Antiquities Book 20, Chapter 7
Felix Is Made Procurator Of Judea; As Also Concerning Agrippa, Junior And His Sisters.
1. So Claudius sent Felix, the brother of Pallas, to take care of the
affairs of Judea; and when he had already completed the twelfth year of
his reign, he bestowed upon Agrippa the tetrarchy of Philip and Batanea,
and added thereto Trachonites, with Abila; which last had been the
tetrarchy of Lysanias; but he took from him Chalcis, when he had been
governor thereof four years. And when Agrippa had received these
countries as the gift of Cæsar, he gave his sister Drusilla in marriage
to Azizus, king of Emesa, upon his consent to be circumcised; for
Epiphanes, the son of king Antiochus, had refused to marry her, because,
after he had promised her father formerly to come over to the Jewish
religion, he would not now perform that promise. He also gave Mariamne
in marriage to Archelaus, the son of Helcias, to whom she had formerly
been betrothed by Agrippa her father; from which marriage was derived a
daughter, whose name was Bernice.
2. But for the marriage of Drusilla with Azizus, it was in no long time
afterward dissolved upon the following occasion: While Felix was
procurator of Judea, he saw this Drusilla, and fell in love with her;
for she did indeed exceed all other women in beauty; and he sent to her
a person whose name was Simon 13 one of his friends; a Jew he was, and
by birth a Cypriot, and one who pretended to be a magician, and
endeavored to persuade her to forsake her present husband, and marry
him; and promised, that if she would not refuse him, he would make her a
happy woman. Accordingly she acted ill, and because she was desirous to
avoid her sister Bernice's envy, for she was very ill treated by her on
account of her beauty, was prevailed upon to transgress the laws of her
forefathers, and to marry Felix; and when he had had a son by her, he
named him Agrippa. But after what manner that young man, with his wife,
perished at the conflagration of the mountain Vesuvius, 14 in the days
of Titus Cæsar, shall be related hereafter. 15
3. But as for Bernice, she lived a widow a long while after the death of
Herod [king of Chalcis], who was both her husband and her uncle; but
when the report went that she had criminal conversation with her
brother, [Agrippa, junior,] she persuaded Poleme, who was king of
Cilicia, to be circumcised, and to marry her, as supposing that by this
means she should prove those calumnies upon her to be false; and Poleme
was prevailed upon, and that chiefly on account of her riches. Yet did
not this matrimony endure long; but Bernice left Poleme, and, as was
said, with impure intentions. So he forsook at once this matrimony, and
the Jewish religion; and, at the same time, Mariamne put away Archelaus,
and was married to Demetrius, the principal man among the Alexandrian
Jews, both for his family and his wealth; and indeed he was then their
alabarch. So she named her son whom she had by him Agrippinus. But of
all these particulars we shall hereafter treat more exactly. 16
affairs of Judea; and when he had already completed the twelfth year of
his reign, he bestowed upon Agrippa the tetrarchy of Philip and Batanea,
and added thereto Trachonites, with Abila; which last had been the
tetrarchy of Lysanias; but he took from him Chalcis, when he had been
governor thereof four years. And when Agrippa had received these
countries as the gift of Cæsar, he gave his sister Drusilla in marriage
to Azizus, king of Emesa, upon his consent to be circumcised; for
Epiphanes, the son of king Antiochus, had refused to marry her, because,
after he had promised her father formerly to come over to the Jewish
religion, he would not now perform that promise. He also gave Mariamne
in marriage to Archelaus, the son of Helcias, to whom she had formerly
been betrothed by Agrippa her father; from which marriage was derived a
daughter, whose name was Bernice.
2. But for the marriage of Drusilla with Azizus, it was in no long time
afterward dissolved upon the following occasion: While Felix was
procurator of Judea, he saw this Drusilla, and fell in love with her;
for she did indeed exceed all other women in beauty; and he sent to her
a person whose name was Simon 13 one of his friends; a Jew he was, and
by birth a Cypriot, and one who pretended to be a magician, and
endeavored to persuade her to forsake her present husband, and marry
him; and promised, that if she would not refuse him, he would make her a
happy woman. Accordingly she acted ill, and because she was desirous to
avoid her sister Bernice's envy, for she was very ill treated by her on
account of her beauty, was prevailed upon to transgress the laws of her
forefathers, and to marry Felix; and when he had had a son by her, he
named him Agrippa. But after what manner that young man, with his wife,
perished at the conflagration of the mountain Vesuvius, 14 in the days
of Titus Cæsar, shall be related hereafter. 15
3. But as for Bernice, she lived a widow a long while after the death of
Herod [king of Chalcis], who was both her husband and her uncle; but
when the report went that she had criminal conversation with her
brother, [Agrippa, junior,] she persuaded Poleme, who was king of
Cilicia, to be circumcised, and to marry her, as supposing that by this
means she should prove those calumnies upon her to be false; and Poleme
was prevailed upon, and that chiefly on account of her riches. Yet did
not this matrimony endure long; but Bernice left Poleme, and, as was
said, with impure intentions. So he forsook at once this matrimony, and
the Jewish religion; and, at the same time, Mariamne put away Archelaus,
and was married to Demetrius, the principal man among the Alexandrian
Jews, both for his family and his wealth; and indeed he was then their
alabarch. So she named her son whom she had by him Agrippinus. But of
all these particulars we shall hereafter treat more exactly. 16