Cleopatra of Jerusalem
Encyclopedia
Cleopatra of Jerusalem was a woman who lived in the 1st century BC during the Roman Empire
. She is remembered as one of the wives of King of Judea
Herod the Great
.
There is a possibility that Cleopatra could have been a daughter of a local noble from Jerusalem. She was born and raised in the city and could have been of Jewish or Edom
ite-Phoenicia
n origins (please cite the exact source of this information). Cleopatra was called Cleopatra of Jerusalem, to distinguish her from the Ptolemaic
Greek
Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt
.
However, it is also possible that Cleopatra of Jerusalem really was Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt
. Josephus mentions "Cleopatra of Jeruslaem" twice: once in Antiquities 17.1.3 and once in War 1.28.4. It is interesting to note that according to Josephus, Cleopatra VII and King Herod became intimate, and that Cleopatra "upon the whole, seemed overcome with love for him (King Herod),"(Antiquities 15.4.2). Herod is said to have had a son named Philip with Cleopatra of Jerusalem while it is believed that Cleopatra had a third child with Marc Anthony also named Philip. It is during Marc Anthony's absence that Cleopatra, according to Josephus, spent a great deal of time with King Herod.
Cleopatra of Jerusalem was not related to the Hasmonaean Dynasty (please cite the source of this information). She had married King Herod the Great
in 25 BC (please cite the source of this date). Herod most probably married her as a part of a political alliance.
Cleopatra bore Herod two sons who were:
Cleopatra’s children by Herod were raised and educated in Rome. After the death of her husband in 4 BC, her second son inherited some of his father’s dominion and ruled as a Roman client king until his death in 34. Cleopatra became the mother-in-law of Philip’s wife and niece Salome
. Philip and Salome had no children.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. She is remembered as one of the wives of King of Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
Herod the Great
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
.
There is a possibility that Cleopatra could have been a daughter of a local noble from Jerusalem. She was born and raised in the city and could have been of Jewish or Edom
Edom
Edom or Idumea was a historical region of the Southern Levant located south of Judea and the Dead Sea. It is mentioned in biblical records as a 1st millennium BC Iron Age kingdom of Edom, and in classical antiquity the cognate name Idumea was used to refer to a smaller area in the same region...
ite-Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n origins (please cite the exact source of this information). Cleopatra was called Cleopatra of Jerusalem, to distinguish her from the Ptolemaic
Ptolemaic dynasty
The Ptolemaic dynasty, was a Macedonian Greek royal family which ruled the Ptolemaic Empire in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Their rule lasted for 275 years, from 305 BC to 30 BC...
Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
However, it is also possible that Cleopatra of Jerusalem really was Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
. Josephus mentions "Cleopatra of Jeruslaem" twice: once in Antiquities 17.1.3 and once in War 1.28.4. It is interesting to note that according to Josephus, Cleopatra VII and King Herod became intimate, and that Cleopatra "upon the whole, seemed overcome with love for him (King Herod),"(Antiquities 15.4.2). Herod is said to have had a son named Philip with Cleopatra of Jerusalem while it is believed that Cleopatra had a third child with Marc Anthony also named Philip. It is during Marc Anthony's absence that Cleopatra, according to Josephus, spent a great deal of time with King Herod.
Cleopatra of Jerusalem was not related to the Hasmonaean Dynasty (please cite the source of this information). She had married King Herod the Great
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
in 25 BC (please cite the source of this date). Herod most probably married her as a part of a political alliance.
Cleopatra bore Herod two sons who were:
- Herod (b. 24 BC/23 BC), of which very little is known. (Please site the source of this information.)
- Herod Philip II (b. 22 BC/21 BC - 34) who later became the Tetrarch of Ituraea and TrachonitisTrachonitisTrachonitis was a region that once formed part of Herod Philip's tetrarchy. It now lies within the boundaries of modern Syria.It appears in the Bible only in the phrase tes Itouraias kai Trachbnitidos choras, literally, "of the Iturean and Trachonian region"...
.
Cleopatra’s children by Herod were raised and educated in Rome. After the death of her husband in 4 BC, her second son inherited some of his father’s dominion and ruled as a Roman client king until his death in 34. Cleopatra became the mother-in-law of Philip’s wife and niece Salome
Salome
Salome , the Daughter of Herodias , is known from the New Testament...
. Philip and Salome had no children.
Sources
- Josephus: Antiquities 15.4.2
- Josephus: War 1.28.4
- http://virtualreligion.net/iho/herod2.html
- http://www.historyofthedaughters.com/69.pdf
- http://www.livius.org/he-hg/herodians/herod_the_great02.html
- http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=537&letter=C
- http://books.google.com.au/books?id=Qc-0KWxP3kAC&pg=PA235&lpg=PA235&dq=Cleopatra+of+Jerusalem&source=web&ots=FvTOVlpR3h&sig=Ps5PdYwErG6PFJiAMzZ7OL-3s7E&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result
- http://books.google.com.au/books?id=wCa-DjDJkT0C&pg=PA180&lpg=PA180&dq=Cleopatra+of+Jerusalem&source=web&ots=VxV5ccBwTP&sig=AwJn7ECtDkF7a0KTzmIRt7dYIvQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result