Women in The Early Years of the Church
"Drusilla and Berenice"
Key Scripture: Acts 21-26
Drusilla Name Means: "watered by the dew."
Berenice Name Means: "victorious."
Their Character: Both of them were shameless. They were heiresses of station, temptations, personal beauty and fascination of manner, and ungovernable passions!
Pre-Story: 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).
Drusilla and Berenice were nieces of Herod Antipas. (who beheaded John the Baptist.) They were the 4th generation from Herod the Great, great-granddaughters of the man who tried to kill Jesus. Their aunt Herodias was the one who engineered the situation to request John’s head.
Drusilla Story: Drusilla, a Jewess, was the daughter of Herod Agrippa I. Her father, just prior to his death, betrothed Drusilla, at age six to Callinicus, the Prince of Commagene. The betrothal was annulled as Callinicus did not become circumcised, so she was given in marriage at the tender age of 14 to Azizus, king of Emesa.
They lived in a territory, now called Lebanon, that was under the control of Rome. Felix the procurator of Judea, first saw Drusilla while on a visit to King Azizus, and fell madly in love with her. Felix determined to have her, and employed a friend, Simon Atomus, a Cyprian sorcerer to persuade Drusilla to desert Azizus, and become Felix' wife.
Now married to Felix, she was interested in her Jewish heritage, with its expectation of a coming Messiah, and the furor surrounding the examination of Paul, she asked Felix to arrange a private meeting for them with Paul. Felix knew quite a bit about Christians, but Drusilla wanted to hear Paul explain to her, concerning the faith in Christ. Felix agreed.
Instead of talking about the doctrine and differences between Judaism and Christianity, Paul reasoned with Felix and Drusilla on three subjects. Righteousness, Temperance, and Judgment to come! Most likely they viewed Paul as an interesting character and were prepared to be educated and even entertained by his message. What they weren't prepared for though was the way in which Paul's testimony would shake them because as Acts 24:25 says, " ... as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgement to come, Felix trembled..."
Paul took advantage of his trial before Drusilla and Felix to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. Drusilla had turned her head against the lessons that Paul was trying to teach. (Acts 24:24). Both Drusilla and Felix were wicked, immoral, vile and greedy people. They both exchanged worldly pleasures and physical gratifications for eternal glory and joy.
Bernice Story: Berenice of Cilicia, also known as Julia Berenice. Berenice was a member of the Herodian Dynasty that ruled the Roman province of Judaea. She was also the daughter of King Herod Agrippa I.
Berenice is described as the one "who vexed the church" (Acts 12:1). She was also Jewish. She was very beautiful, but insanely jealous of Drusilla's beauty. The behavior and conduct of Bernice was scandalous even the citizens of Rome would not accept.
After her Father died, while still a girl in her teens, she was given in marriage to her uncle Herod of Chaleis, old enough to be her father. At twenty, a widow with two children, she came to Rome to the house of her brother; and there was nothing, either in his character or in hers to prevent horrible suspicions of them from being in an incestuous relationship.
To avert scandal, she was married to Polerno, a petty king in Asia Minor, whom she soon deserted, and returned to the society of Agrippa. She spent much of her life at the court of Agrippa, and by all accounts shared almost equal power.
At forty-two, twice a widow, and of infamous reputation, her fascinations had so captivated the heart of Titus, the emperor’s son, who was eleven years her junior. She became his lover.
She lived with Titus at the palace and reportedly acting in every respect as his wife. The Roman populace however perceived the Eastern Queen as an intrusive outsider, and when the pair was publicly denounced them, Titus caved in and sent Berenice away.
It is not known what happened to Bernice after her final dismissal from Rome. Her brother Agrippa died around 92 and with him the Herodian Dynasty came to an end.
There is no record that Drusilla and Berenice, sisters who hated each other, ever got another chance to hear the Gospel.
If heredity stands for anything, its lessons are forcibly taught in the history of the Herodian family. For instance, Berenice and her sister Drusilla were two of the most corrupt and shameless women of their time in Roman history. As Bernice, a wicked woman who lived an incestuous life, listened to Paul’s impassioned appeal as he repeated what God had done for his soul, one wonders what impression it made upon her evil heart.
As her brother listened, he said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” Acts 26:28. What a different record would have been written if Agrippa and Bernice had repented of their sordid sin, and yielded their lives to Him whose blood can make the foulest clean!
Lesson We Can Learn from their Legacy: Our purpose for studying women like Drusilla and Berenice is to avoid their heart. Just like Felix and Drusilla, too often many of us hear the message of the gospel, we may even go to church every week, read our scriptures, and listen to the prophets, but we don't allow the message to get past our minds and into our hearts.
Genealogy:
Drusilla: Born Circa A.D. - 79 AD
Children: Marcus Antonius Agrippa, (Son) · Antonia Clementiana, (Daughter)
Bernice: 28 AD – 81 AD
Children: Vespasiana Polla. (Daughter) · Bereniceianus Chalcis, (Son) · Hyrcanus Chalcis. (Son).
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