Herod Agrippa Analysis

God has shown great mercy over the centuries to those who mock Him and blaspheme. For reasons historians and theologians can only speculate about, however, there are times and instances He chooses to address blasphemy in a dramatic way. Man’s pride can lead down a dark path that can end in conflict with a sovereign God and His judgement against that pride. One such case was Herod Agrippa I. Herod Agrippa I of Acts chapter 12 was the last of the Herodian dynasty to rule with the title of king over Judea. He was the father of Agrippa II to whom Paul witnessed in Acts 26 and the grandson of Herod the Great who was made infamous by his slaughter of babies to eliminate a potential threat to his reign. Agrippa I spent several years in Rome where he became friends with Caligula who later became emperor. His friendship with Caligula eventually won him his appointment in Judea. Caligula’s instability and cruelty are well documented in history. It was Agrippa’s relationship to this cruel and ruthless leader that gained him power and position. The Herods were not actually of Jewish blood and so were never truly accepted as royalty by the Jews. They were, for the most part, clever and …show more content…
He imprisoned Peter and ordered the death of James the brother of John. The Jewish historian Josephus records an account of Agrippa’s hosting of games in honor of Emperor Claudius that supports the Bible story of what happened to Agrippa. At these games in Caesarea, Agrippa wore a robe evidently made with silver thread or some form of silver adornment. When he took the stage to address the people at the games, the sun reflected off the silver of his robe. In response to the dazzling sight, the people called out that they were hearing from a god. Herod did not correct them. He did not give glory to God. He took the praise for himself and not long after experienced stomach pains. He died five days