Page:Selections. Translated by H. St. J. Thackeray (1919).djvu/100

 It was now, too, that there were brought up (for trial) the sons of that Judas of Galilee who induced the people to revolt from the Romans when Quirinius was engaged in the assessment of Judæa, as we have narrated in a previous book. Alexander gave orders that (the sons of Judas named) James and Simon should be crucified.—Ant. XX. 5. 1 f. (97-102). (36) Agrippa II, Felix and Drusilla

All three characters appear in the Acts. Agrippa II (the son of Agrippa I) with his sister Bernice and Festus, the Roman governor, listened to St. Paul's defence at Cæsarea (Acts xxv. xxvi.). Felix, the predecessor of Festus, with Drusilla his wife had a private interview with the Apostle; the circumstances of their marriage described below throw light on the governor's terror "as" Paul "reasoned of righteousness and temperance and the judgement to come" (Acts xxiv. 24 f.).

The influence exercised by the Cypriot sorcerer, Atomos, over the Roman governor, finds a curious parallel in the relations of Elymas and Sergius Paulus (Acts xiii. 6 ff.). The Jewish magician there too resides in Cyprus, and in the "Western" text bears a name strangely similar to that of the friend of Felix ([Greek: Et[o]imas], Etoemas, ib. xiii. 8, cod. D).

The Emperor then sent Claudius Felix, the brother of Pallas, to take over the administration of Judæa. Moreover, when he had now completed the twelfth year of his reign, he bestowed upon Agrippa the tetrarchy of Philip and (the region of) Batanæa, adding also Trachonitis, together with the former tetrarchy of Lysanias, namely Abella. At the same time he deprived him of the kingdom of Chalcis, which he had held for four years.

After receiving this award from Cæsar, Agrippa gave his sister Drusilla in marriage to Azizus, king of Emesa,