Aretas Ἀρέτας
King of the Nabataeans in Damascus
Biography
Aretas is mentioned in the New Testament, in 2Co.11.32, where Paul recounts his escape from Damascus. According to Paul, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest him. This event likely occurred shortly after Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, as he had begun preaching the gospel and faced opposition from both Jewish and Gentile authorities.
Aretas IV Philopatris was the king of the Nabataeans, an Arab kingdom centered in Petra (in modern-day Jordan), from roughly 9 BC to AD 40. The Nabataeans controlled the trade routes in the region, and their influence extended to Damascus during this period. The exact date of Paul's escape from Damascus is uncertain, but it is generally believed to have taken place in the mid-30s AD, during the reign of Aretas IV.
The mention of Aretas in 2 Corinthians provides historical context for Paul's early ministry and the challenges he faced as he spread the gospel message. It also demonstrates the political complexity of the region, with various authorities, both Jewish and Gentile, opposing the growing Christian movement.
In Scripture
1 biblical book2 Corinthians 1 verse
- 2 Corinthians 11:32
"In Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the Damascenes’ city, desiring to arrest me."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Strong's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Greek | Ἀρέτας | G0702 |
Encyclopedia Article
ISBE 1915 (Public Domain) Aretas
o an Arabian king, who was a contemporary of Antiochus Epiphanes (circa 170 BC), before whom Jason the high priest was accused.
2Obodas
Another Arabian prince of this name, surnamed Obodas (Ant., XIII, xv, 2; xvi, 2; XVI, ix, 4) defeated Antiochus Dionysius and reigned over Coele-Syria and Damascus. He participated with Hyrcanus in the war for the Jewish throne against his brother Aristobulus, but the allies were completely defeated at Papyron, by Aristobulus and Scaurus, the Roman general. The latter carried the war into Arabia and forced Aretas to make an ignominious peace, at the price of three hundred talents of silver. Of that event a memorial denarius still exists, with a Roman chariot in full charge on the one side and a camel on the other, by the side of which an Arab is kneeling, who holds out a branch of frankincense.
3Aeneas
The successor of Obodas was apparently surnamed Aeneas and this is the Arabian king who figures in the New Testament (2Co 11:32; compare Ac 9:24). The Aretas, here mentioned, is the father-in-law of Herod Antipas, who divorced his wife to marry Herodins, the wife of his brother Philip (Mt 14:3; Mr 6:17; Lu 3:19). Josephus (Ant., XVIII, v, 1,3) gives us a circumstantial narration of the events leading up to and following the conduct of Antipas. Coupled with a boundary dispute, it occasioned a bitter w ar between the two princes, in which Antipas was completely overwhelmed, who thereupon invoked the aid of the Romans. Tiberius ordered Vitellius, proconsul of Syria, to make war on Aretas and to deliver him dead or alive into the hands of the emperor. On the way, at Jerusalem, Vitellius received intelligence of the death of Tiberius, March 16, 37 AD, and stopped all warlike proceedings (Ant., XVIII, v, 1,3). According to 2Co 11:32, Damascus, which had formerly belonged to the Arabian princes, was again in the hands of Are tas, when Paul escaped from it, not immediately after his conversion, but on a subsequent visit, after his Arabian exile (Ga 1:16,17). It is inconceivable that Aretas should have taken Damascus by force, in the face of the almost omnipotent power of Rome. The picture moreover, which Josephus draws of the Herodian events, points to a passive rather than an active attitude on the part of Aretas. The probability is that Cajus Caligula, the new emperor, wishing to settle the affairs of Syria, freely gave Damascu s to Aretas, inasmuch as it had formerly belonged to his territory. As Tiberius died in 37 AD, and as the Arabian affair was completely settled in 39 AD, it is evident that the date of Paul's conversion must lie somewhere between 34 and 36 AD. This date is further fixed by a Damascus coin, with the image of King Aretas and the date 101. If that date points to the Pompeian era, it equals 37 AD, making the date of Paul's conversion 34 AD (Mionnet, Descript. des medailles antiques, V, 284-85).
Henry E. Dosker
ar'-gob ('argobh, "story"): A locality or a person mentioned in the obscure passage 2Ki 15:25. The context deals with Pekah's conspiracy against Pekahiah; but it is not clear, o