Herod Agrippa I

Herod Agrippa I is the grandson of Herod the Great. Thanks to a good relationship with the Roman emperors between AD 37 and 44, he is given control over the entire region that his grandfather had ruled. The book of Acts mentions Herod Agrippa in connection with the persecution of the first Christians.

Herod Agrippa grows up in Rome, where he becomes a friend of the later Roman emperors, Caligula and Claudius. Because he is suspected of conspiracy against Emperor Tiberius, he spends half a year in prison. However, Emperor Caligula, the successor to Tiberius, sets him free and appoints him as ruler over the region to the north-west of Galilee. Later, he also gets control of the regions of Galilee and Perea.
After the death of Emperor Caligulla, Herod Agrippa supports Claudius as the successor to him. As a reward, Claudius appoints him as king over the whole Jewish region. From that moment onwards, he is king of the same region as his grandfather Herod the Great was.

Herod Agrippa is from non-Jewish origins. In order to oblige his Jewish subjects, he chooses to rule from the old city of Jerusalem. He also uses other methods to keep the Jews on his side. This background may explain his aggressive actions against the first Christians. For the Jewish leaders, it was in fact essential that the followers of Jesus were opposed.
According to Acts 12:1-19, Herod has the members of the first Christian church in Jerusalem rounded up and mistreated. He also has the apostle James murdered by beheading him. Spurred on by the positive reactions of the Jews, Herod tries to kill the apostle Peter. But Peter is freed from prison by an angel and flees from Jerusalem.

Herod Agrippa dies in AD 44 after a short illness. The historian Flavius Josephus and Acts 12:20-23 link his sudden death to the fact that during a feast, he allows himself to be worshipped as a god.
Because his son, Agrippa II, is still too young to succeed him, the Jewish region temporarily becomes a Roman province again. Later, Agrippa II still gets control over part of the earlier kingdom of his father.