An Alternative Genealogy for Agrippa

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Secret Alias
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An Alternative Genealogy for Agrippa

Post by Secret Alias »

I've always said that our reliance on a single text for the history of the Jews in a critical period is quite dangerous. It is interesting to know that Epiphanius, in spite of having access to Josephus, chose instead to follow a different source for his reconstruction of the genealogy of Agrippa. We read in de Incarnatione (Panarion) the following:
2,3 Archelaus ruled for nine years. When Joseph left Egypt with Mary and the child at the beginning of his reign, hearing that Archelaus was king he went back to the Galilee and at this time settled in Nazareth. (4) Archelaus had a son, Herod the Younger 1 and this Herod succeeded him as king in the ninth year of the reign of his father Archelaus; and the years of Christ’s incarnation numbered thirteen. 2,5 In the eighteenth year of Herod surnamed Agrippa Jesus began his preaching and at that time received the baptism of John and preached an “acceptable year” opposed by no one — Jews, Greeks, Samaritans or anyone else. (6) Then he preached a second year, in the face of opposition; and this Herod had reigned for nineteen years while it was the Savior’s thirty-second.

1 Epiphanius identifies Herod the Younger with Herod Agrippa, and makes him the son of Archelaus.
The figure of 'Herod the younger' derives its origin from Eusebius:
The historian [Josephus] already mentioned agrees with the evangelist in regard to the fact that Archelaus succeeded to the government after Herod. He records the manner in which he received the kingdom of the Jews by the will of his father Herod and by the decree of Cæsar Augustus, and how, after he had reigned ten years, he lost his kingdom, and his brothers Philip and Herod the younger, with Lysanias, still ruled their own tetrarchies. [Church History 1.9]
But as Kaye notes Eusebius's statement does not agree with our texts of the historian:
He states on the authority of Josephus, that Archelaus was expelled from the government after he had held it ten years, and was succeeded by Philip, Herod the younger, and Lysanias. But Eusebius is here guilty of tampering with the text of Josephus by inserting the words āua Avgavíg in order to bring his account into agreement with that of St. Luke
The original statement in Josephus simply has 'Herod.' 'Herod the younger' was the name given by Eusebius again later in the Church History 'Herod the younger' appears again:
Not long after this John the Baptist was beheaded by the younger Herod, as is stated in the Gospels. Josephus also records the same fact, making mention of Herodias by name, and stating that, although she was the wife of his brother, Herod made her his own wife after divorcing his former lawful wife, who was the daughter of Aretas, king of Petra, and separating Herodias from her husband while he was still alive.
“Finally, from so little sleeping and so much reading, his brain dried up and he went completely out of his mind.”
― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote
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