The following article begins a series from author Mike Velthouse on Biblical Obscurities. For years, Mike has written articles for his church's monthly newsletter on a number of "obscurities" in the Bible, highlighting the unsung histories of some little-known places, characters, and events in the Bible. Many of these stories, including that of "Archelaus," arise from a single Bible passage! We will be reprinting many of those articles in the next few months here on the RFPA blog. Join our email list here to receive a notification in your inbox for new additions to this series.

“The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” (Dan. 4:17)

It all began with an extravagant funeral and ended in disgrace and banishment to a faraway land.

King Herod didn't want anyone to forget his funeral. He ensured it had the same decadence and self-aggrandizement that he had displayed in life, so his subjects would remember it forever. The procession began at Herod's summer palace in Jericho. With all the pomp and circumstance of a military parade, it headed 23 miles West to the Herodium, Herod's pleasure palace and final resting place south of Jerusalem. Herod himself led the way, embalmed and carried on a golden bier.

But the Jews were left to wonder: Who would be their next king? Would it be Antipas, son of Herod’s Samaritan wife Malthake? Or possibly Philip, Herod’s son with a Jewish wife named Cleopatra? What would Herod’s last testament reveal? 

Herod’s powerful sister Salome held the key. It was she who would ensure his final will would be executed flawlessly.

So, who should appear close behind Herod’s body, decked in his father’s royal regalia, carrying the kingly scepter, and announcing himself to the world as the new king of Judea? Not Philip, not even Antipas, but Herod's other son with Malthake: Archelaus.

Right away, in 4 B.C., the 19-year-old Archelaus proved petty and incompetent. He lacked the political savvy of his father, and his first instinct to solve any crisis seemed to be to resort to force. Immediately, there were whispers of rebellion. When meeting with Jewish leaders before his first Passover as ruler, he didn’t wear purple to represent his kingship, but white, the color priests wore as a sign of purity.

Even bigger problems were on the horizon. Jews who had come to Jerusalem from all over the country to celebrate the Passover gathered in the temple court to demand that Archelaus implement significant changes from his father Herod's brutal policies, including lowering taxes and releasing political prisoners. The crowds grew larger, and the chants became louder. The imminent revolt came alive. Instead of personally negotiating with the leaders of the people, Archelaus deployed troops to break up the demonstrations. In retaliation, the people began throwing stones, killing some of the officers. The situation quickly became more violent. More infantry and cavalry arrived to fight back, and in the end, about 3,000 Jews were killed in the temple precinct. Blood stained the temple courtyard. Archelaus then cancelled Passover. What could have been an opportunity for Archelaus to ensure his claim to power instead alienated him from the Jews, the very people he was expected to rule.

In the wake of the rebellion, Caesar Augustus summoned Archelaus to appear before him in Rome. Augustus had not even officially approved Herod’s will yet, and this horrible and violent revolt had already taken place under Archelaus’ watch. Besides, Archelaus was not the only one of Herod's potential heirs who had travelled to Rome. Antipas, who never stopped wanting to rule Judea, had appeared before Caesar to challenge Herod’s will.

In addition, delegations of Jews travelled to Rome to protest Archelaus’ harsh rule over them. They argued for direct Roman rule and the abolition of the Herod family authority.

In the end, Augustus blessed Herod's will due to his friendship with Herod. He divided the three regions of Israel among the three sons of Herod. Antipas ruled Galilee (north) and Perea (east). Philip’s territory included the area to the east and north of Galilee, on the east side of the Jordan River. The most prized land went to Archelaus: Samaria, Judea, and Idumea (formerly Edom). Archelaus would remain in power, but not with the title of king. He would be called an ethnarch, a ruler in charge of a specific ethnic group. His reign would remain intact, but under close scrutiny from Rome.

Things, however, did not improve after Augustus' decree. Even while Archelaus stood before Augustus, street fighting between Jews and law enforcement continued. Some of the temple’s porticos were even destroyed by fires. When Archelaus returned to Jerusalem, he continued to defy Jewish laws by deposing a legitimate high priest (Joazar) and appointing his own brother (Eleazer) instead. He also married the widow of another brother, a violation of Jewish custom.

Archelaus ruled with a firm hand. For example, when he wanted to expand his opulent palace in Jericho, he seized surrounding private property and wells that had belonged to Jewish families for generations. He displaced these families so that he could divert those wells to water his own date palm tree plantations.

Finally, Caesar Augustus had had enough. In 6 A.D., after receiving many complaints from Jews and Samaritans alike, he summoned Archelaus to Rome for one final interrogation. After 10 years of hearing about Archelaus’ tendency for violence, constant shows of strength by force, and disruptions of Rome’s precious Pax Romana, Augustus had no choice. He deposed the corrupt and cruel Archelaus from the position of ethnarch of Judea. 

Archelaus' punishment? Banishment. He was exiled to Gaul (France) for the remaining 12 years of his life. Incidentally, Archelaus’s exile took place in what is today Vienne, France. At that time, the city contained a temple dedicated to Caesar Augustus. Every day for the rest of his life, Archelaus would see this temple and constantly be reminded of the man who banished him.

Archelaus reigned for only 10 years, but his legacy for cruelty, tyranny, and being unfit for rule remains widely known. Although he’s only mentioned in the Bible once, Archelaus isn’t just a background Bible character. His actions resulted in two important events that God used to fulfill His plan of redemption.

The first is a narrative well-known to us. After an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him it was safe to leave Egypt after fleeing from Herod, Joseph and his family returned to Israel. But when Joseph heard that Archelaus reigned in Judaea

in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:  And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. (Matt. 2:22-23).

God used the fear of Archelaus’ reputation to bring Joseph, Mary, and Jesus to Nazareth, thus fulfilling an Old Testament prophecy.

The other event may not be so obvious at first glance. After Augustus deposed and exiled Archelaus, he did not replace him with Antipas (as much as Antipas wanted that). Instead, Judea was placed under direct Roman rule and became a Roman military colony. No more ethnarch. No more Herod. Starting in 6 A.D., Rome ruled Judea through a prefect. You may not have heard of the first three prefects Rome appointed, but you for sure know the fourth: Pontius Pilate. This history set the scene for Jesus’ condemnation by a Gentile who at that time represented the current world empire. 

We believe in Jesus Christ, who “suffered under Pontius Pilate.” God used the judgment of this Roman prefect to crucify Jesus, thus accomplishing our salvation through that atoning death.

Note: The Gregorian calendar we use was invented by a monk named Dionysius Exiguus in 525. It's believed to be about 5-6 years off, so that’s why Archelaus’ reign has an estimated start of 4 B.C. instead of 2 A.D., as readers might have assumed.

Mike Velthouse is an avid reader. In 2020 he began writing articles for his church’s newsletter about people and places from Bible history. Since then he has published one book, Journey Through the Psalms, and many articles for children in the magazine Ignited by the Word.

__________

Like what you've read? Click the image below to learn more about the thirty-day devotional Journey Through the Psalms, available now on rfpa.org and in Christian bookstores near you!