The First Century

Agrippina returned from Ephesus with her second husband Passienus and her young son. She encouraged her husband to name her as his sole heir, which he did, only to die shortly thereafter. The 28-year-old second time imperial widow was now one of the wealthiest women in Rome.  In this short episode we'll also attempt to untangle some of the complicated relations among the imperial family. This char...

The church in Antioch continued to experience significant growth, attracting Gentiles as well as Jews. Those Christians in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to check on things in Antioch, and he secured Paul from Tarsus to help him with the mission there. Christians were offering assistance to those in need as a way of expressing their belief that Jesus had been sent by God. Material wealth counted for litt...

Messalina continued to use her power to surreptitiously attack potential rivals, secure alliances, and manipulate her husband. She also succeeds in eliminating her own stepfather after he spurned her advances.    King Herod Agrippa chooses a new high priest and deals mercifully with a critic. SHOWNOTES Elimination of Julia Livia and the public mourning of Pomponia Graecina (Tacitus, Annals, 13.43;...

Herod Agrippa deftly managed a potential crisis by lobbying the Roman governor of Syria, Petronius to defend the rights of Jews so recently made clear by imperial decree. Claudius deifies Livia, years after her death and also allowed the return of exiled Gaius Calpurnius Piso, who uses his newfound freedom to seduce the wife of a friend.  Roman senators stationed in the east as governors hatch a p...

To assist in the administration of the empire, Claudius empowered three freedmen: Pallas, Narcissus, and Callistus. In an attempt to calm the nerves of gardners who are haunted by Caligula's ghost, Julia Livilla and Agrippina exhume his body to give him a proper funeral.   Julia Livilla is taken as a threat by Messalina, who has her exiled and killed. Seneca is also accused but he is merely exiled...

The new emperor Claudius began by repaying his friends and supporters, chief among them, Herod Agrippa, who was named King of Judea. At Herod Agrippa's urging, Claudius reaffirmed the Roman policy of religious tolerance, especially as it applied to the Jews.   Cassius, the governor of Asia, whose execution had been ordered by Caligula, escaped with his life due to the death of the princeps.  Julia...

Gaius' cruelty finally caught up with him and he was the first of many emperors to be assassinated. His wife and daughter were also killed. In what later seemed like an accident of history, soldiers proclaimed the drooling and stuttering Claudius, who was hiding behind a curtain, to be the next princeps. The assassins were themselves put to death since it did not seem like a good idea to praise an...

After 'victories' in Germania and Britannia, Gaius returned to Rome on Aug 31, 40 CE to celebrate a double triumph. Gaius orders Lepidus executed and then banished his own two sisters to the island of Pontus, where Agrippina becomes a proficient swimmer. Herod Agrippa returns to Rome and hosts Gaius at a fabulous dinner. Gaius is so impressed he grants Herod Agrippa a special wish. Agrippa only as...

After being in Arabia for three years, Paul returned to Damascus, where he was arrested. After a daring escape with the help of some friends, he made his way to Jerusalem where he stayed for fifteen days. While there, he met Peter, John, and James, the brother of the Lord. From them, he learned details about what Jesus did and said. He also learned many other sayings and statements that encapsulat...

Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus, aka, Caligula, son of Agrippina and Germanicus, decided to go to Germany to attack barbarians as his father had done, and for which he was given the name, Germanicus. Caligula determined that the Roman general of the upper Rhine was too popular and not to be trusted so he executed him and replaced him with Galba. But attacking barbarians was more challenging than it...

Gaius (Caligula) heard that Jews were causing trouble in Jamnia and in Alexandria, Egypt. He raised the stakes by ordering that his statue be installed in the Jerusalem Temple. For that task he sent Petronius as the new governor of Syria. Vitellius, who was marked for execution, saved his own life with sycophancy, and began to worship Gaius as a god. In a demonstration of the princeps' love of cha...

After serving as tetrarch since 4 BCE, Herod Antipas and his wife Herodias are driven by envy at Herod Agrippa's recent promotion. Antipas and Herodias decide to make their case to Caesar directly, but their plans are revealed and undermined by Agrippa and Vitellius, the Roman governor of Syria. In the meantime, in Jamnia of Judea, the Gentiles and Jews quarrel, requiring the intervention of Caesa...

Antioch was the capital of the Roman Province of Syria, and refuge to many followers of the way who fled Saul's persecution in Jerusalem. Their message found a receptive audience there, as it did in Rome, due to the efforts of Andronicus and Junia, and Prisca and Aquila. But not everyone was receptive, leading to arguments and civil disturbances. In a demonstration of imperial excess and religious...

Flaccus is deposed as governor of Egypt in a stealthy move. After being found guilty of maiestas (treason) before the princeps, his property is taken and he is banished to the island of Andros. In Caesarea Maritima, Philip, one of the seven, whose four daughters were known for prophecy, is active promoting his belief in Jesus as the Messiah. A Roman centurion in Caesarea Philippi comes to faith in...

Caligula's behavior at dinner parties was questionable at best and downright abbhorent at worst. His uncle Claudius was the butt of jokes whereas the wives of senators became paramours for the princeps. His affection for the actor Mnester was unbridled. Quintilia's outstanding reputation as an actor was matched only by her beauty. Her virtuous character meant she was an apt target for her lover's...

Caligula compels those who made promises for his recovery to deliver. Herod Agrippa finally sets sail for Alexandria on his way to take possession of his Judean kingdom.   SHOWNOTES:    For the bridge over the Gulf of Baiae, see Cassius Dio, Roman History 59.17; Suetonius Caligula, 19. Drusilla was the first Roman woman to be named divine. Later, in 42 CE, Livia will be declared so. Claudia, daugh...

Gaius recovers from his illness and begins a streak of vengeance and power consolidation. Flaccus, governor of Egypt, continues to navigate a troublesome political situation. Gaius's sister Agrippina gives birth to a boy, whereas Macro and Ennia's fortunes change.    SHOWNOTES On the soft rebukes of Gaius from Macro (Philo Embassy to Gaius, 7). Agrippina's husband saying, "That nothing but what wa...

The principate of Gaius, aka Caligula, starts with promise especially for his family including his uncle Claudius and for his friends, such as Herod Agrippa. Saul of Tarsus experiences a revelation that changes the trajectory of his life. And Flaccus, governor of Egypt, attempts to manage a new political reality.   SHOWNOTES Paul's Revelation (Gal 1:16-17; Acts 9, 22, 26)

The growing sect of the Nazorean continued to add new members, creating logistical challenges for the movement. Seven men were appointed to help matters. With Pilate removed, leaving Judea without a procurator, the crowd in Jerusalem was stirred up to the point of stoning Stephen, one of the seven. The recently installed high priest was then removed by Lucius Vitellius, governor of Syria, who woul...

Caligula's grandmother dies shortly after he comes to the throne. Lucius Vitellius in Syria secures peace with Parthia and then removes Caiaphas as High Priest.    SHOWNOTES: Agrippina's double canine (hyperdontia) (Pliny, NH 7). Artabanus crossed the Euphrates and held another conference with Lucius Vitellius where he paid honors to the Roman standards (Suet. Caligula, 14). Lucius removes Caiapha...

After Tiberius' death, Gaius (Caligula) comes to the throne. In a brilliant move, he secures the ashes of his persecuted and deceased family members and accompanies them to the mausoleum of Augustus. The crowds are overjoyed with the promise of this young new princeps. For Vitellius in Syria, his impending military action is paused, pending orders from Gaius.      SHOWNOTES: Oath to Caligula (11 M...

After one too many provocations, the new Roman governor of Syria orders Pontius Pilate to Rome for a meeting with the emperor. But before he arrives, Tiberius dies at the age of 77.    SHOWNOTES The only account of the 'shields incident' appears within Agrippa’s letter to Gaius Caligula as presented by Philo, Embassy 38:299-305. The episode between Pilate and the Samaritans, and Pilate's being ord...

The Parthian king, harboring resentment against Tiberius, makes moves against the Roman empire. Tiberius enlists the help of Herod Antipas in dealing with the situation. Herod Agrippa presses his luck with the princeps and ends up under house arrest.  SHOWNOTES Artabanus had once penned a letter accusing Tiberius of murdering members of his own family, slaughtering innocent people, neglecting his...

Herod Agrippa and his wife Cypros are unhappy and attempt to change their fortune with mixed results. When updating his will, Tiberius considers his options in naming an heir.   SHOWNOTES Alexander Lysimachus, the port official known as the Alabarch, had a brother named Philo, an influential Jewish intellectual. (Jos. Ant. 18.259). Alexander also knew Antonia, the mother of Germanicus, Livilla, an...

Tiberius and the imperial court continue to engage in unusual behavior on Capri. After Gaius's pregnant wife dies, he begins an affair, promising to marry the woman if and when he becomes princeps. Tiberius gives his favorite adolescent boy a nickname and promotes the boy's father to higher office. The sect of the Nazorean continues to grow in Jerusalem.   SHOWNOTES Lucius Vitellius visited Gaius....