The Jewish War

Who is Archelaus from The Jewish War and what is their importance?

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The name Archelaus was used by two individuals in The Jewish Wars. The earliest was King Archelaus from Cappadocia. He was the father-in-law of Herod's son Alexander.

The other Archelaus was the son of Malthace, who was one of five significant wives of Herod. On his deathbed, Herod named Antipas his successor which cut out both Archelaus and Philip. The dying monarch later modified his will naming Archelaus his heir, and Antipas as tetrarch. After Herod's death, Archelaus faced rebellion, and he attempted to minimize the obvious hostilities so that Caesar would approve his succession to the throne.

Caesar later made Archelaus "ethnarch" of half the kingdom and promised to make him king if he deserved it. He split the other half kingdom between Herod's sons; Philip and Antipas. Archelaus brutality toward the Jews and Samaritans led Caesar to banished him and confiscate his property into treasury. The tetrarchies of Philip and Antipas were unaffected.

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The Jewish War