MedLawPlus.com®
|
Doris, first wife of Herod
As with all things Josephus, I started out in a simple little hunt on the internet to learn more about Herod's first wife and found myself headlong in the midst of historical controversy.
Doris, twice married to Herod (47-42/37; 14-7 BCE) and the first of his ten wives, has attracted little attention despite her involvement in watershed events during Herod's career. The paper questions the scholarly consensus (with one exception) that Doris was an Idumaean, and argues for a different ethnic and social descent.
Introduction to "Doris, Herod's first wife" by Bezalel Bar-Kochva.FN1. I was unable to find an English version of Mr. Bar-Kochva's work on the web so I am ignorant of his thesis. Nonetheless, the quote reproduced above piqued my interest to learn more about Doris. FYI, Doris' 2nd marriage to Herod lasted until the trial of her son Antipater in 5 BCE (although Bar-Kochva indicates 7 BCE).
All we know of Doris, first wife of Herod, comes from Josephus. I have summarized what Josephus has to say about Doris below:
- "For as [Herod] had formerly married a wife out of his own country of no ignoble blood, who was called Doris, of whom he begat Antipater * * * ." Jewish Wars I:12:3.
- "For when he came to the government, he sent away her whom he had before married when he was a private person, and who was born at Jerusalem, whose name was Doris * * *." Jewish Wars I:22:1 (emphasis added).
- "[Herod] had also married before this another wife, out of a lower family of his own nation, whose name was Doris, by whom he had his eldest son Antipater." Antiquities XIV:12:1.
- "So the king having satisfied himself of the spite which Doris, Antipater's mother, as well as himself, bore to him, took away from her all her fine ornaments, which were worth many talents, and then sent her away, and entered into friendship with Pheroras's women." Antiquities XVII:4:2. (5 BCE when Doris' son was tried before Varus for conspiracy in murder plot against Herod.)
- "Thendion, the brother of the mother of Antipater, the king's son * * *." Antiquities XVII:4:2.
- "After the execution of Aristobulus (6 BCE), his wife Berenice became the wife of Thendion, maternal uncle of Antipater." Antiquities XVII:1:1 and Jewish Wars I:28:1.
The first item above is a bit of a trick statement through utilization of a double negative--"of no ignoble blood". "Ignoble" means without nobleness. Thus, the phrase literally means 'no, not noble blood'. In plain English, Josephus is saying Doris was of noble blood. The statement from Antiquities, Book XIV 12:1 is also confusing--"of a lower family". Is this a direct contradiction to the statement from Wars, Book I, Chapter 12? I think not. Right before the contrary phrase found in Antiquities, Book XIV 12:1, Josephus is discussing his second wife Mariamne of the Hasmonean dynasty. I believe the quote from Antiquities is saying that Doris was from a lower family than Mariamne. To summarize, my take on the quotes from Josephus is that he tells us Doris is of a noble family of Edom but, in Josephus' Jewish eyes, of a lower family than his wife Mariamne, the Hasmonean. Note: Remember that Josephus claims to be descended from Hasmonean kings.
What did it mean to be of Edomite royal blood in ancient times? Jewish King David nearly wiped out the royal family in Edom when he captured the country: "[W]hen David conquered the nation of Edom, Joab his army commander went there to bury those who had died in battle. Joab and his soldiers stayed in Edom six months, and during that time they killed every man and boy who lived there." 1 Kings 15-16. Only one Edomite princeling, named Hadad, escaped the slaughter by going to Egypt where he married Pharaoh's sister-in-law who later bore him children. After King David died, Hadad returned to Edom to reclaim his kingdom. We are told Hadad did "evil" to Solomon after reclaiming his kingdom in Edom; Hadad "abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram (Syria)". 1 Kings 11:25. The footnote to 1 Kings 11:25 found in my Ryrie Study Bible (1978) says Hadad took the southern part of Solomon's kingdom. If Hadad recaptured Edom from Solomon and, also, captured Syria, it's reasonable to assume he invaded Southern Judea as well given that he "abhorred" Israel.
Strangely, 1 Kings 11 also tells us that, among Solomon's 700 wives, he had an Edomite princess. The Edomite nobility save Hadad was wiped out by King David. Therefore, Solomon's Edomite princess is the daughter or granddaughter of Hadad. How does this happen between fierce enemies in the ancient world? It means a peace treaty was concluded. And Hadad seems to be the one with the upper hand in the war between Edom / Syria and the Jews. Given the military might of Hadad, in all probability Solomon was required by the treaty to send a son or daughter for marriage into Hadad's family. This is how equals concluded treaties with each other and ended wars in the ancient world.
Beyond the royal family of Edom, we know King David's army killed all the males of Edom and left behind soldiers to man fortresses in the country for over a decade until Hadad reclaimed his homeland (assuredly with Egyptian backing). Further, Hadad's Edomite army most likely occupied portions of southern Judea. What do soldiers of every nation and every time do when occupying a foreign land? They fornicate like crazy with the local women. Consider also that when the Babylonians overran Judea and destroyed Solomon's temple, Edom was a land to which Judeans escape from the invaders. I've read that the Jews accepted Herod as Jewish. His mother was Nabataean (Arab) but his father was an Edomite. Edomites were newly converted Jews in the days of Herod. Scratching beneath the surface, one sees a historical record for heavy interspersion of Jewish blood in Edom. In this light, it makes sense that Herod could have claimed to be Jewish by blood and religion.
Back to Doris and the Edomite Royal Family
Edom had ceased to be a separate kingdom having been conquered by the Hasmoneans who ruled Palestine prior to Herod. We know that Doris, as a member of the Edomite royal family, was part Egyptian. Given the intermarriage between the royal families of Solomon and Hadad, there is a reasonable chance Doris was also a blood descendant of Jewish King Solomon. With this as a background, what does Doris' birth in Jerusalem tell us? Her son Antipater was born in 46 BCE. It's reasonable to assume she was a young woman at this time. I guestimate her birth year to have been about 66 BCE. This was roughly forty years after Hasmonean King John Hyrcanus captured and annexed Edom. It was a common practice at this time for hostages from the royal family of a captured nation (if not the entire royal family) to be forcibly taken to the capital of the conquering nation. The logical conclusion is that Doris was born in Jerusalem because her royal family had been living there for over four decades as semi-hostages. Did the Edomites intermarry with Jewish royalty during their long stay in Jerusalem? This would be logical if the Edomite royal family was also of Jewish royal through Solomon.
Let's also consider Herod's motivations in selecting a wife. Herod was 26 years of age in 47 BCE when his first son Antipater was conceived. A reasonable assumption is that Herod married Doris not long before the conception of his first child. Already in 47 BCE, Herod was the Roman appointed governor of Galilee. His father Antipater held a title such as chief minister to Hasmonean King Hyrcanus II but Hyrcanus was weak leaving Antipater to basically run the kingdom on behalf of the Romans. When the young Herod went to Jerusalem to seek a wife, obviously he sought the highest born woman he could obtain. Given his family's near complete control of the Jewish kingdom, Herod could have nearly any woman he desired with one caveat. In 47 BCE, Herod was the #2 son of Antipater. His brother Phasael was #1 and governor of Jerusalem, the capital. Galilee is viewed more as a Jewish backwater. The leading Jewish royal family of the day are the Hasmoneans. The second leading Jewish family at this time were the descendants of Solomon (i.e., the Davidic princes). However, the royal Solomon / David line resided in Babylon from their captivity in 586 BCE and (with a few exceptions) never returned to Judea. They royal Davidic line residing in Babylonian became rules of a semi-autonomous territory in that land. Those few of Davidic royal blood who returned to Judea took the title Nasi (prince) and served on the Sanhedrin but never made a claim to the Jewish throne.
Was Doris a descendant of the Jewish King Solomon? Considering the evidence, I think a strong inference exists that she was. When Herod chose his first wife, Edom was a minor part of the Jewish kingdom which Herod's father administered. Herod must have sought to burnish his credentials as a Jew at the time he married Doris. Consider further that Doris' brother, Thendion, was given the Herodian princess Berenice as wife. Bernice was a high ranking Herodian, daughter of Herod's sister Salome and the widow the Herodian-Hasmonean prince Aristobulus. She was the Jewish queen mother when her son Herod Agrippa ascended to the Jewish throne. It would be unusual for Herod to have married off his niece Berenice to a non-Jew after the execution of her first husband Aristobulus. Why? The very high rank of her Herodian-Hasmonean children who would form the backbone of Herod's future dynasty.
Consider further that upon the death of his father and older brother (Phasael), Herod dumped Doris for a princess from the leading Jewish royal family--the Hasmoneans. However, after executing his Hasmonean wife Mariamne, Herod brought back and remarried Doris. Why? He had many other wives at that time including the daughter of the high priest (Boethus). It only makes sense if Doris held higher blood rank than the daughter of Kohanim. For me, these facts indicate Doris was partially of Jewish royal blood that was lesser than Hasmonean but greater than Kohanim. Only one bloodline fits that description--Davidic royalty. Nonetheless, I recognize the evidence is only circumstantial with ample room for contrary opinion.
JJR
8-3-2008
FN1 Unfortunately, this document is in Hebrew and only available for purchase in hardcopy format from some outfit in France. I don't speak Hebrew so, if anyone out there has an English translation, please drop me a line. I'm very interested in knowing the arguments set forth therein.
|
|
|
