Berniece and Drusilla Might Be Called Bad Girls of the Bible

Sharing a few biofacts from a non-historian about 2 sisters ~ Berniece and Drusilla, both Jewish princesses. The Jewish historian, Josephus, says the two (2) sisters hated each other. That's probably why there is not much mention of them in history crossing each other. It's likely they just stayed out of each other's way. OR … Big sister was so busy bed-hopping, she didn't have time for her little sister.

Who was Berniece?

After learning a little about a woman named Berniece, I concluded that she was clearly ambitious and her bedroom moves, simply put, were … “power grabs”.

She was the daughter of Herod Agrippa I who was the ruler of Palestine (AD 37-44). (“Political Rulers of Palestine in the New Testament Era”.)

• First, she married an insignificant guy named Marcus. Not sure of the reason why the marriage ended, but she moved on and married her uncle, whose name was Herod. He died shortly thereafter. By the way, her uncle was a king.
• Since she had already married one king, might as well keep the momentum going. She married King Polemo and deserted him shortly after their wedding.
• She moved to Jerusalem and hooked up with Agrippa II, a great-grandson of Herod the Great. He was also her brother, which meant they had an incestuous relationship. (It seems her aim was a little bit higher, so you could call this marriage “a stepping stone”. Just me thinking.)
• Ultimately, she made her way to the bed of two (2) Roman emperors. Some records indicate that she was not only the mistress of Emperor Vespasian but also his son Titus. She became the lover of Titus when he was a general and he continued their relationship when he became emperor.

After her relationship with Titus, she seems to have faded from history.

♦ Who was Drusilla?

Berniece had a little sister and her name was Drusilla, a feminine derivative of the Roman family name Drusus.

Berniece and Drusilla are both mentioned in the New Testament Book of Acts.

Drusilla was the wife of Felix, a Roman governor of Judea, who sent for Paul to hear about Jesus. Before she married Felix, she was married to some guy named Gaius Julius Azizus, who was a priest-king of Emesa.

Drusilla didn't bed-hop as much as her big sister, Berniece; but she did sort of follow her big sister's example. Even though she went backward. Instead of going from governor to king, she went from a king to a governor.

Historical records indicate that she perished in Pompeii during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

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P.S. I am not a qualified historian, so if you see anything incorrect in this short post, feel free to call me out on it.

♦♦♦ ADDITIONAL READING

Berenice | Jewish Women's Archive

A descendant of Herod the Great, Berenice was queen of Chalcis and Cicilia and opposed the Jewish Revolt in 66 CE. She eventually became the lover of Titus, the Roman general (and later emperor) who destroyed Jerusalem.

https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/berenice

Drusilla

Acts 24: 24 Background: After returning to Jerusalem after years of missionary travel Paul was persecuted by  Jewish leaders and accused of sedition (Acts 21- 23). He was taken into custody and taken to the Caesarea to be brought before Felix, the Roman Governor. Felix agreed to listen to Paul and listened as he defended himself against the Jewish accusations (Acts 24: 1-20).  After hearing Paul Felix was interested in him and kept him under his protection for several more days. Then… “After certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.” (Acts 24:24) Facts About Her: Usually I only post facts that can be found in the scriptures, but Drusilla is a well documented historical figure and so I am including those in the facts even though they are not stated in the scripture. She was the wife of Felix, the Roman governor of Judea (Acts 24:24); She was a Jewess (Acts 24:24); She was with Felix when he sent for Paul and “heard him concerning the faith in Christ” but (Acts 24:24); She was the youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa and the granddaughter of Herod the Great; She had two older sisters, Mariamne and Bernice. Bernice also listened to Paul and rejected his teachings (Acts 25: 13-14, 23). Speculations About Her: She was only 6-years-old when her father, Herod Agrippa died. Before he died he betrothed her to to Gaius  Epiphanes, heir of Commagene, on the condition that he embrace the Jewish faith and be circumcised. This marriage did not take place because the groom wouldn’t consent to circumcision and so when she was about 14 or 15 Drusilla was married Gaius Aziz, the king of Emessa.  Who, in order to obtain her hand, was circumcised. ( Source ) According to the Jewish historian Josephus not long after her marriage  Felix, the Roman governor of Judea, saw Druislla and, being attracted by her famed beauty, convinced her to leave her husband for him. Josephus wrote: “While Felix was procurator of Judea, he saw this Drusilla, and fell in love with her; for she did indeed exceed all other women in beauty; and he sent to her a person whose name was Simon, a Jewish friend of his, by birth a Cypriot, who pretended to be a magician. Simon endeavored to persuade her to forsake her present husband, and marry Felix; and promised, that if she would not refuse Felix, he would make her a happy woman. Accordingly she acted unwisely and, because she longed to avoid her sister Berenice’s envy (for Drusilla was very ill-treated by Berenice because of Drusilla’s beauty) was prevailed upon to transgress the laws of her forefathers, and to marry Felix. ”  ( Josephus, Jewish Antiquities , xx.7.2) Drusilla left her first husband, to whom she was never legally divorced from, and went to live as Felix’s wife. She was probably around 20 years of age when she accompanied Felix to listen to Paul’s testimony. She and Felix had a son named Marcus Antonius Agrippa and a daughter Antonia Clem

https://www.womeninthescriptures.com/2013/03/drusilla.html

Bernice And Drusilla: 2 Wicked Sisters

Bernice and Drusilla were two evil sisters who took part in Paul's trial.

https://sharonwilharm.com/bernice-and-drusilla/

Original Source

Did Alexander the Great Think He Was Great?

Alexander the Great, a historical figure that many people like to write or talk about.  Name written in history or not, every human being is just an A-O-P (“another ordinary person.”) Most ordinary people and extraordinary people usually want the same thing. To be happy.  

Do you wonder sometimes if Alexander thought he great?

Here is what you see when you look up close at this son of a king.

• He was a teenager when he started out on the path wherein he was determined to become a memorable military and political leader, whom generals even to this day study to improve their leadership skills and abilities.

Eh! Not really. His dad didn’t like him and wanted to get him out of his face, so he sent him away to fight! No matter who you are, if one or both of your parents don’t like you, that messes with your head!

• He was dead by the time he reached his early 30s.

There are different stories about his death, but if you ask me, I say his mind and body just burned out!

When you look at him up close, you may be moved to think, ‘How awful!!’

There are different stories about how he died, but how he lived wasn’t really all that great either!

By contrast to my own life.

• At age 16, I was just figuring out who I was and what I wanted to be. 1972 marked the year I graduated from high school and my first year at the University of Miami. Also, my beloved father passed away. He was taken away from me, but he never sent me away from him.

• By the time I was in my 30s, I had been happily married to the man of my dreams, with kids, for about a decade. Seems to me like Alexander the Great had a sad life and didn’t do much living at all! After 15 years of nothing but fighting and killing, maybe he was thinking: ‘This is my life? What’s so great about it?’
  

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Related or Similar Articles:
The Seven Kings of Rome
Alexander the Great: God-King or Mere Mortal?

Ten Facts About Alexander the Great (and One Observation)
Ancient Greek and Roman Statues Shown in Their True Colors

Content first published at Literacy Base on April 4, 2017.

Alexander the Great - Boogie Man or Immortal? : Joie de Vivre Magazine ~ https://t.co/GFAlxl8JQH #militaryleaders #ancientGreece #History #lifestyleblogger #alexanderthegreat #ancienthistory #myths and #legends pic.twitter.com/xRbQyboECL

— My Fox Nooze (aka Joie de Vivre Magazine) (@FoxMarks_ATX) August 31, 2019

Another of #AlexanderTheGreat's many #Alexandria's found in #Iraq with #drone #tech.#Secrets Of #Drone #Archaeologyhttps://t.co/YRUTTZPUDU

— CelebrateGreece.com (@CelebrateGreece) August 26, 2019

The Death of #AlexandertheGreat: One of History's Great #UnsolvedMysteries https://t.co/8Fym6nwyM9 via @lithub #history #Greece #persia #Babylon

— CorneliaAmiri (@CorneliaAmiri) August 28, 2019

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Ancient History: Kingdoms: Lydia and Persia

A quick history lesson sharing a few facts about two ancient kingdoms: Lydia, an ancient kingdom of Central Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), and Persia (modern-day Iran).

Ancient History: Kingdoms: Lydia and Persia

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The Olive Tree has been highly regarded since ancient times ...

The olive branch holds a special place in Jewish and Christian beliefs and traditions.

There were olive trees in the garden of Gethsemane where Jesus and his disciples often withdrew to for spiritual solace. There are still olive trees growing in Gethsemane today.

Olive trees are considered as "Immortal" because they can live for up to two hundred years, and just before a tree dies, new branches sprout from its roots.

Throughout history, the olive tree has been regarded as a symbol of peace and goodwill.

There are artists living and working in the Holy City of Bethlehem who specialize in sculpting unique treasures and creating inspirational art from olive wood.  

• The craft of olive wood carving has been practiced since the 4th century.

Lion and Lamb Olive Wood Carving

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Glackens - Hillside with Olive Trees Poster by Virginia5050
Shop for a Poster template or design online at Zazzle.com

Have you visited my partner site ~ Joie de Vivre Magazine Blog?

Book Review: The Signature of God (and Other Book Reviews)

Wrote some book reviews a few years back. 

Sharing the links.  The first is actually my favorite; published 2013.  

How do we know that God wrote the Bible? Simple! He signed it!

Book Review: The Signature of God by Grant R. Jeffrey

The Handwriting on the Wall - St Benedicts Catholic Church | Source: Wikimedia Commons

● ● ● ● Other Book Reviews:

• A wonderful book for children written by Miska Miles, which was published in 1971: “Annie and the Old One”.

• "Unstoppable Me!: 10 Ways to Soar Through Life"  ~ Dr. Dyer's first children's picture book where he lays out a plan that encourages children to achieve their dreams.

• If you like true stories, mysteries that are finally solved, and ever wondered about ships that set sale and then disappeared - here are four books about Ships Lost at Sea that tell the tales.

• Into classical literature?  Voltaire's "Candide" has been deemed his most significant work.  I disagree.  But that's just me. Brief Bio of Voltaire and Intro to Candide.

The Seven Kings of Rome

The Seven Kings of Rome

There was once a group of villages on seven hills which grew into an empire. But how did it happen?

If your curiosity is peaked by this brief presentation of the history of ancient Rome and wants to learn more, you will find two book recommendations at the end of the article.

Ancient History | Military Leaders | Alexander the Great

“My father will get ahead of me in everything, and will leave nothing great for me to do.” 
~ Alexander the Great
 
Historical records indicate this is what Alexander the Great said when others informed him about his father’s conquests.

Alexander the Great: God-King or Mere Mortal?

Image Credit: Close up of Alexander on the Alexander Mosaic, in the Naples National Archaeological Museum. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Legends, Myths, Fables, Folklore, Culture on Pinterest

My Pinterest account is a business account, thanks to the graciousness of the company owners. It also includes collections that are not business-related. The boards had been created when the account was a personal account and even though I converted to a business account, I kept the my pinboards. 

One of my favorite personal collections is Legends, Myths,Fables, Folklore, Culture. 

"Pegasus is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion also known as a horse usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as horse-god, and foaled by the Gorgon Medusa." Wikipedia

If you have some free time, you really should visit and peruse my pins. My collection includes what the usual that Westerners have come to expect when you say the word “mythology”, i.e. winged horses, unicorns and Greco-Roman gods and goddesses. 

But there are also pins for anything and everything from Poliahu,the Hawaiian snow goddess TO A List of Poisonous Plants and Herbs and Their Lore.

Collected some information about nymphs.  Publishing the post here and will share it via Pinterest.  Enjoy!

(P.S.  I'm also expanding my collection to Tumblr.  See my first reblogged post below.)

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“Nymphs = in Greek and Roman mythology, one of the lesser goddesses, portrayed as beautiful girls who inhabited fountains, mountains, rivers and trees.” Source

Image credit: The Water Nymph By: Francois Martin-kavel

The Seven Kings of Rome

The Seven Kings of Rome

There was once a group of villages on seven hills which grew into an empire. But how did it happen? During the reign of Emperor Augustus, the historian Livy (Titus Livius) gathered myths, legends, folklore (possibly adding in facts and information that could be verified or authenticated by others) and wrote down the story of how the Roman Empire came to be.

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http://foxnet2017.tumblr.com/post/156689813676/victoriousvocabulary-oceanid-noun-sea

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