Gaius Julius Alexander Berenicianus

Gaius Julius Alexander Berenicianus (Greek: ο Γαίος Ιούλιος Αλέξανδρος Βερενικιανός, about 75-about 150) was a Cilician Prince and second-born son to King Gaius Julius Alexander and Queen Julia Iotapa of Cetis. His eldest brother was prince Gaius Julius Agrippa.

Surviving inscriptions on Berenicianus reveals that his family were related to important members of Asian, non-Jewish and Jewish aristocracy. Berenicianus was of Jewish, Armenian, Nabataean, Edomite, Greek and Medes descent. His paternal grandfather was Armenian King Julius Tigranes. Through Tigranes, he was a descendant of King Archelaus of Cappadocia, King of Judea Herod the Great and Queen Mariamne I. Berenicianus with his father and eldest brother were among the last known descendants of the Herodian Dynasty.

Berenicianus through his mother, was a descendant of the Kingdom of Commagene. His maternal grandparents were King Antiochus IV of Commagene and Queen Julia Iotapa. They were descendants from the Greek Syrian Kingdom the Seleucid Empire and the Greek Egyptian Kingdom the Ptolemaic dynasty.

The Kingdom of Cetis was a small client state under the Roman Empire. Cetis was a small distinct in Cilicia that was previously ruled by Antiochus IV and his royal ancestors from Commagene. The Roman city in Cilicia Elaiussa Sebaste was apart of the Kingdom. When Berenicianus’ parents married in Rome in 58, then Emperor Nero crowned his parents as monarchs and gave them that distinct to rule.

Berenicianus was born, raised and educated in Cetis. Berenicianus like his brother and father was an Apostasy to Judaism. However, his name indicates that the family connections from the Herodian Dynasty were not wholly broken. It is unlikely that Berenicianus attempted to exert influence on Judean Politics.

In 94, Berenicianus along with Agrippa entered the Roman Senate. Surviving inscriptions also reveal the career of Berenicianus. Berenicianus served as a suffect consul in 116. Between 132-133, he was Proconsul of the Roman Province of Asia. While Berenicianus was Asian Proconsul, he appeared to have been a patron of the arts. During his proconsulship, the bishop and later saint Judas Cyriacus died or was killed in a riot during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 133. A possible descendant of Berenicianus or his brother was the usurper of the 3rd century Jotapianus.

ources

*Cite book
publisher = Brill
isbn = 9004125787
volume = 9
last = Burrell
first = Barbara
title = Neokoroi: Greek Cities and Roman Emperors
location = Leiden, Boston
series = Cincinnati classical studies, new ser.
date = 2004
oclc = 53013513
*Cite book
publisher = Routledge
isbn = 0415289173
pages = xvi
last = Grainger
first = John D.
title = Nerva and the Roman succession Crisis AD 96-99
location = London, New York
date = 2003
oclc = 52012210
url = http://books.google.com.au/books?id=QHrQoDLNBUIC&pg=PT19&lpg=PT19&dq=Iotape+of+Commagene&source=web&ots=aZ3hKg3uDr&sig=Y_zdZhNP-qNZE6WIDNivPPm-Urg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result
*Cite web
last = Meckler
first = Michael L.
coauthors = Christian Körner
title = De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors
accessdate = 2008-08-17
date = 1999-06-07
url = http://www.roman-emperors.org/philarab.htm
*Cite book
publisher = Brill
isbn = 9004092307
pages = 137
last = Schwartz
first = Seth
title = Josephus and Judaean politics
location = Leiden, New York
series = Columbia studies in the classical tradition
date = 1990
url = http://books.google.com.au/books?id=N7MfAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA137&lpg=PA137&dq=Josephus+and+Judaeans&source=web&ots=SEyM2xsmUF&sig=cnUmwXLFJReya8TtjcLsGbNoKes&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result
oclc = 21595783