Family Conflicts

Although Josephus does not connect Herodias to the death of John the Baptist (Josephus, Antiquities, 18.116–119), his writings resemble the Synoptic Gospels in portraying Herodias as a woman whose personal jealousies and vendettas put her husband—and ultimately herself—in trouble.

Josephus states that Herod Antipas had been married to the daughter of Aretas, but he became infatuated with Herodias after visiting his half-brother Herod II in Rome. Antipas persuaded Herodias to marry him and agreed to divorce his current wife. However, when his current wife learned of the agreement, she arranged to send Herodias to Macherus, on the border between the territories belonging to Aretas and Herod (neither of whom knew of her intentions). This resulted in a war between Aretas and Herod, in which Herod’s army was destroyed (Josephus, Antiquities, 18.109–115).

When Herodias’ brother Herod Agrippa squandered nearly all his wealth and contemplated suicide after the death of their mother, Agrippa’s wife, Cypros, wrote to Herodias about his condition. Herodias then persuaded her husband, Herod Antipas, to give Agrippa money and appoint him the magistrate of Tiberias. A short time later, the two men parted ways after a drunken argument (Josephus, Antiquities, 18.147–150).

When Caligula became the Roman emperor in ad 37, Agrippa was granted Philip’s former tetrarchy and given the title of king. Jealous at her brother’s success, Herodias persuaded Antipas to ask Caligula for the title of king for himself, and the emperor reluctantly agreed. However, when Agrippa heard of it, he conspired against Antipas and persuaded Caligula to take away his tetrarchy. Wishing to spare Herodias because she was Agrippa’s sister, Caligula offered her the chance to keep a share of her own money (Josephus, Antiquities, 18.253). She refused, however, and Caligula banished her, giving her estate and Antipas’ tetrarchy to Agrippa (Josephus, Antiquities, 18.240–256; Jewish War 2.9.6). Josephus interprets the banishment of Herodias and Antipas as God’s judgment—on Herodias for envying her brother, and on Herod for “giving ear to the vain discourses of a woman” (Josephus, Antiquities, 18.255).