Agrippa II

Agrippa II.

He was the son of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 25:26), and Paul was presented before him in Acts 26. As with other in his family, Agrippa II had a very horrible death. He died in Rome in 100 A.D.

From John Brown’s “Dictionary of the Holy Bible vol 1 (1789)




Agrippa, son of Herod Agrippa. He was at Rome with the emperor Claudius, when his father died, A.D. 44. The emperor inclined to bestow on him the whole dominions possessed by his father; but his courtiers dissuaded it. Next year the governor of Syria thought to compel the Jews to lodge the ornaments of their highpriest in the tower of Antonion, under the custody of the Roman guard; but, by the influence of Agrippa, they were allowed by the emperor to keep them themselves. A.D. 49, Herod king of Chacis his uncled died, and he was by the emperor constituted his successor: but four years afer that kingdom was taken from him; and the provinces of Gaulonites, Trachonites, batanea, Paneas, and Abilene, were given him in its stead. To these, soon after, Nero added Julias in Perea; and a part of Galilee on the west of the sea of Tiberias. When Festus was made governor of Judea, A.D. 60, Agrippa and his sister Bernice, with whom he was supposed to live in incest, came to Cesarea to congratulate him. In the course of their conversation, Festus mentioned the affair of Paul’s trial and appeal to Cesar. Agrippa was extremely curious to hear what Paul had to say for himself. On the morrow, Festus gratified him and his sister with a hearing of him in the public hall. Paul, being desired by Agrippa to say what he could in his own defence, rehearsed how he was converted from a furious persecutor into a zealous preacher; and how he had, according to the ancient prophets, preached up the resurrection of the dead. Agrippa was so charmed with the good sense and majesty of the discourse, and with the apostle’s address to himself, that he declared he was almost persuaded to be a Christian. Paul expressing his earnest wishes that king Agrippa and all the audience wre altogether such as himself, excepting his bonds and trouble; Agrippa signified to Festus, that he might have been set at liberty if he had not appealed to Cesar, Acts 25. and Acts 26.

About two years after, Agrippa deposed Joseph Cabei the Jewish high priest, for the great offence which he had given to the people in the murder of James the brother of Jude, whose distinguished meekness, and fanctity were universally respected; and he made Jesus the son of Danmeus priest in his room. It was not long after, when he allowed the templesingers to wear linen robes as the common priests. He restrained a while the rebellion of the Jews against their Roman superiors. When at last, rendered desperate by the oppression and insolence of their governors, they openly revolted; Agrippa was obliged to side with the Romans. After the destruction of Jerusalemm, he and his sister Bernice retired to Rome, where he died, aged 70, A.D. 90.

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