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Frederick E. Brenk - S.J Filippo Canali De Rossi, «The ‘Notorious’ Felix, Procurator of Judaea, and His Many Wives (Acts 23–24)», Vol. 82 (2001) 410-417
Confusion exists over both the gentilicium and the wives of Felix. As for the name, possibly both Antonius and Claudius are correct. In any case, the attempt to assign only the name Claudius to Felix rests on rather shaky ground. As for his wives, possibly none was a descendant of Kleopatra VII. But if she were, she would be a great-granddaughter rather than a granddaughter of the famous queen. An inscription adduced to fix Felix’ name and career is beset with many problems. Finally, we should take his reputation as ‘notorious’ with a grain of salt. But whether notorious or not, his rise was remarkable, deserving of awe if not admiration.
In the ‘Banquet of Trimalchio’ of Petronius’ Satyrica, the hero, who like Felix began as a slave, boasts of once being a frog but now, a king: Sic amicus uester, qui fuit rana, nunc est rex (77). Felix had more right to call himself rex, married as he was to a queen. In any case his remarkable rise from slave to high society, if not to sovereignty but at least to trium reginarum maritus, denotes a man of surprising capabilities. Tacitus might damn him, but to many of his contempories he must have been the hero of a success story.
3. Appendix on the Bir el-Malik Inscription for Titus Mucius Clemens14
In support of the ‘high probability’ that Felix’ name was Tiberius Claudius Felix, Kokkinos adduces this inscription from Israel. Without enough comparative material, one cannot reconstruct the text with any certainty. Moreover, an important part of the inscription is missing. Kokkinos has restored it as follows:
[Ti/]twi
Mouki/wi Ma/rkou ui(w=i [tribu?]
[Kl]h/menti
e)pa/rxwi st[rateu/matoj pezikou=?]
basile/wj
mega/lou 'Agri/p[pa bohqw=i]
Tiberi/ou 'Aleca/ndrou e)pa/r[xou
'Ioudai/aj]
5 e)pa/rxwi
spe/irhj prw/t[hj Hrw?]
dianh=j i(ppikh=j vac.
b[ohqw=i]
Tiberi/ou Klaudi/o[u
Fh/likoj]
e)pitro/pou Se[bastou=
'Ioudai/aj]
Simwni/dhj kai_ T[......]
10 ui(oi_
tw=(i) e(autw=n [patri_
kai_ eu)erge/thi?]
xa[i=re]
The Latin equivalent for the positions held in lines 2-4 would be the following:
praefectus exercitus (= cohortis) peditatae regis magni Agrippae;
adiutor Tiberii Alexandri praefecti (prouinciae) Iudaeae;
praefectus cohortis primae Herodianae equitatae;
adiutor Tiberii Claudii Felicis procuratoris Augusti Iudaeae15.
The inscription would read somewhat as follows (making allowances for the missing letters in Greek):
To Titus Mucius, [son of] Marcus [tribu?],
Clemens, prefect of the infantry cohort
of King Agrippa the Great, [military adiutor of]
Tiberius Alexander, the [prefect of (the province of) Judaea],
prefect of the first cohort of [Hero-]
dian cavalry, [military adiutor]
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