156 (1968 & 1977, by Carta Ltd.).
External links
- Jewish Encyclopedia: Agrippa I.
- Agrippa I, article in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith
- Sergey E. Rysev. Herod and Agrippa
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