Agrippa (the present king)

Also known as: Agrippa / king Agrippa / the king · Family: Herodian · Role: son · First appears: Book II, Chapter 11

In Book II, Chapter 11, Agrippa is identified as the son of Agrippa and Cypros, with Bernice, Mariamne, and Drusilla as his sisters. After Claudius made the country a Roman province, he appointed Agrippa king over his uncle’s kingdom following the death of Herod, while Cumanus became procurator. Nero later added Abila, Julias, Tarichea, and Tiberias to Agrippa’s kingdom.

In Chapter 15, Agrippa was going to Alexandria to congratulate Alexander on receiving the government of Egypt from Nero, and Bernice came to Jerusalem. On Agrippa’s return, Neopolitanus met him at Jamnia and explained Cestius’s mission. Agrippa then addressed the people with Bernice placed where they could see her, urging them to reject war against Rome while seeking redress against Florus; he attributed the revolt to unpaid tribute and the severed cloisters. He stopped the threatened war, but when he urged obedience to Florus, the people expelled him and he retired to his kingdom. He sent three thousand horsemen under Darius and Philip—his master of horse and army commander—to assist the people, though the seditious soon burned his palaces and the city archives. After learning of Noarus’s unauthorized massacre, Agrippa ended his procuratorship. His kindred Saul, Antipas, and Costobarus were among those who came to him, and Ptolemy served as his and Bernice’s steward; Silas of Babylon, formerly in his army, later deserted to the Jews.

In the later chapters, Agrippa’s forces included Darius and Philip, while Jacimus was identified as Philip’s father and a former general of Agrippa’s army. Vespasian found Agrippa with his forces at Antioch, and Agrippa contributed auxiliaries to Titus’s army. At Tiberias, Vespasian and Agrippa accepted security from Jesus, whose party then fled to Taricheae; within a few days, Tiberias revolted again and invited Agrippa to resume authority there. Vespasian later gave Agrippa prisoners from his kingdom, whom Agrippa sold as slaves. At Gamala, Agrippa urged the defenders to surrender and was struck on his right elbow by a stone from a slinger. He later sailed with Titus to Galba.