Justus of Tiberias on 'Agrippa the seventh'

copyright 2008 Stephan Huller

I know everyone and their uncle takes for granted that there were two Marcus Agrippas, a father and son of the same name (no matter how ludicrous that may seem to Jews). According to the account of Josephus John Hyrcanus was the first in a line of Hasmonaean kings which Herod the Great eventually married into. His son Archelaus had control over Judea and Samaria but never attained the title of king (he was only an 'ethnarch'). After him 'Agrippa' ('Agrippa I' owing to the claims of the surviving text of Josephus) was finally made king of the Jews during the reign of Claudius. His supposed son of the same name ('Agrippa II' according to scholars and Josephus) eventually followed in his father's footsteps.

What rarely gets mentioned is that this 'Agrippa II' is specifically identified in the tenth century Byzantine writer Photius' citation of Agrippa's secretary Justus of Tiberias as 'the seventh' king of the Jews. This necessarily makes a father 'Marcus Agrippa I' who was 'king of the Jews' impossible as we can easily count six Jewish kings before him:

1. John Hyrcanus I
2. Alexander Jannaeus
3. Aristobulos
4. Hyrcanus II
5. Antigonus
6. Herod
7. Marcus Agrippa

There simply isn't any room for two Agrippa's in Justus' chronology. The whole idea of another Agrippa would have made Marcus Agrippa - the guy Justus was writing about - necessarily the eighth. Photius however makes him the seventh quite explicitly as we read in the original Greek:

Photius, Bibliotheca 33:

Ανεγνωσθη Ιουστου Τιβεριεως χρονικον, ου η επιγραφη Ιουστου Τιβεριεως Ιουδαιων βασιλεων των εν τοις στεμμασιν. ουτος απο πολεως της εν Γαλιλαια Τιβεριαδος ωρματο. αρχεται δε της ιστοριας απο Μωυσεως, καταληγει δε εως τελευτης Αγριππα του εβδομου μεν των απο της οικιας Ηρωδου, υστατου δε εν τοις Ιουδαιων βασιλευσιν, ος παρελαβε μεν την αρχην επι Κλαυδιου, ηυξηθη δε επι Νερωνος και ετι μαλλον υπο Ουεσπασιανου, τελευτα δε ετει τριτω Τραιανου, ου και η ιστορια κατεληξεν. εστι δε την φρασιν συντομωτατος τε και τα πλειστα των αναγκαιοτατων παρατρεχων. ως δε τα Ιουδαιων νοσων, Ιουδαιοις και αυτος υπαρχων γενος, της Χριστου παρουσιας και των περι αυτον τελεσθεντων και των υπ αυτου τερατουργηθεντων ουδεν ολως μνημην εποιησατο. ουτος παις μεν ην Ιουδαιου τινος ονομα Πιστου, ανθρωπων δε, ως φησιν Ιωσηπος, κακουργοτατος, χρηματων τε και ηδονων ηττων. αντεπολιτευετο δε Ιωσηπω, και πολλας κατ εκεινου λεγεται επιβουλας ραψαι, αλλα τον γε Ιωσηπον, καιτοι υπο χειρα πολλακις λαβοντα τον εχθρον, λογοις μονον ονειδισαντα απαθη κακων αφειναι. και την ιστοριαν δε ην εκεινος εγραψε πεπλασμενην τα πλειστα φασι τυγχανειν, και μαλιστα οις τον Ρωμαικον προς Ιουδαιους διεξεισι πολεμον και την Ιεροσολυμων αλωσιν.

The Greek says this. “…. and brings it down to the end, to Agrippa, the seventh, of the house of Herod, the last of the kings of the Jews….”. This is absolutely certainly the meaning given by the case endings. To clarify. It does not say he was made king of the Jews by Claudius. It says he was king of the Jews already, but Claudius gave him some effective power.

The Greek word APXH αρχη archê does not mean the quality of being a king or having royal status. It means either effective power over territory or delegated authority over a nation. (Think of the title Exilarch. Remember that in the opera Salome keeps reminding Herod that he is not a king but only Tetrarch, whereas she is Prinzessin von Judäa and therefore royal). This is what was given and increased. I suppose this means his recognised territory was increased. We are not told how he became king, but from the context, he was always a king, before Claudius did anything.

The Greek word “teleutê” meaning “end” [here in the genitive case, teleutês] is the noun equivalent of the verb “teteleuthê” meaning “It is finished”, the word uttered by Jesus. [The Greek says “It has been finished” or “It has ended” (perfect), not “It was finished” or “It ended” (preterite). The choice of word by Justin might be significant. If so, the implication might be that with the coming of Agrippa (and perhaps implicitly the death of Jesus), Priesthood and Prophethood are removed to Heaven, and with the death of Agrippa, Kingship is removed to Heaven. Thus all three qualities of Moses are occulted. The Tabernacle has manifested, done its work, and been occulted again after the successful end.