Early Days in Galilee; Josephus recalls his childhood

There was always a lot of fanfare around my older brother Herod Timothy because of his adoption by Agrippa the Younger, but my brother and I had our share of opportunity and blessings.

My first given name was Agrippa Josephus Aristobulus (often called Yuya by my folks); my little brother Jeshua Justus Aristobulus was the third son born to Ari and Salome, at least by the official story. The inner core let people believe that the first son was from Philip Jahn...few knew the full story.

It was customary for royal women of this era to have their first child out of wedlock or with an arranged husband, as this was one way to ensure a multiplicity of regal, in this case Herodian / Maccabean, bloodlines. Regardless, I was there; Herod Timothy was raised as if he were Ari’s own son, and he was my true brother unto his untimely death.

My dad had been adopted at a relatively young age, and he was a toddler when his mother married Prince Joseph Polli (later King Herod of Chalcis), so he knew how important family would be to Tim’s life and career. When my brother Timothy was appointed Crown Prince at nine years old by being officially adopted by Prince Agrippa, he still lived wth Us and was generally treated no differently than Justus and myself.

To all observers and to themselves, Ari and Salome had three sons, and together with our sisters we were a tight family for over two decades. My aunt Berenice often took Tim to Jerusalem, and sometimes myself or Justus got to go, with her or with mom and dad.

If you have read otherwise just disregard the nonsense for Tim was my brother and one of the most devout disciples of the Way, and carried on his father's teachings in a most respectable and straightforward manner. As much as anyone, Timothy’s allegiance was always to our dad Aristobulus, and later, to brothers James and Paul and the community that followed Jeshua's creed of healing, sharing, peace, freedom and equality.