Julius Marcus Agrippa II (27/28–100? CE) was the last ruler from the house of Herod. He is mainly known for three things: (1) his futile attempt to discourage the Jews from revolting against the Romans; (2) his role in Paul’s trial (Acts 25–26); and (3) his alleged incestuous relationship with his sister, Queen Berenice.
Who was Agrippa II?
Agrippa II was the son of King Herod Agrippa I, who was the king of Judea from 41 to 44 CE, and his wife Cyprus. He also had three sisters: Berenice (who became Emperor Titus’s mistress), Miriamne, and Drusilla (who later married the Roman governor Felix). Agrippa II’s father was a friend of the Roman emperor Claudius, and he was educated in Rome at Claudius’s court. When his father died, Agrippa II was only seventeen, and he was not appointed as king of Judea. Instead, a Roman official took control over the region. But in 48 CE, Agrippa II’s uncle, Herod of Chalcis, died, and Agrippa II inherited the small kingdom of Chalcis, which was located to the northeast halfway between Beirut and Damascus. Chalcis was later taken away from him, but instead he received the neighboring territories of Batanea, Trachonitis, Gaulanitis, and Abila (parts of today’s northern Israel, Lebanon, and Syria) (Josephus, B.J. 2.247; A.J. 20.138).
So, Agrippa II, despite being a Jewish king, never actually ruled over Judea. Nevertheless, he partly lived in Jerusalem and was in charge of the temple. He also had the right to appoint the high priest, of which he made good use: in eight years he appointed no fewer than six new high priests! When the Jewish Revolt against Rome broke out in 66 CE, Agrippa II did not support it and attempted to dissuade the Jews from revolting (Josephus, B.J. 2.345–404). His pleas fell on deaf ears. Throughout the revolt, Agrippa II remained loyal to Rome, to the point that he even sent his own troops to put it down.
What was Agrippa’s II role in the trial of Paul?
According to the book of Acts (21:27–36), the Apostle Paul was arrested in Jerusalem and held in custody by the Roman governor of Judea, Marcus Antonius Felix (from 52 CE to 60 CE). When a new governor, Porcius Festus (from 59 CE to 62 CE), was sent to Judea, he reopened Paul’s case and asked Agrippa II for advice (Acts 25:1–26:32). Agrippa II remained passive in Paul’s trial; he mainly listened and believed that Paul was innocent. Yet, after stating his position, Agrippa II departs from the narrative without having made much of an effect on the course of events. Notably, the story is only reported in the New Testament. Josephus does not mention anything about it, or about Paul, although he mentions all the other actors involved (the Roman governors, Agrippa II, and Berenice). This does not mean that Paul did not exist. But it does cast some doubt on the historicity of the narrative.
Were King Agrippa II and Queen Berenice a couple?
Josephus tells us that Agrippa II had an incestuous relationship with his sister, Berenice (A.J. 20.145). Was he really in love with her? We cannot say. We know from Josephus, however, that Berenice married twice. Both of her spouses died prematurely, and she lived as a widow afterward in the company of her brother. So, an affair between the two may have been possible. At some point, however, any possible relationship ended. At the age of forty, Berenice became the mistress of the much younger Roman emperor-to-be Titus (she was his senior by about a decade). Agrippa II, on the other hand, never seems to have married, and our sources do not mention any children. This is peculiar, given that Agrippa II would have been expected to produce heirs. It is possible that Agrippa II was homosexual, as one scholar has recently suggested, which would explain the lack of children. But the evidence is inconclusive.
How Did Agrippa die?
We do not know much about Agrippa II’s fate after the Jewish revolt. The discovery of a few coins and inscriptions allows us to assume that he continued to rule over his kingdom for at least twenty-five years. But the date of his death is disputed: some sources, like Josephus, point to 93/94 CE, but according to the Byzantine scholar Photius of Constantinople, Agrippa II died in year three of Emperor Trajan’s reign, which would have been 100 CE. For someone who reigned for so long, met the Apostle Paul, and was a personal acquaintance of the Jewish historian Josephus, it is surprising how little we know about him.
Bibliography
- Jacobson, David. Agrippa II: The Last of the Herods. London: Routledge, 2021.
- Rajak, Tessa. “Iulius Agrippa II, Marcus.” Page 756 in Oxford Classical Dictionary. Edited by Simon Hornblower. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
- Windle, Bryan. “Agrippa II: An Archaeological Biography.” https://biblearchaeologyreport.com/2020/02/07/agrippa-ii-an-archaeological-biography/
