The Apostolic Age · AD 4–70 · External witness
Herod Agrippa I
d. AD 44 · King of Judaea · Persecutor of the apostles · Jerusalem
External witness
Who Herod Agrippa I was
Grandson of Herod the Great, friend of emperors, and briefly king of his grandfather’s whole realm. “He killed James the brother of John with the sword; and because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also” — the first royal persecution of the church. His end at Caesarea is told twice, by Luke and by Josephus, in uncanny agreement: robed in silver, hailed as a god, “and immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.”
Also listed in non-christian witnesses.
Common questions
When did Herod Agrippa I die?
Herod Agrippa I is dated d. AD 44 in the archive, which places Herod Agrippa I in the Apostolic Age (AD 4–70).
Which early sources mention Herod Agrippa I?
Herod Agrippa I is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Luke, Flavius Josephus and Eusebius of Caesarea. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Herod Agrippa I from?
The archive associates Herod Agrippa I with Jerusalem.
Who were Herod Agrippa I’s contemporaries?
The archive links Herod Agrippa I to 6 other figures, including James, son of Zebedee, Simon Peter, Herod Agrippa II and Herod Antipas. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Scripture record
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Acts 12:23
c. AD 85And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.Luke · read ↗
Antiquities of the Jews 19.8.2 (his death at Caesarea, parallel to Acts 12)
c. AD 93A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner... and when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life.Flavius Josephus · Antiquities 19.8.2 · source text
Ecclesiastical History II.10 (Josephus's account set beside Acts)
c. AD 325Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 30 · Crucifixion, Resurrection and Pentecost, AD 30–33
- AD 44 · Persecution under Herod Agrippa I, AD 44
Place
Places served
The one place the sources put Herod Agrippa I.