KING OVER JUDAEA, UNDER ROME · NEW TESTAMENT

Herod Agrippa I. The king who killed James and imprisoned Peter.

RULEDi

Not given c. AD 37–44 (dates vary)

SEAT

Not stated

HOUSE

Herod's family 10th of 17 in Rome

SCRIPTURE SAYS

“Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of…”

PROPHETS

None named

ROME: 17 RULERS HEROD THE GREAT → PORCIUS FESTUS

THE HERODS

Which Herod this is

SUCCESSION

Before and after

WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS

What Scripture says of him

  • "Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword." Acts 12:1–2
  • "Because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also", in "the days of unleavened bread". He set four quaternions of soldiers to guard him, "intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people". Acts 12:3–4
  • From the textThe KJV's "Easter" in Acts 12:4 translates the same Greek word it renders "Passover" in Luke 22:1. Acts 12:4 Luke 22:1
  • The church prayed without ceasing. On the night before Herod would have brought him out, an angel freed Peter, who said, "the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod". Acts 12:5–11
  • "When Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death." Then he went down from Judaea to Caesarea. Acts 12:18–19
  • He "was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon"; through Blastus, "the king's chamberlain", they asked for peace, "because their country was nourished by the king's country". Acts 12:20
  • "Upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration". The people shouted, "It is the voice of a god, and not of a man." "And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost." Acts 12:21–23
  • "But the word of God grew and multiplied." Acts 12:24

THE KINGDOM

The places Scripture names

Rome. Only places Scripture names are shown, each where the Atlas puts it.

EVENTS

Wars, works and turning points

UNDATED IN SCRIPTURE

THE NATION

What the nation did

  • He seized Peter because "he saw it pleased the Jews". Acts 12:3

ON THE WORLD STAGE

The powers of the day

ROME, IN ACTS

Claudius

TYRE AND SIDON

Blastus

DATES DIFFER

When was it?

SCRIPTURE'S NUMBERS

No years given

None. Acts sets his persecution "about that time", after the famine foretold for "the days of Claudius Caesar" (Acts 11:28; 12:1).

SCHÜRER (1890)

c. AD 37–44[11]

King of Philip's former tetrarchy from AD 37, of Antipas's from about AD 40, of Judaea and Samaria from AD 41; died at Caesarea in AD 44.

6 August 44, at the regular games founded by Herod

Wieseler, followed by A. C. McGiffert (1890)

McGiffert thinks the festival was more probably the five-yearly games Herod the Great instituted for Augustus, and gives Wieseler's date of 6 August 44.[2]

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 1

Acts 12

PASSAGES · 1

Acts 12:1–24

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Acts never calls him Agrippa, and does not say whose son or grandson he was.
  • Acts does not say why he was displeased with Tyre and Sidon.
  • Acts gives no year for his death.

IDENTIFICATIONS THIS PAGE RELIES ON

  • From the textActs calls him only "Herod the king". He acts in Judaea, goes down "from Judaea to Caesarea", and dies there. Acts never calls him Agrippa and does not say whose son he was. Acts 12:1 Acts 12:19–23
  • Early church · Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, 1890Eusebius (about AD 325) heads his chapter on Acts 12 "Agrippa, who was also called Herod" (Church History 2.10).[19]
  • From the textHe is not the "Herod the tetrarch" of Acts 13:1, the verse after his story ends; that is Herod Antipas. Acts 12:23 Acts 13:1

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • A. B. Bruce, The Expositor's Greek Testament: Luke (1897), note on Luke 19:12–27 (read on Bible Hub).
  • A. C. McGiffert, Notes to Eusebius, Church History (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1) (1890), book 2, chapter 10, notes 7 and 8, pp. 111–112.
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on Acts 26:28 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on Luke 19:12 (read on Bible Hub).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 1 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §14, p. 393 and note 3 (Herod made king by the Senate).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 1 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §15, pp. 400–401 (heading 'Herod the Great, B.C. 37–4'; sources).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 1 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §15, pp. 409–410 and note 12 (the temple begun in B.C. 20–19).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 1 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §15, pp. 463–466 and note 165 (the last will, death and date).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 2 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §17a, pp. 10–16 (Philip, B.C. 4 – A.D. 34).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 2 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), Excursus I, pp. 131–133 (the census and Herod's lifetime).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 2 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §18, pp. 150–165 and notes (Herod Agrippa I, A.D. 37, 40, 41–44).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 2 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §17b, pp. 17–20 (Antipas: title, territory, cities).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 2 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §19 Supplement, pp. 191–206 and notes (Agrippa II, A.D. 50–100).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 2 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §17b, pp. 21–28 and notes (Herodias; John the Baptist).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 2 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §17b, pp. 29–32 (Jesus and Antipas; the chronology).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 2 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §17b, pp. 32–38 and notes (Aretas; banishment).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 2 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), Appendix II, pp. 356–358 (Aretas IV, B.C. 9 – A.D. 40).
  • E. Schürer, A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Division I, vol. 2 (tr. J. Macpherson) (1890), §17c, pp. 38–42 and notes (Archelaus, B.C. 4 – A.D. 6).
  • Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1) (1890), 2.10.1–10, pp. 111–112.
  • F. W. Farrar, The Gospel according to St Luke (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) (1880), note on Luke 19:12 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. A. W. Meyer, Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Acts of the Apostles (English translation) (1877–1879), note on Acts 23:35 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. A. W. Meyer, Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Acts of the Apostles (English translation) (1877–1879), note on Acts 26:28 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. A. W. Meyer, Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Gospels of Mark and Luke (English translation) (1880), note on Luke 19:12–13 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. A. W. Meyer, Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Gospels of Mark and Luke (English translation) (1880), note on Mark 6:14 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), The Pulpit Commentary (quoting F. W. Farrar, The Life of Christ, 1874) (1880–1897), note on Matt 2:16 (read on Bible Hub).
  • J. A. Bengel, Gnomon of the New Testament (Latin 1742; English translation) (1742), note on Acts 26:28 (read on Bible Hub).
  • J. R. Lumby, The Acts of the Apostles (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) (1882), note on Acts 26:28 (read on Bible Hub).
  • John Gill, An Exposition of the New Testament (1746–1748), note on Acts 26:28 (read on Bible Hub).
  • John Gill, An Exposition of the New Testament (1746–1748), note on Matt 2:16 (read on Bible Hub).
  • M. R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887), note on Acts 23:35 (read on Bible Hub).
  • Macrobius (Latin text, ed. L. von Jan), Saturnalia (1852), 2.4.11 (our translation of the Latin).
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1683–1685), note on Acts 23:35 (read on Bible Hub).
  • R. Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and D. Brown, A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Whole Bible (1871), note on Acts 26:28 (read on Bible Hub).
  • Suetonius, tr. J. C. Rolfe, The Lives of the Caesars: Titus (1914), Titus 7.1–2.
  • W. M. Ramsay, Was Christ Born at Bethlehem? (1898), pp. 201, 219–221, 245.

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