Nadav Sharon, «Herod's Age When Appointed Strategos of Galilee: Scribal Error or Literary Motif?» biblica, Vol. 95 (2014) 49-63 page 59

Vol 95 (2014)

Nadav Sharon, «Herod's Age When Appointed Strategos of Galilee: Scribal Error or Literary Motif?», Vol. 95 (2014) 49-63

In Antiquities Josephus says that Herod was only fifteen-years-old when appointed strategos of Galilee in 47 BCE. This is often dismissed as scribal error and corrected to twenty-five, because it contradicts other Herodian biographical information. However, this unattested emendation does not fit the immediate context, whereas 'fifteen' does. This paper suggests that rather than a scribal error, this is a literary motif, presenting Herod as a particularly young military hero. The specific age of fifteen may have had a deeper intention, fictively linking Herod's birth to the year 63, the year of Augustus' birth and Pompey's conquest of the Temple.

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03_Biblica_Sharon_Layout 1 01/04/14 11:46 Pagina 59 59 HERODâ€™S AGE WHEN APPOINTED STRATEGOS OF GALILEE and the like (Suetonius, Aug. 2.3, 4.2); and both encountered great difficulties in bequeathing their realms. Additional, more legendary, details of their biographies are similar as well: the rule of both is said to have been prophesied long before (Augustus: Cassius Dio 45.1-2; Herod: Ant. 15.373-375); and both are said to have survived (near) shipwrecks at one point or another (Augustus: Suetonius, Aug. 8.1; Herod: War 1.280; Ant. 14.377). Such a similarity of bi- ographies could have easily influenced a historian, who personally knew them both and wrote about both, to, intentionally or uninten- tionally, transfer details from one to the other, especially from Au- gustus to Herod â€” given Nicolausâ€™ apparent tendency to embellish Herodâ€™s life story. This may be the case with the issue at hand. Fur- thermore, it is noteworthy that Augustusâ€™ first appointment to public office, the office of pontifex, took place, according to Nicolaus (Vit. Caes. F 127 4) 30, when he was approximately fourteen years old, but scholars tend rather to fix that appointment to when he was fifteen 31. In this context two points in Nicolausâ€™ writings are noteworthy. First, the extant fragments of his biography of Augustus detail in rel- ative length the childhood and youth of the Princeps (frg. 127) 32, ex- pounding upon his charm and genius, as well as other such characteristics and accomplishments (although he is not portrayed as a military hero). Second, in his autobiography Nicolaus reports the case of the people of Ilium who were fined by Marcus Agrippa. With the assistance of Nicolaus they were able to get Herod to intercede on their behalf, and the king succeeded in having the fine annulled (frg. 134) 33. In his biography of Augustus Nicolaus reports a rather similar story about Octavian, for which he is the only source 34: while he was with Caesar at New Carthage in Spain his assistance was re- quested by the people of Saguntum, against whom there were some charges. Octavian indeed interceded on their behalf and persuaded Caesar to absolve them from the charges (frg. 127, 12) 35. It is easy to see that these two incidents indicate some similarity, in Nicolausâ€™ mind, between the heroes of his two works. 30 FGH II, 392. 31 P. SOUTHERN, Augustus (London â€“ New York 1998) 12, 203 n. 19. 32 FGH II, 391-396. 33 FGH II, 421-422. 34 SOUTHERN, Augustus, 205 n. 28. 35 FGH II, 395-396.