The Real Paul of Royal Descent – The Son of Herod Antipas
Herod Antipas (ruled 4 B.C.-A.D. 39) Jesus called him “the Fox” (Luke 13:32). Received a quarter of his father’s territory (Galilee and Perea). Divorced his first wife and married Herodias, the wife of his brother (who was yet a different “Herod”).
He killed John the Baptist.
Pontius Pilate sent Jesus to see this Herod as part of Jesus’ trial since this Herod was visiting Jerusalem at the time Jesus was sentenced to death. Did you know that Pilate and Herod Antipas became friends that day (Luke 23:12)?
Paul was the Son of Herod Antipas and his first wife Phasaelis, step-brother of Salome, daughter of Herodias. Acts 23:16 mentions “Paul’s sister’s son” and here Luke slips up and reveals that Paul Saul is not a Jew but St. Paul is a Herodian!
Paul was deceptive when he claims: “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I.”(2Corinthians 11:22)
“I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees.” (Acts 23:6) “Circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;” (Philippians 3-5)
“My manner of life from my youth, spent from the beginning among my own nation and at Jerusalem (Qumran), is known by all the Jews. They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee.” (Acts 26:4)
“I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors”. (Galatians 1:14)
“I indeed, am a man, a Jew, having been born in Tarsus of Cilicia, and brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, having been trained up a child, according to the exactitude of a law of the fathers, being zealous of God, as all you are to-day.” (Acts 22:3)
“Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, ‘Yes.’” (Acts 22:25-27)
Inductive reasoning shows that the sister in “Paul’s sister’s son” Acts 23:16 would have to be his step-sister Salome, the daughter of Herodias, the wife of Herod Antipas.
This implies that Paul is a Herodian, the son of Herod Antipas and his first wife Phasaelis who was the daughter of King Aretas IV of the Nabataeans and his queen Chuldu. Herod’s first marriage had been prearranged by Herod the Great to preserve peace with King Aretas IV. (Herod the Great’s mother was a Nabataean.) When Herod Antipas divorced Phasaelis to marry Herodias, John the Baptist opposed him, which lead to his beheading, and it caused a war with the Nabataeans that Herod Antipas lost. It is for this reason that Paul’s ancestry was concealed.
The son in “Paul’s sister’s son” Acts 23:16 would be Timothy (Herod, son of Aristobulus and Salome, the daughter of Herodias) who was made the crown prince of Agrippa II who was childless. His presence is likely because his brother is present: Paul is accused of taking Trophimus (Aristobulus, the brother of Timothy) into the Temple in Acts 21:28-29.
Paul’s relationship is further supported by Romans 16:13:
Greet Rufus (Thomas: Esau had red hair), eminent in the Lord, also his mother (Mariamne II) and mine (Herodias, step-mother).
Salome’s natural father is Herod Thomas and thus would be Paul’s step-uncle. (Herod Thomas is nicknamed Rufus because his father Herod the Great deprived him of his birthright when his mother Mariamme II, daughter of the High Priest Simon Boethus, was found to know of a plot to poison Herod the Great. (Herod Thomas was Rufus because he was like the red haired Esau who was deprived of his inheritance by Jacob.) “Chosen in the Lord” refers to the fact that he is Jesus’ disciple Thomas.) Herod Thomas’ mother Mariamme II would be Paul’s step-grandmother, however it is more likely that Paul is saying that Herodias, being Herod Thomas’ wife, has the role of mother to Salome and therefore also as step-mother to Paul. Romans16:13
Paul’s relationship is also supported by the verses above in Romans 16:10b-11:
“Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus. Greet my kinsman (the) Herodian.” Salome’s husband is Aristobulus and is therefore Paul’s step-brother-in-law and they are all Herodians as Aristobulus is the son of Herod of Chalcis, the natural brother of Herodias, both having the same father Aristobulus, who was murdered by his father Herod the Great. This murdered Aristobulus was married to Bernice daughter of Salome, the sister of Herod the Great. (Herod Antipas was step-brother to this murdered Aristobulus as he was the son Herod the Great and his Samaritan wife Malthace.)
Salome’s three sons with Aristobulus were Herod, Agrippa, and Aristobulus; their Christian names were Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus. These would be Paul’s nephews since he is the step-brother of Salome, since she is the step-daughter of Herod Antipas.These three nephews of Paul are shown together in Acts 20:4: “He (Paul) was accompanied by … Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.” Paul’s association and love for Timothy is not surprising as Timothy would be his nephew.
Paul (Saul) heritage would be 1/8 Edomite (forcibly converted to Judaism by John Hyrcanus c. 125 BC) from his great grandfather Antipater + 1/8 Nabatean-Arab from his great grandmother Cypros + 1/4 Samaritan (resettled by Sargon II king of the Assyrians) from his grandmother Malthace, wife of Herod the Great) + 1/2 Nabatean-Arab from mother Phasaelis, Herod Antipas’ wife. (Paul would have been circumcised to emphasize Jewish heritage and be able to claim that he was from the tribe of Benjamin from his Samaritan grandmother, but certainly not a pure Jew.)
So the truth is now out there and it explains many things such as the Jews adamantly opposing Paul and how he was escorted to Caesarea with a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen (Acts 23:23) and why he was beheaded by Nero as opposed to Peter who was crucified. It also explains why Jesus’ Church was absorbed by the Herodian Church with Paul’s letters becoming paramount in its development.
Paul reveals himself by using a revealing alias throughout his writings, Apollonius of Tyana, his REAL name.
