I. BERENICE, the Daughter of Agrippa, sirnamed the Great, King of the Jews, and Sister to young Agrippa, King also of the Jews. She was first of all betrothed to Mark the Son of Alexander Lysimachus, Alabarch of Alexandria; afterwards she married Herod King of Chalcis, her own Uncle by the Father’s side1. The death of Herod King of Chalcis happened in the year of J. C. 48.After the death of Herod a proposal was made with her consent to Polemon King of Pontus, and part of Cilicia, that upon condition he would be circumcised, she would marry him. Polemon accepted this offer, and the match was consummated. But Berenice did not continue long with him. She returned to her Brother Agrippa, with whom she lived after such a manner, as made all the world talk of her2. She was one day present with her Brother Agrippa, and heard the discourse which S. Paul made before Acts xv. 13---25.Festus at Cæsarea of Palestine. Titus the Son of Vespasian had a friendship for Berenice, and Vespasian himself made her large presents3.
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Footnotes
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Antiq. l. xx. c. 5. p. 693. ↩
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Translators’ note. Juvenal takes notice of this incestuous commerce between the Brother and the Sister. Satyr. VI. v. 156. Deinde Adamas notissimus, & Berenices In digito factus pretiosior: hunc dedit olim Barbarus; incestæ dedit hunc Agrippa Sorori. ↩
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Tacit. l. ii. Hist. c. 81. ↩