Herod and Marcus Agrippa

[G-Manicus]

I always found it of interest that two major players near the end of the 1st century BC would share the name "Agrippa." How did Herod come to possess the cognomen "Agrippa" though? Is there any connection between he and Marcus Agrippa? I don't see where it appears to have been a family name of sorts. Having been born in 10BC, was this some sort of tribute to M. Agrippa, who died 2 years earlier? Can anyone offer any insights on the origin of his name? Is it all just a coincidence? No different than there being, say, 2 individuals in the world named David Archuleta and Adam Archuleta?

[The Augusta]

Herod Agrippa was indeed named in honour of Marcus, G-Man. Someone will come up with the source for you - I've just got in from work!

 

I can tell you that he was named in his honour by his grandfather Herod the Great due to the concessions Agrippa made to the Jews during his vice-regency and maius imperium over the eastern provinces from 18BC until his death in 12BC. I am sure that Ingsoc will tell you even more. Meyer Reinhold's Marcus Agrippa will give you the full story on Agrippa's stay in the East and his friendship with Herod the Great.

[G-Manicus]

Thanks, The!

 

It's something I've always been curious about. I look forward to anyone else's input.

[ASCLEPIADES]

I always found it of interest that two major players near the end of the 1st century BC would share the name "Agrippa." How did Herod come to possess the cognomen "Agrippa" though? Is there any connection between he and Marcus Agrippa? I don't see where it appears to have been a family name of sorts. Having been born in 10BC, was this some sort of tribute to M. Agrippa, who died 2 years earlier? Can anyone offer any insights on the origin of his name? Is it all just a coincidence? No different than there being, say, 2 individuals in the world named David Archuleta and Adam Archuleta?

Excellent question, G-man; Lady N and Ingsoc expertise urgently needed. While we're waiting:

 

Neither of both Agrippa (kings of Judea) were named Hero: Agrippa I the Great (for Josephus) is called so only in the New Testament (Luke in Acts 12), presumably a confusion of name and/or people with his brother Herod (III) of Chalcis. Agrippa II was called just Agrippa even in Acts (25).

 

Antipater (Agrippa I's great-grandfather) got full Roman citizenship for him and his descendants after his deeds as auxilia commander at the Alexandrian War under Caius Julius Caesar the dictator (a reminder, BTW, that barbarians didn't need a slavery period to become quirites). Consequently, all of them were Iulii by adoption and had the right to use the full tria nomina. Even so, as far as I know, only some of the descendants from Mariamne I (2nd wife of Herod the Great) did it so; after all, some of them resided more at Rome than at Judea.

 

There's epigraphical evidence that Agrippa II used his full tria nomina: Marcus Julius Agrippa (first two were sometimes reversed); Agrippa I was at least Julius Agrippa, but there is some debate about his use of a praenomen (most scholars refer "Marcus" as his son, some "Caius", others none).

 

Of course, Lady A is right; Herod the Great and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa were close friends and partners for decades; besides, MV Agrippa became on his last years a virtual co-emperor, almost equal to the always unhealthy Augustus and his presumptive heir. For all purposes, he was the ruler of the Eastern half of the Empire ("Greek" or "Byzantine" if you like). Even after his death, as his son Gaius was now Augustus' new heir, the adoption of the cognomen Agrippa must have seemed like a good omen for any Roman client prince.

Edited June 15, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES

[Ingsoc]

Agrippa I was named after the late son in law of the emperor. His real name was Marcus Julius Agrippa (though his praenomen is disputed) in the Talmud he is called "Agrippas" and in the New Testament he is called "Herod", according to Daniel Shwartz (in his book "Agrippa I: The Last King of Judea") this was made either to mark him as the enemy of Christianity (as anyone who called Herod would be) or the writer simply mistook him for his brother Herod of Chalcis. He is not called Herod in any other source although on one coin he is named "Herod Agrippa".

 

Herod was indeed a close friend of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, he visited him during his stay at Lesbos and in 15 BC Agrippa visited Judea, made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and committed sacrifices in the temple what earn his the affection of the Jewish masses (thought it's seem his father in law dislike his actions), it's was the greatest tribute any Roman has made toward the Jews. Herod also came with his fleet to assist Agrippa in his campaign against the Bosporus Kingdom.

[G-Manicus]

Interesting stuff. Thanks, guys.

[Nephele]

I'm coming in late to this, and there's really not much to add to what has already been posted regarding the connection between Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and Herod Agrippa.

 

So I'll just add a postscript regarding the name "Agrippa" -- that it was actually first a praenomen which became obsolete, and was later used as a cognomen by the Romans.

 

Additionally, there is debate as to the etymology of the name -- Pliny's account in his Naturalis Historia (Book 7, Chapter 6) states that the name is derived from a compound of the two Latin words aegre partus, referring to an individual who had been born "feet first" or with great difficulty. Although this etymology for the name of "Agrippa" is viewed by scholars today as being rather dubious, it nevertheless must have been accepted by the ancient Romans, as Pliny writes of how children having been born in this manner apparently were customarily referred to as agrippae.

 

A pet peeve of mine is how supposition posted on the Internet quickly becomes duplicated on multiple websites as "fact". This appears to have been the case of the etymology of Agrippa, as awhile back someone had posted on a website noted for name etymology that the origin of Agrippa was the Latin word agripeta, meaning "land-grabber" or "squatter". This information has since been duplicated on various other websites, with no source to back it up. I actually managed to track down the original person who first posted this, and asked her what source she had used to come to this conclusion regarding the name. She told me she couldn't quite remember, but she believes she had used a Latin dictionary and thus found a word similar in appearance to "Agrippa" (agripeta), and presumed this was the origin of the name and the meaning behind it.

 

A far more likely origin for the name was presented by George Davis Chase in a paper he wrote for Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, titled "The Origin of the Roman Praenomina" (1897). Chase stated that the name "Agrippa" is most likely a compound of Greek origin (changed, through Latin adoption, to an -a stem noun), of unknown meaning which "found its way to Rome from some of the Greek colonies of Magna Graecia or Sicily through some early emigrant."

 

Cognomina scholar Iiro Kajanto also cited Dr. Chase's work in his own exhaustive work on cognomina, titled The Latin Cognomina. (1965), using the name "Agrippa" as an example of an ancient name which become unrecognizable through having been transformed into a shorter version of its former, compound self.

 

-- Nephele