Agrippa II

Reviews / Votes

"Neglected in relation to his forefathers such as Herod, Antipas or his father Agrippa I, neglected even in relation to his own sister Berenice who maintained an idyll with Titus the destroyer of the temple of Jerusalem, Agrippa II has never been the subject of any biography. This error is now corrected thanks to this little book very familiar with the news of research on a large number of topics concerning Roman Judea ... We now better understand the extent of our ignorance about the last of the Herodians and it is certain that this work will now be essential for the examination of the dynasty." - Michael Girardin, Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2020

"...outstanding study ... Jacobson excellently threads the reader through the onomastic complexities of the Herodian dynasty, which can be baffling to all (a partial stemma is included) ... Included in the biographical narrative of Agrippa II is a solid account of the Roman-Jewish war. Even though this topic has been previously studied in detail, the author's clear and concise rendition (86-120) is one of the most valuable now available for these years ... The book broadly includes important ancillary material. Most notable is a long discussion and catalog of the inscriptions relating to the king--nearly 40 in all--written by David F. Graf (145-72). This brings all Agrippa II inscriptions into one place. Another essential supplement is a discussion (with photographs) of over a dozen of the king's coins (173-97), which demonstrate the romanization that took place during his reign, as Roman motifs and Latin inscriptions begin to appear over the years ... this will long be the definitive study of Agrippa II, and is an essential addendum to the examination of the ever-fascinating Herodian world." - Duane W. Roller, Classical Journal 2020

"[A]n excellent workable summary for both scholar and layperson interested in the first century Land of Israel and its environs and in anything and everything that may have affected Agrippa II or upon which he may have had an effect." - Joshua Schwartz, Review of Biblical Literature

"Overall, the portrait of Agrippa II the author presents is so interesting that the book can be recommended to a wide range of readers." - Edward Dabrowa, Sehepunkte 2020"An impressive piece of scholarship - the footnotes are well worth reading - this is a valuable work for any scholar of the period and particularly for the study of the First Romano-Jewish War."-The NYMAS Review

"An impressive piece of scholarship - the footnotes are well worth reading - Agrippa II, a volume in the series "Routledge Ancient Biographies", is a valuable work for any scholar of the period and particularly for the study of the First Romano-Jewish War." - A. A. Nofi, Agade

"Agrippa II fait-il desormais l'objet d'un ouvrage de reference, bien construit et tres au fait de l'ensemble des decouvertes. Refusant la facilite d'hypotheses improbables, Jacobson pose les bonnes questions, quitte a laisser ouverte la reponse jusqu'a ce que de nouveaux documents permettent de repondre avec des arguments pertinents. Une lecture excitante, un roi qui merite d'etre decouvert, bref, un grand livre." - Maurice Sartre, Syria[Agrippa II is now the subject of a reference work, well-constructed and very familiar with all the discoveries. Rejecting the ease of improbable assumptions, Jacobson poses the correct questions, leaving the answers open until new documents allow one to respond with relevant arguments. An exciting read about a king who deserves to be discovered, in short, a great book.]