Lucius Julius Gainius Fabius Agrippa
Encyclopedia
Lucius Julius Gainius Fabius Agrippa also known as Lucius Julius Agrippa was a considerable wealthy man who descended from royalty. He lived in the second half of the 1st century and first half of the 2nd century in the Roman Empire
. Agrippa was a son born to Cilician Prince
Gaius Julius Agrippa
(who served as a Quaestor
for the Roman Province of Asia and before 109 served as a Praetorian Guard
) and his mother was a Roman woman who belonged or was related to the Fabia (gens). His brother was a younger Gaius Julius Agrippa.
Agrippa was of Jewish
, Nabataean
, Edomite
, Greek
, Armenian
, Median
and Persian origins
. Through his paternal grandfather Herodian Prince
and King of Cetis Cilicia
Gaius Julius Alexander
, Agrippa was a descendant of King Archelaus of Cappadocia
; King of Judea Herod the Great
; his wife Mariamne
and King Tigranes VI of Armenia
. Through his paternal grandmother Princess and Queen of Cetis Cilicia Julia Iotapa, he was a direct descendant of Greek King Antiochus IV of Commagene
and his sister-wife Greek Queen Julia Iotapa
. Agrippa was an apostate
to Judaism
. However, his name indicates that the family connections from the Herodian Dynasty
were not wholly broken. It is unlikely that Agrippa attempted to exert influence on Judean Politics.
Agrippa lived and became a citizen in Apamea in Western Syria
. Little is known on his early life. In his career, Agrippa served as a Gymnasiarch
. A Gymnasiarch was a public official responsible for sports or games held at public festivals. This official directed Ancient Greek Gymnasiums and supervised competitors. A Gymnasiarch could have a teacher, a coach or a trainer of athletes. Agrippa also served as a Pontifex Maximus
.
In 115, Apamea had suffered a serious earthquake. During this crisis, Agrippa served as the city’s ambassador to Rome
. Agrippa at his own expense had made various generous public benefactions to his community. He frequently at his own expense undertook embassies to the Roman Emperor
and the Roman Senate
.
For six months, Agrippa paid and distributed (supra) expensive olive oil for anointing and corn for public use in Apamea. Agrippa with his wealth assisted in the reconstruction of Apamea in the following ways:
There are a number of honorary inscriptions and decrees that have survived which were dedicated to Agrippa in Apamea and Rome. These honorary inscriptions and decrees date from 115 until 118. At the Baths of Apamea on the façade of the Baths, Agrippa dedicates an inscription to a Julius Bassus, a Pro-Praetorian
Legatus
in Apamea. Other inscriptions in consoles attached to the pillars of the baths are dedications by Agrippa’s slaves, freedmen or clients.
At the Capitoline Hill
in Rome, there is a bronze inscription dedicated to Agrippa. This inscription in Rome reveals that he undertook numerous voluntary liturgies. Below is an honorary decree that has survived on a base of a statue of Agrippa. The decree reads:
The surviving inscriptions and decrees of Agrippa, reveals that he had a generous spirit, who was concerned for public safety and order in Apamea. His choice of Apollo and Marsyas at the baths reveals his gentle, witty commentary on the ambitions of the performers who competed for prizes in the Large Hall. A possible descendant of Agrippa was the usurper
of the 3rd century
Jotapianus
.
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....
. Agrippa was a son born to Cilician Prince
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
Gaius Julius Agrippa
Gaius Julius Agrippa
Gaius Julius Agrippa was a Cilician Prince and the first born son of King Gaius Julius Alexander and Queen Julia Iotapa of Cetis. He had two younger siblings: a brother called Gaius Julius Alexander Berenicianus and a sister called Julia Iotapa....
(who served as a Quaestor
Quaestor
A Quaestor was a type of public official in the "Cursus honorum" system who supervised financial affairs. In the Roman Republic a quaestor was an elected official whereas, with the autocratic government of the Roman Empire, quaestors were simply appointed....
for the Roman Province of Asia and before 109 served as a Praetorian Guard
Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian Guard was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. The title was already used during the Roman Republic for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC...
) and his mother was a Roman woman who belonged or was related to the Fabia (gens). His brother was a younger Gaius Julius Agrippa.
Agrippa was of Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, Nabataean
Nabataeans
Thamudi3.jpgThe Nabataeans, also Nabateans , were ancient peoples of southern Canaan and the northern part of Arabia, whose oasis settlements in the time of Josephus , gave the name of Nabatene to the borderland between Syria and Arabia, from the Euphrates to the Red Sea...
, Edomite
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...
, 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....
, Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
, Median
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
and Persian origins
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
. Through his paternal grandfather Herodian Prince
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...
and King of Cetis Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
Gaius Julius Alexander
Gaius Julius Alexander
Gaius Julius Alexander was a Herodian Prince that lived in the 1st century and 2nd century in the Roman Empire.Alexander was of Jewish, Nabataean, Edomite, Greek, Armenian and Persian ancestry. He was the son of the Herodian Prince, later King Tigranes VI of Armenia and his wife Opgalli...
, Agrippa was a descendant of King Archelaus of Cappadocia
Archelaus of Cappadocia
-Family & Early Life:Archelaus was a Cappadocian Greek nobleman, possibly of Macedonian descent. His full name was Archelaus Sisines. He was the first born son, namesake of the Roman Client and High Priest Ruler Archelaus, of the temple state of Comana, Cappadocia and Glaphyra. Archelaus’ father...
; King of Judea 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...
; his wife Mariamne
Mariamne (second wife of Herod)
Mariamne I, also called Mariamne the Hasmonean was the second wife of Herod the Great. She was known for her great beauty, as was her brother Aristobulus...
and King Tigranes VI of Armenia
Tigranes VI of Armenia
Tigranes VI, also known as Tigran VI or by his Roman name Gaius Julius Tigranes was a Herodian Prince and served as a Roman Client King of Armenia in the 1st century....
. Through his paternal grandmother Princess and Queen of Cetis Cilicia Julia Iotapa, he was a direct descendant of Greek King Antiochus IV of Commagene
Antiochus IV of Commagene
Gaius Julius Antiochus IV Epiphanes , the last king of Commagene, reigned between 38-72 as a client king to the Roman Empire.-Life:Antiochus was a prince and son of Antiochus III of Commagene and his mother was Queen Iotapa of Commagene. The parents of Antiochus IV were full-blooded siblings, who...
and his sister-wife Greek Queen Julia Iotapa
Iotapa
Iotapa or Iotape also known as Iotapi was the name of various queens and princesses who lived in between the 2nd century BC, 1st century BC, 1st century and 2nd century. The name Iotapa or Iotape originally derives from the name Jotapa or Jotape, which was a name of Persian origin...
. Agrippa was an apostate
Apostasy
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
to Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. However, his name indicates that the family connections from the Herodian Dynasty
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...
were not wholly broken. It is unlikely that Agrippa attempted to exert influence on Judean Politics.
Agrippa lived and became a citizen in Apamea in Western Syria
Apamea (Syria)
Apamea was a treasure city and stud-depot of the Seleucid kings, was capital of Apamene, on the right bank of the Orontes River. . Its site is found about to the northwest of Hama, Syria, overlooking the Ghab valley...
. Little is known on his early life. In his career, Agrippa served as a Gymnasiarch
Gymnasium (ancient Greece)
The gymnasium in ancient Greece functioned as a training facility for competitors in public games. It was also a place for socializing and engaging in intellectual pursuits. The name comes from the Ancient Greek term gymnós meaning "naked". Athletes competed in the nude, a practice said to...
. A Gymnasiarch was a public official responsible for sports or games held at public festivals. This official directed Ancient Greek Gymnasiums and supervised competitors. A Gymnasiarch could have a teacher, a coach or a trainer of athletes. Agrippa also served as a Pontifex Maximus
Pontifex Maximus
The Pontifex Maximus was the high priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome. This was the most important position in the ancient Roman religion, open only to patricians until 254 BC, when a plebeian first occupied this post...
.
In 115, Apamea had suffered a serious earthquake. During this crisis, Agrippa served as the city’s ambassador to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Agrippa at his own expense had made various generous public benefactions to his community. He frequently at his own expense undertook embassies to the Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
and the Roman Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
.
For six months, Agrippa paid and distributed (supra) expensive olive oil for anointing and corn for public use in Apamea. Agrippa with his wealth assisted in the reconstruction of Apamea in the following ways:
- He financed the construction for an extension for the city’s aqueduct
- In 116/117, Agrippa brought sufficient land to finance the construction for the Baths, an Adjacent Large Hall and the StoaStoaStoa in Ancient Greek architecture; covered walkways or porticos, commonly for public usage. Early stoae were open at the entrance with columns, usually of the Doric order, lining the side of the building; they created a safe, enveloping, protective atmosphere.Later examples were built as two...
. The Large Hall and Stoa had lavish decorations. The Large Hall was used for concerts or competitions in music or oratory. - The Baths in Apamea was a magnificent complex. Agrippa had commissioned a number of bronze statues to be created of TheseusTheseusFor other uses, see Theseus Theseus was the mythical founder-king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, both of whom Aethra had slept with in one night. Theseus was a founder-hero, like Perseus, Cadmus, or Heracles, all of whom battled and overcame foes that were...
and the Minotaur, the Ancient Greek God ApolloApolloApollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
with the satyr MarsyasMarsyasIn Greek mythology, the satyr Marsyas is a central figure in two stories involving music: in one, he picked up the double flute that had been abandoned by Athena and played it; in the other, he challenged Apollo to a contest of music and lost his hide and life...
. These statues were placed in the baths.
There are a number of honorary inscriptions and decrees that have survived which were dedicated to Agrippa in Apamea and Rome. These honorary inscriptions and decrees date from 115 until 118. At the Baths of Apamea on the façade of the Baths, Agrippa dedicates an inscription to a Julius Bassus, a Pro-Praetorian
Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian Guard was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. The title was already used during the Roman Republic for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC...
Legatus
Legatus
A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
in Apamea. Other inscriptions in consoles attached to the pillars of the baths are dedications by Agrippa’s slaves, freedmen or clients.
At the Capitoline Hill
Capitoline Hill
The Capitoline Hill , between the Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the seven hills of Rome. It was the citadel of the earliest Romans. By the 16th century, Capitolinus had become Capitolino in Italian, with the alternative Campidoglio stemming from Capitolium. The English word capitol...
in Rome, there is a bronze inscription dedicated to Agrippa. This inscription in Rome reveals that he undertook numerous voluntary liturgies. Below is an honorary decree that has survived on a base of a statue of Agrippa. The decree reads:
- Lucius Julius Gainius Fabius Agrippa
- The honorand went to embassies at his own expense to the emperors, to Rome and to governors.
The surviving inscriptions and decrees of Agrippa, reveals that he had a generous spirit, who was concerned for public safety and order in Apamea. His choice of Apollo and Marsyas at the baths reveals his gentle, witty commentary on the ambitions of the performers who competed for prizes in the Large Hall. A possible descendant of Agrippa was the usurper
Usurper
Usurper is a derogatory term used to describe either an illegitimate or controversial claimant to the power; often, but not always in a monarchy, or a person who succeeds in establishing himself as a monarch without inheriting the throne, or any other person exercising authority unconstitutionally...
of the 3rd century
3rd century
The 3rd century was the period from 201 to 300 in the Christian/Common Era.In this century, the Roman Empire saw a crisis, marking the beginning of Late Antiquity. In Persia, the Parthian Empire was succeeded by the Sassanid Empire....
Jotapianus
Jotapianus
Marcus Fulvius Rufus Jotapianus or Jotapian, he was also known as Iotapianus or Iotapian. Jotapianus was an usurper in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire during the reign of Emperor Philip the Arab, around 249...
.
Sources
- http://www.roman-emperors.org/philarab.htm
- Bash, Anthony (1997). Ambassadors for Christ: an exploration of ambassadorial language in the New Testament, Mohr Siebeck
- Roller, Duane W. (1998). The Building Program of Herod the Great, University of California Press, ISBN 0520209346
- Kelly, Christopher (2006). The Roman Empire: a very short introduction, Oxford University Press