Aretas IV Philopatris (
Nabataean Aramaic
Nabataean Aramaic is the Aramaic variety used in inscriptions by the Nabataeans of the East Bank of the Jordan River, the Negev, and the Sinai Peninsula. Compared to other varieties of Aramaic, it is notable for the occurrence of a number of loa ...
: 𐢗𐢓𐢆 𐢊𐢛𐢞𐢞 𐢛𐢊𐢒 ''Ḥārīṯat Rāḥem-ʿammeh'', "Aretas, friend of his people") was the
King of the Nabataeans from roughly 9 BC to AD 40.
His daughter
Phasaelis
Fasayil or Fasa'il ( ar, فصايل) is a Palestinian village in the northeastern West Bank, a part of the Jericho Governorate, located northwest of Jericho and about southeast of Nablus. The closest Palestinian locality is Duma to the west. Th ...
was married to, and divorced from,
Herod Antipas
Herod Antipas ( el, Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπας, ''Hērǭdēs Antipas''; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "H ...
. Herod then married his stepbrother's wife,
Herodias
Herodias ( el, Ἡρῳδιάς, ''Hērǭdiás''; ''c.'' 15 BC – after AD 39) was a princess of the Herodian dynasty of Judaea during the time of the Roman Empire. Christian writings connect her with John the Baptist's execution.
Family relat ...
. It was opposition to this marriage that led to the beheading of
John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
. After he received news of the divorce, Aretas invaded the territory of Herod Antipas and defeated his army.
Rise to power
Aretas came to power after the assassination of
Obodas III
The Rulers of Nabataea, reigned over the Nabataean Kingdom (also rendered as ''Nabataea'', ''Nabatea'', or ''Nabathea''), inhabited by the Nabateans, located in present-day Jordan, southern Syria, southern Israel and north-western Saudi Arabia.
Th ...
, who was apparently poisoned.
Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...
says that he was originally named Aeneas, but took "Aretas" as his throne name. An inscription from
Petra
Petra ( ar, ٱلْبَتْرَاء, Al-Batrāʾ; grc, Πέτρα, "Rock", Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: ), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu or Raqēmō, is an historic and archaeological city in southern Jordan. It is adjacent to t ...
suggests that he may have been a member of the royal family, as a descendant of
Malichus I
Malichus I or Malchos I (Nabataean Aramaic: ''Malīḵū'' or
''Malīḵūʾ'') was a king of Nabataea who reigned from 59 to 30 BC.
Malichus was a possible cousin of Herod the Great of the Herodian kingdom. When Herod fled Judea in 40 BC to e ...
.
The capital of his kingdom was a prosperous trading city, Petra, some 170 miles south of Amman. Petra is famous for the many monuments carved into the rose-red sandstone. The power of the Nabateans extended over the caravan routes south and east of Judea, from the seventh century BC to the second century AD.
His full title, as given in the inscriptions, was "''Aretas, King of the Nabataeans, Friend of his People.''" Being the most powerful neighbour of
Judea
Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous L ...
, he frequently took part in the state affairs of that country and was influential in shaping the destiny of its rulers. While not on particularly good terms with
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, and though it was only after great hesitation that
Augustus
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...
recognized him as king, he nevertheless took part in the expedition of
Varus against the Jews in the year 4 BC, and placed a considerable army at the disposal of the Roman general.
Aretas had two wives. The first was
Huldu to whom he was already married when he became king. Her profile was featured on Nabataean coins until 16 AD. After a gap of a few years the face of his second wife,
Shaqilath
Shaqilath (Nabataean Aramaic: , ''ŠQYLT''; also spelled ''Shaqilat'', ''Shaqeela'', ''Shaqeelah'', ''Šagīlat'') was a queen of the Nabataeans.
She was the second wife and co-ruler of Aretas IV of the Nabataeans in AD 16–40.
She married Kin ...
, began appearing on the coins.
Defeat of Herod Antipas
Aretas' daughter,
Phasaelis of Nabataea, married
Herod Antipas
Herod Antipas ( el, Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπας, ''Hērǭdēs Antipas''; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "H ...
, otherwise known as Herod the Tetrarch. Phasaelis fled to her father when she discovered her husband intended to divorce her in order to take a new wife,
Herodias
Herodias ( el, Ἡρῳδιάς, ''Hērǭdiás''; ''c.'' 15 BC – after AD 39) was a princess of the Herodian dynasty of Judaea during the time of the Roman Empire. Christian writings connect her with John the Baptist's execution.
Family relat ...
, mother of
Salome. Herodias was already married to his brother,
Herod II
Herod II (ca. 27 BC – 33/34 AD) was the son of Herod the Great and Mariamne II, the daughter of Simon Boethus the High Priest. For a brief period he was his father's heir apparent, but Herod I removed him from succession in his will. Some writ ...
, who died around AD 33/34. Antipas married Herodias. According to Christian accounts, it was opposition to this marriage that led to the beheading of John the Baptist. However, the Jewish-Roman historian Josephus depicts John's execution instead as being a preemptive effort to prevent a rebellion.
Aretas invaded Herod Antipas' domain and defeated his army, partly because soldiers from the region of
Philip the Tetrarch (a third brother) gave assistance to King Aretas. Josephus does not identify these auxillery troops (he calls them 'fugitives'), but Moses of Chorene identifies them as being the army of King Abgarus of Edessa. Antipas was able to escape only with the help of Roman forces.
Herod Antipas
Herod Antipas ( el, Ἡρῴδης Ἀντίπας, ''Hērǭdēs Antipas''; born before 20 BC – died after 39 AD), was a 1st-century ruler of Galilee and Perea, who bore the title of tetrarch ("ruler of a quarter") and is referred to as both "H ...
then appealed to Emperor
Tiberius
Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...
, who dispatched the governor of Syria,
Lucius Vitellius the Elder
Lucius Vitellius (before 7 BC – AD 51) was the youngest of four sons of procurator Publius Vitellius and the only one who did not die through politics. He was consul three times, which was unusual during the Roman empire for someone who was ...
, to attack Aretas. Vitellius gathered his legions and moved southward, stopping in Jerusalem for the passover of AD 37, when news of the emperor's death arrived. The invasion of Nabataea was never completed.
The Christian Apostle
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
mentions that he had to sneak out of Damascus in a basket through a window in the wall to escape the
ethnarch
Ethnarch (pronounced , also ethnarches, el, ) is a term that refers generally to political leadership over a common ethnic group or homogeneous kingdom. The word is derived from the Greek words ('' ethnos'', "tribe/nation") and (''archon'', "l ...
of King Aretas (
2 Corinthians
The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author named Timothy, and is addressed to the church in Corinth and Christians in the ...
11:32, 33, cf
Acts
The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message ...
9:23, 24). Proposals that control of Damascus was gained by King Aretas between the death of
Herod Philip in 33/34 AD and his death in 40 AD are contradicted by substantial evidence against Aretas controlling the city before 37 AD and many reasons why it could not have been a gift from Caligula between 37 and 40 AD. Most uncertainty stems from whether troops belonging to Aretas actually controlled the city, or if Paul was referring to "the official in control of a Nabataean community in Damascus, and not the city as a whole." Several have proposed that Aretas briefly annexed Damascus after 37 AD.
[Douglas Campbell. "An Anchor for Pauline Chronology: Paul's Flight from "The Ethnarch of King Aretas" (2 Corinthians 11:32-33)". Journal of Biblical Literature 2002.]
Aretas IV died in AD 40 and was succeeded by his son
Malichus II
Malichus II (Nabataean Aramaic: ''Malīḵū'' or ''Malīḵūʾ'') was ruler of Nabatea from 40 to 70 AD.
Malichus' reign is sometimes perceived as a period of declining Nabataean power, but this view depends in part on Nabataea having contro ...
and daughter
Shaqilath II
Shaqilath II (Nabataean Aramaic: , ''ŠQYLT''; fl. 70), was a queen of the Nabataeans.
She was the daughter of Aretas IV of the Nabataeans. She ruled jointly with her husband Malichus II in 40–70. After his death she was regent for her son Ra ...
.
See also
*
List of biblical figures identified in extra-biblical sources
These are biblical figures unambiguously identified in contemporary sources according to scholarly consensus. Biblical figures that are identified in artifacts of questionable authenticity, for example the Jehoash Inscription and the bullae of Ba ...
*
List of rulers of Nabatea
The Rulers of Nabataea, reigned over the Nabataean Kingdom (also rendered as ''Nabataea'', ''Nabatea'', or ''Nabathea''), inhabited by the Nabateans, located in present-day Jordan, southern Syria, southern Israel and north-western Saudi Arabia.
Th ...
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aretas 04 Philopatris
1st-century BC Nabataean monarchs
1st-century Nabataean monarchs
1st-century BC births
40 deaths
People in the Pauline epistles
Roman client rulers
1st-century BC rulers in Asia
1st-century BC Arabs