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Herod Agrippa II 

 

 

 













 

 

 

There are four different men called Herod in the New Testament ; it is a dynastic name. All are descendents of the founder of the dynasty, Herod Antipater.
  1. Herod the Great, son of the founder of the dynasty, made procurator of Judea by Julius Caesar in 47BC
  2. Herod Antipas, ruled Galilee at the time of Jesus' ministry. Married Herodias and executed John the Baptist
  3. Herod Agrippa I, friend of the emperors Caligula and Claudius, killed James and imprisoned Peter
  4. Herod Agrippa II, heard St Paul's case and advised he be acquitted

   King Herod Agrippa II

  Trouble-shooter? Well, he tried..

Bible reference: Acts 25:13-26:32

Agrippa II was the great-grandson of Herod the Great,   raised and educated at the imperial court in Rome. 

He was a friend of Rome but a loyal patron of his Jewish subjects, and he did what he could to avert to cataclysm that began in 66AD, when the Jewish Rebellion broke out.

Ultimately he sided with the Romans, because he knew they would win. Pragmatism was part of his nature. But he was also well-placed to negotiate for the survivors at the end of the War.

Agrippa II and Paul of Tarsus. 

In 60AD, when Paul had been in prison for two years, the procurator in Judea, Festus, consulted Agrippa concerning his case. 

This happened during a visit that Agrippa and his much-bedded sister Bernice were making to Caesarea (Agrippa and Bernice were said to be having an incestuous affair, though the writer of Acts tactfully does not mention this). 

The Trial of Paul, Nikolai Bodarevsky

Paul defended himself vigorously, and those who listened to him commented that he might have been set free if he had not appealed to the emperor - which entailed a further trial in Rome.

Agrippa II assisted the Romans when the Jewish Revolt broke out. He probably hoped to mitigate Roman vengeance by interceding whenever possible for his people.

The Arch of Titus shows the Menorah from the Temple of Jerusalem, taken as spoils of war by the Roman troops

In 70AD he helped Titus' son in the final conquest of Jerusalem, when the Temple was pulled down stone by stone. 

After the rebellion had been suppressed, Agrippa II apparently lived on until 93AD. 

He was the last of the Herods.

 

 

Famous Quotes about the four Herods

  1. 'When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16, King Herod the Great)

  2. 'His head (John the Baptist's) was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who brought it to her mother..' (Matthew 14:10, Herod Antipas)

  3. 'About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, brother of John, killed with the sword. He proceeded to arrest Peter also.' (Acts 12:1-3, Herod Agrippa I)

  4. 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'  (Acts 26:14, Paul reporting to Agrippa II)

 

 

Extra Websites

Isolated, luxurious, impregnable until the Romans came....  
Bible Architecture: Masada

The remote fortress where Herod Antipas killed John the Baptist
Bible Fortress: Machaerus 

The luxurious winter palace of Herod the Great
Bible Architecture: Jericho 

Building a hill fortress where there had been only flat ground
Bible Castle: Herodium

The Wailing Wall is all that's left of Herod's Jerusalem
Bible City: Jerusalem 

 A family that went down in history for its villainy
Bible Top Ten Villains

Was Salome an innocent party, or a devious young woman out to kill her mother's enemy?
Young People in the Bible: Salome

NEW: Jerusalem and the buildings of Herod the Great

 

 

Bible Stories: People of the New Testament:  Herod the Great, Herod Antipas and Herod Agrippa
Bible Study Resource

 

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