Philip the Tetrarch
Philip the Tetrarch (sometimes called Herod Philip II by modern writers) was son of Herod the Great and his fifth wife Cleopatra of Jerusalem and half-brother of Herod Antipas and Herod Archelaus (not to be confused with Herod II, whom some writers call Herod Philip I.)
Philip inherited the northeast part of his father's kingdom, which includes Iturea and Trachonitis as mentioned briefly in the Bible by Luke (3:1) or Gaulonitis, and Trachonitis, and Paneas as noted by Flavius Josephus.[1] Augustus Caesar made his own division of Herod's kingdom, giving one half to Archelaus, while dividing the other half into two, to Antipas and Philip. Batanea, with Trachonitis, as well as Auranitis, with a certain part of what was called the House of Zenodorus, paid the tribute of one hundred talents to Philip.[2]
He married his niece Salome, the daughter of Herodias[3] and was a member of the Herodian dynasty sometimes called Herod Philip I, but also known as Herod II, or sometimes Philip of Rome. This Salome appears in the Bible in connection with the execution of John the Baptist. The evangelist Mark (6:17) and Matthew (14:3) write that Philip was her father, which seems an odd mistake until one realizes that the older half-brother of Philip the Tetrarch (Herod Philip II) is also sometimes named Herod Philip - Herod Philip I. Philip the Tetrarch rebuilt the city of Caesarea Philippi, calling it by his own name to distinguish it from the Caesarea on the sea-coast which was the seat of the Roman government.
There is no contemporary evidence for Philip the Tetrarch's use of the name 'Herod Philip' as a dynastic title, as occurred with his brothers Herod Antipas and Herod Archelaus; however, his birth name was Philip ben Herod. 'Herod Philip I' is better known as Herod II. 'Herod Philip II is better known as Philip the Tetrarch. It is an example of the great difficulty in establishing the relationships of various holders of the same name in the same area or family - especially in the Herodian dynasty. (see[4] Kokkinos says (p 223) “The stubborn existence of many theologians in referring to Herod III as ‘Herod Philip’ is without any value” (233), and again on p. 266, “No illusory Herod Philip ever existed”. The Cambridge Ancient History [5]Vol.10, says that Philip the Tetrarch, “unlike his brothers, did not use Herod as a dynastic name”, and refers to him throughout as Philip, or Philip the Tetrarch. The predecessor CAH [6] had already stated that Philip’s half-brothers Archelaus and Antipas had adopted the name of Herod, "presumably" for a dynastic claim from Herod the Great.
[edit] References
- ^ Flavius Josephus, Anitquities, 17.8
- ^ Flavius Josephus, Anitquities, 17.11
- ^ Flavius Josephus, Antiquities XVIII 5:4 (137).
- ^ Kokkinos, Nikkos 'The Herodian Dynasty: Origins, Role in Society and Eclipse', Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha Supplement Series, 1998, Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, 236–240
- ^ Bowman, Alan K., Champlin Edward, and Lintott. Andrew (edd) (2001), Cambridge Ancient History, Vol.10, The Augustan Empire, 43 B.C.-A.D. 69, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press
- ^ Cambridge Ancient History, (latest reprint 1965), Gen. eds.: J.B. Bury, S.A. Cook, F.E. Adcock, M.P. Charlesworth, N.H. Baynes, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press: Vol.10, The Augustan empire, 44 B.C.-A.D. 70
- Philip the Tetrarch entry in historical sourcebook by Mahlon H. Smith
- Another biographical entry
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Philip the Tetrarch
Died: 34 AD |
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| Preceded by Herod I |
Tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis 4 BC – 34 AD |
Succeeded by Roman province of Syria |
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