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