Flavius Simonides Agrippa
Encyclopedia
Titus Flavius Simonides Agrippa, also known as Titus Flavius Agrippa was an aristocratic, wealthy Roman
Jew
.
Agrippa was born and raised in Rome
. He was the second son born to the Roman Jewish Historian Josephus
and from his fourth wife, a distinguished unnamed Greek Jewish
noblewoman from Crete
. The parents of Agrippa met in Rome and Josephus describes his mother, as one ‘in character, who excelled many women, as her subsequent life demonstrated’. Agrippa had an older full blooded brother called Justus
and an older paternal half-brother called Hyrcanus
.
His paternal uncle was Matthias
, while his paternal grandparents were Matthias
and his wife, an unnamed Jewish noblewoman. His paternal grandmother was an aristocratic woman who descended royalty and of the former ruling Hasmonean Dynasty. His paternal grandfather had descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib
, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem
and was a descendant of the High Priest Jonathon. Jonathon may have been Alexander Jannaeus
, the High Priest and Hasmonean ruler who governed Judea
from 103 BC-76 BC.
Agrippa’s Greek cognomen
Simonides doesn’t appear on his corpse or among any Jewish inscriptions in Rome. It is unknown why Josephus gave his son a Greek cognomen, he perhaps named his son after Simonides of Ceos
, a Greek Poet that flourished in the 6th 5th centuries BC. Josephus during his years in Rome dedicated his time, in studying Greek Poetry and his literacy contemporaries such as Plutarch
and Quintilian
remembered the works of Simonides. His second cognomen is a Latin
name Agrippa. He was perhaps named after the Herodian Prince and King
Agrippa II
. Agrippa II was a contemporary King to Josephus and they were very good acquaintances.
Agrippa was a contemporary of the ruling Flavian dynasty
and Nerva–Antonine dynasty of the Roman Empire
. He was alive when Josephus was compiling his historical writings and when his father died about 100. Unfortunately little is known on his remaining life.
Roman citizenship
Citizenship in ancient Rome was a privileged political and legal status afforded to certain free-born individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance....
Jew
History of the Jews in Italy
The history of the Jews in Italy goes back over two thousand years. Jews have been present in Italy from the Roman period until the present.-Antiquity:-Pre-Christian Rome:...
.
Agrippa was born and raised in Rome
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
. He was the second son born to the Roman Jewish Historian Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
and from his fourth wife, a distinguished unnamed Greek Jewish
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
noblewoman from Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. The parents of Agrippa met in Rome and Josephus describes his mother, as one ‘in character, who excelled many women, as her subsequent life demonstrated’. Agrippa had an older full blooded brother called Justus
Flavius Justus
Titus Flavius Justus was an aristocratic, wealthy Roman Jew.Justus was born and raised in Rome. He was the first son born to the Roman Jewish Historian Josephus and from his fourth wife, a distinguished unnamed Greek Jewish noblewoman from Crete...
and an older paternal half-brother called Hyrcanus
Flavius Hyrcanus
Titus Flavius Hyrcanus was an aristocratic, wealthy Roman Jew.Hyrcanus was born and raised in Rome. He was the youngest son born to the Roman Jewish Historian Josephus and from his third wife an unnamed Alexandrian Jewish woman...
.
His paternal uncle was Matthias
Matthias (brother of Josephus)
Matthias was an ethnic Jew living in Jerusalem.Matthias came from a wealthy, aristocratic family and through his father he descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem. He was the first born son of Matthias...
, while his paternal grandparents were Matthias
Matthias (father of Josephus)
Matthias was an ethnic Jew living in Jerusalem.Matthias came from a wealthy family and through his father he descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem. He was the son born to Josephus and his wife, an...
and his wife, an unnamed Jewish noblewoman. His paternal grandmother was an aristocratic woman who descended royalty and of the former ruling Hasmonean Dynasty. His paternal grandfather had descended from the priestly order of the Jehoiarib
Jehoiarib
Jehoiarib was the head of a family of priests, which was made the first of the twenty-four priestly divisions organized by King David.- High Priest :...
, which was the first of the twenty four-orders of Priests in the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
and was a descendant of the High Priest Jonathon. Jonathon may have been Alexander Jannaeus
Alexander Jannaeus
Alexander Jannaeus was king of Judea from 103 BC to 76 BC. The son of John Hyrcanus, he inherited the throne from his brother Aristobulus I, and appears to have married his brother's widow, Shlomtzion or "Shelomit", also known as Salome Alexandra, according to the Biblical law of Yibbum...
, the High Priest and Hasmonean ruler who governed 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...
from 103 BC-76 BC.
Agrippa’s Greek cognomen
Cognomen
The cognomen nōmen "name") was the third name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within...
Simonides doesn’t appear on his corpse or among any Jewish inscriptions in Rome. It is unknown why Josephus gave his son a Greek cognomen, he perhaps named his son after Simonides of Ceos
Simonides of Ceos
Simonides of Ceos was a Greek lyric poet, born at Ioulis on Kea. The scholars of Hellenistic Alexandria included him in the canonical list of nine lyric poets, along with Bacchylides and Pindar...
, a Greek Poet that flourished in the 6th 5th centuries BC. Josephus during his years in Rome dedicated his time, in studying Greek Poetry and his literacy contemporaries such as Plutarch
Plutarch
Plutarch then named, on his becoming a Roman citizen, Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus , c. 46 – 120 AD, was a Greek historian, biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist known primarily for his Parallel Lives and Moralia...
and Quintilian
Quintilian
Marcus Fabius Quintilianus was a Roman rhetorician from Hispania, widely referred to in medieval schools of rhetoric and in Renaissance writing...
remembered the works of Simonides. His second cognomen is a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
name Agrippa. He was perhaps named after the Herodian Prince and King
Herodian Dynasty
The Herodian Dynasty was a Jewish dynasty of Idumean descent, client Kings of Roman Judaea Province between 37 BCE and 92 CE.- Origin :During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus 134-104 BCE, Israel conquered Edom and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism.The Edomites were integrated...
Agrippa II
Agrippa II
Agrippa II , son of Agrippa I, and like him originally named Marcus Julius Agrippa, was the seventh and last king of the family of Herod the Great, thus last of the Herodians. He was the brother of Berenice, Mariamne, and Drusilla...
. Agrippa II was a contemporary King to Josephus and they were very good acquaintances.
Agrippa was a contemporary of the ruling Flavian dynasty
Flavian dynasty
The Flavian dynasty was a Roman Imperial Dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96 AD, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian , and his two sons Titus and Domitian . The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known as the Year of the Four Emperors...
and Nerva–Antonine dynasty of the Roman Empire
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....
. He was alive when Josephus was compiling his historical writings and when his father died about 100. Unfortunately little is known on his remaining life.
Sources
- M. Fergus, S. Emil & V. Geza, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (175 B.C. - A.D. 135), Continuum International Publishing Group, 1973
- É. Nodet, A search for the origins of Judaism: from Joshua to the Mishnah, Continuum International Publishing Group, 1997
- F. Josephus & S. Mason, Flavius Josephus: translation and commentary, BRILL, 2001