Herod Archelaus

Biography

Josephus writes that Herod the Great (father of Archelaus) was in Jericho at the time of his death. Just prior to his final trip to Jericho, he was deeply involved in a religious conflagration. Herod had placed a golden eagle over the Temple entrance, a symbol which was perceived as blasphemous. The eagle was chopped down with axes. Two teachers and approximately 40 other youths were arrested for this act and immolated. Herod defended his works and went on to attack his predecessors, the Hasmoneans; he also killed all male lineal successors of the Hasmoneans. The Pharisees had long insulted the Hasmoneans as well with claims of parentage from Greeks. This racial slur was repeated by the Pharisees through the rule of Alexander Jannaeus and Queen Salome.

With this explicit background given, Josephus began an exposition of the days of Archelaus' reign before Passover of 4 BC. Archelaus dressed in white and ascended a golden throne. He appeared to be kind to the populace in Jerusalem, in order to appease their desires for lower taxes and an end to the (political) imprisonment of Herod's enemies. The demeanor of the questioning appeared to turn at some point, and the crowd began to call for the punishment of those of Herod's people who ordered the death of the two teachers and the 40 youths. They also demanded the replacement of the High Priest, from the appointed High Priest of Herod's to a High Priest, "of greater piety and purity". Archelaus acceded to this request and asked the crowd for moderation until he was confirmed king by Augustus.

While people were mourning the death of the teachers, Archelaus began to worry as a crowd started streaming into the temple area, and the masses were escalating in their threatening behavior. Henry St. John Thackeray's translation of Josephus here states it thus: "The promoters of the mourning for the doctors stood in the body of the temple, procuring recruits for their faction". So Archelaus sent a general and a "tribune in command of a cohort" to reason with these "Seditionists" and wait until Archelaus could return from Rome. Those who came from Archelaus were stoned, with many killed. After midnight Archelaus ordered the entire army into the city to the temple where the insurrectionists had gone to perform sacrifices; Josephus records the death toll at 3000. Archelaus sent heralds around the city announcing the cancellation of Passover.

Archelaus was proclaimed king by the army, but declined to assume the title until he had submitted his claims to Caesar Augustus; thus he sailed to Rome to face accusations from his younger brother Antipas over how the recent uproar was handled and regarding the succession clash between the two. Nicolaus of Damascus argued in favour of Archelaus, suggesting the change to Herod's will (supposedly written a few weeks prior and yielding the kingship to Archelaus instead of Antipas) as valid. The change of the will is attested from Jericho by one "Ptolemy", keeper of Herod's Seal and brother to Nicholaus.

Archelaus, at the conclusion of the arguments, fell at Caesar's feet. Caesar raised him up and stated that Archelaus "was worthy to succeed his father". Caesar opted to divide the kingdom, and entrust the most important regions of Judea to Archelaus by granting him the tetrarchy of Judea, and bestowing the title of ethnarch upon him.

The first wife of Archelaus is given by Josephus simply as Mariamne, perhaps Mariamne III, daughter of Aristobulus IV, whom he divorced to marry Glaphyra. She was the widow of Archelaus' brother Alexander, though her second husband, Juba, king of Mauretania, was alive. His subjects complained to Augustus over this violation of the Mosaic law. Archelaus fell into disrepute and was deposed in his 10th year of reign as ethnarch, being banished to Vienna (today Vienne) in Gaul. Samaria, Judea proper, and Idumea became the Roman province of Judaea.