Tetrarch living at the time of the New Testament
Herod Agrippa I was a king who persecuted the early church, killing James and imprisoning Peter.
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Herod Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled as king over Judea, Samaria, and other regions from 41 to 44 AD. In the book of Acts, he is portrayed as a persecutor of the early Christian church. Herod Agrippa I had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword (Act.12.1-2). Seeing that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well, intending to bring him out for public trial after the Passover (Act.12.3-4). However, an angel miraculously freed Peter from prison (Act.12.6-11). When Herod Agrippa I discovered Peter's escape, he had the guards executed (Act.12.19). Later, Herod Agrippa I was involved in a dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon (Act.12.20). On the appointed day, he delivered a public address to them, and the people shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man!" (Act.12.21-22). Immediately, an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died (Act.12.23). (Act.12.1-23).
Part of: The Herods
The "Herod the king" of Acts 12 who killed James is Agrippa I, a grandson of Herod the Great according to Josephus. He briefly reunited the family territories under one rule.
Sources: Scripture · Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews
Both were children of Aristobulus, son of Herod the Great, per Josephus. That makes Agrippa I, who killed James, the brother of the woman who engineered John's death.
Sources: Scripture · Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews
Herod Agrippa I executed James, the brother of John, and imprisoned Peter at Passover before an angel freed him. Acts then records his death in Caesarea in Acts 12:20-23.
Sources: Scripture
Josephus says Agrippa I was the father of Agrippa II, Bernice, and Drusilla. The NT names Agrippa, Bernice, and Drusilla in Acts 24-26 without spelling out that they are siblings.
Sources: Scripture · Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews
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6 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G2264
About that time, King Herod reached out to harm some who belonged to the church.
On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.
Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herodʼs grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
After Herod had searched for him unsuccessfully, he examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent some time there.
Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the kingʼs chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the kingʼs country for food.
On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.