Peter's wife's mother (clue to Peter's royal connections)
| Mark's Miracle #2 - Mother-in-law: Glaphyra healed (See Mark's Twelve Miracles) |
Mark 01:29 And immediately, having come forth out of the synagogue, they went to the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John, Mark 01:30 and of Simon (Peters)'s' wife's mother was lying fevered, and immediately they tell him about her, Mark 01:31 and having come near, he raised her up, having laid hold of her hand, and the fever left her immediately, and she was ministering to them.
Matt 08:14 And Jesus having come into the house of Peter, saw his wife's mother laid, and fevered, Matt 08:15 and he touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she arose, and was ministering to them.
Luke 04:38 And having risen out of the synagogue, he entered into the house of Simon, and the Simon (Peters)'s' wife's mother was pressed with a great fever, and they did ask him about her,
Luke 04:39 and having stood over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her, and presently, having risen, she was ministering to them.
Peter's mother-in-law was Glaphyra and his wife was her daughter. The first clue is that mother-in-law implies that Peter is married, but more importantly the setting appears to be a church. Right after the mother-in-law was healed, she "serves" them (officiates as a Mother Superior ).
There are two significant pieces of information from this healing which uses the two meanings of the word pentheran (πενθερὰν) showing Peter as having a mother "in law" therefore being married and from its other meaning to have a Mother Superior. That Peter had a wife is confirmed in 1Corinthians 9:5 (Note: Paul uses Cephas for Peter). Being the house of Peter and Andrew and James and John, it must be a Church and this Church would be located in Ein Feshkha, three miles south of Qumran. Three of the men are Gentiles: Andrew (clearly from his name as not Jewish ) and James and John being illegitimate sons of the Roman Emperor's family. Although Peter is Jewish as shown in his strict dietary rules (The Conversion of Cornelius (Luke) and Ritual Separation), he was married and therefore unclean like the Gentiles (uncircumcised) and women (uncircumcised = having unclean periods). Thus the four men were classified according to Essene rules to be the same as the women, having the same Mother Superior, obviously living in separate spaces. (When Peter's wife died, he abstained from intercourse and can be seen to be ordained as a Cardinal in Acts 12:3-11.)
The healing, of course, is not a healing, but an further clarification of Jesus' Water to Wine miracle which raised the status of women and Gentiles. Mother Superior was sick because, being under the stricter Essene rules, she could not officiate at important affairs. Jesus raised her status here and this is indicated by immediately officiating (ministering unto them!). The change of status of women would allow women to officiate during their "unclean" periods. This event would be personally important to Peter, as married men like him and Gentiles (uncircumcised) were grouped together with women in status (uncircumcised = having unclean periods). By raising the status of women, he also raised Peter's married status and the Gentiles. He presented it as a healing in his Gospel of Mark, which was then copied by Matthew and Luke.
That Gentiles were in the same status as women in shown in the
Gospel of Philip "When we were Hebrews, we were orphans and had only our mother, but when we became Christians, we had both father and mother."
Glaphyra, the daughter of King of Cappadocia, was married to Alexander, the son of Herod the Great in 18BC by Augustus Caesar. Although of Greek, Armenian and Persian descent, she converted to the Jewish religion. That Glaphyra had two sons followed by a daughter is confirmed by Josephus Antiquities 17.1.2 ("Alexander had two sons by Glaphyra") and 17.13.1 ("Alexander had three children by her). In 7BC Herod suspected both of his sons Alexander and Aristobulus of treason and hanged them. After Herod the Great's death, Archelaus the son of Herod the Great and Malthace would be made Ethnarch of Judea . He was married to Mariamme, the youngest daughter of Aristobulus, but had an affair with Glaphyra, not as a second wife according to Josephus.
Josephus Antiquities 17.8.4 "The like accident befell Glaphyra his wife, who was the daughter of king Archelaus, who, as I said before, was married, while she was a virgin, to Alexander, the son of Herod, and brother of Archelaus; but since it fell out so that Alexander was slain by his father, she was married to Juba, the king of Libya; and when he was dead, and she lived in widowhood in Cappadocia with her father, Archelaus divorced his former wife Mariamne, and married her, so great was his affection for this Glaphyra; who, during her marriage to him, saw the following dream: She thought she saw Alexander standing by her, at which she rejoiced, and embraced him with great affection; but that he complained o her, and said, O Glaphyra! thou provest that saying to be true, which assures us that women are not to be trusted. Didst not thou pledge thy faith to me? and wast not thou married to me when thou wast a virgin? and had we not children between us? Yet hast thou forgotten the affection I bare to thee, out of a desire of a second husband. Nor hast thou been satisfied with that injury thou didst me, but thou hast been so bold as to procure thee a third husband to lie by thee, and in an indecent and imprudent manner hast entered into my house, and hast been married to Archelaus, thy husband and my brother. However, I will not forget thy former kind affection for me, but will set thee free from every such reproachful action, and cause thee to be mine again, as thou once wast. When she had related this to her female companions, in a few days' time she departed this life." (Corresponds to Mark, Matt, and Luke: "the fever left her and she ministered to them", thus not death, but removal of excommunication.) Josephus also gives a story about Glaphyra which claims that she married Juba II after Alexander's death then shortly after this Juba dies and she married Archelaus shortly before 6AD which violated Jewish law because she had children with Alexander. Then her guilt about this caused her to die.
All of these events in Josephus about Glaphyra's marriage to Juba are lies. (In typical style Josephus' fabrications are there to pretend to the righteousness of Glaphyra because of her importance to Herodian Church, but she was clearly a courtesan like her mother Glaphyra who had a relationship with Mark Antony, persuading him to make her real husband into the King of Cappadocia.):
"The leaders and people honor Queen Glaphyra daughter of King Archelaus and wife of King Juba on the account of her virtue" and yet no inscription of Glaphyra in Juba's kingdom of Libya, it must be assumed that her virtue was being extolled by generous contribution and that they were whoring about.
The association of Glaphyra with whoring is intriguing as this would also be leveled against Helena, the consort of Simon Magus, and Bernice, the daughter of King Herod Agrippa and called the "Great Whore of Babylon" , both were Mother Superiors of the Asher Herodian convent. In closer examination of the parable of the Prodigal Son, Theudas, can be seen associating with harlots when Judas the Galilean established Qumran as headquarters for his revolt against Rome. This reference clearly relates to Glaphyra as the Mother Superior at that time. (Although they are referred to as harlots, they were not mere street-walkers but classified as Hetaera, in fact the grandmother of Glaphyra, also called Glaphyra, was a Hetaera became one of the mistresses to the Roman Triumvir Mark Antony gaining the kingdom for her son who became the King of Cappadocia. The Hetaera were not adverse to capturing the super elites with their sexual wiles as Cleopatra did with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony: Glaphyra with Juba II, Helena with Simon Magus, and Bernice with the Emperor Titus.) Josephus saying that she died because of her guilt was probably some sort of excommunication that could easily be lifted. (See Peter kills Ananias (Simon Magus) and Sapphira (Helena) because they held back money to the Church.)
(Augustus’ daughter Julia, the mother of James and John was once asked how she could be so active in extra-marital affairs and yet all her children looked like Agrippa (her husband). She answered that once you are already pregnant it was safe to play around.)
Bernice, the Mother Superior, during the ministry of Peter and Paul used the Nazarite vows to clear her sins shown in:
Josephus Wars of the Jews 2.15.1: "About this very time king Agrippa was going to Alexandria, to congratulate
Alexander upon his having obtained the government of Egypt from Nero; but
as his sister Bernice was come to Jerusalem, and saw the wicked practices
of the soldiers, she was sorely affected at it, and frequently sent the
masters of her horse and her guards to Florus, and begged of him to leave
off these slaughters; but he would not comply with her request, nor have
any regard either to the multitude of those already slain, or to the nobility
of her that interceded, but only to the advantage he should make by this
plundering; nay, this violence of the soldiers brake out to such a degree
of madness, that it spent itself on the queen herself; for they did not
only torment and destroy those whom they had caught under her very eyes,
but indeed had killed herself also, unless she had prevented them by flying
to the palace, and had staid there all night with her guards, which she
had about her for fear of an insult from the soldiers. Now she dwelt then
at Jerusalem, in order to perform a vow
which she had made to God; for it is usual with those that had been either
afflicted with a distemper, or with any other distresses, to make vows;
and for thirty days before they are to offer their sacrifices, to abstain
from wine, and to shave the hair of their head. Which things Bernice was
now performing, and stood barefoot before Florus's tribunal, and besought
him [to spare the Jews]. Yet could she neither have any reverence paid
to her, nor could she escape without some danger of being slain herself."
Clearly, Glaphyra was Mother Superior as Bernice was and it would be logical to assume that Peter had married Glaphyra's daughter, making Glaphyra his mother-in-law. This healing by Jesus, in addition to a raising of status, would also be an absolution of sin prior to her impending death. The presence of James and John would indicate that their step-mother Helena would be taking her place. (This can be shown in the Clementines.)
Since Glaphyra was disliked by Herod's family, it is quite likely that her daughter would have been an outcaste and Peter, like many of the other disciples, could have been a freedman of the Herods serving Glaphyra with Andrew being a freedman from Glaphyra's home country of Cappadocia, thus his non-Jewish name.. (This can be supported by the fact that Peter first Epistle (1 Peter) was addressed to Cappadocia.)
Acts of Peter: Peter's daughter, a virgin (metaphorically 'crippled') is called Petronilla . Tradition says she was a martyr and was buried in the Catacomb of Domitilla, indicating that she must have been adopted by Flavian Family who were related to Clement, who later became Pope. This supports Peter's connection with the Herods and the Roman royal families. (Clement of Alexandria in Stromata, Book 3, 52 says "Peter and Philip had children". Although he mistakely took the daughters of Philip" as children instead of nuns, it shows that Peter had at least one child.)
As to Peter, contrary to common belief, Jesus does not make Peter the rock upon which the Church will stand. He uses a Janus Parallelism in Confession of Peter ultimately saying that his church is founded on the rock of Moses rather than Peter being the rock as is commonly misinterpreted. (Greek Septuagint reads Petra(4703) for rock.) He recognizes Peter as the first to declare him the Christ but at the same time establishes his church on the rock (petran) that Moses struck which brought forth living water (Numbers 20:11 The Greek Septuagint reads Petra(4703) for rock.).
The existence of the Greek form, Petros, even among Aramaic-speaking Jews some time before Peter's Confession is confirmed in the leather fragment 4Q130, that contains Petros, in a precise Aramaic transcription of the Greek spelling in addition to Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and even Latin names like Aquila, Dallui, Eli, Gaddi, Hyrcanus, Jannai, Magnus, Malkiha, Mephisbosheth, Zakariel. Consequently there was no need for Jesus to make up his name as "Petra": rock. He was Simon Peter all along namely because of the confusion of Simon Magus and other Simon's.
Peter's name, being derived from פטר (patar) meaning "Firstborn", defines him as the "Protos" in Josephus Antiquities of the Jews ,which Whiston translates as "Peter", who is a freed-man of Bernice, Agrippa's mother.
JOSEPHUS: ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS (tr. William Whiston)
BOOK XVIII
CONTAINING THE INTERVAL OF THIRTY-TWO YEARS. FROM THE BANISHMENT OF ARCHELUS TO THE DEPARTURE FROM BABYLON.
CHAPTER 6.
OF THE NAVIGATION OF KING AGRIPPA TO ROME, TO TIBERIUS CAESAR; AND NOW UPON HIS BEING ACCUSED BY HIS OWN FREED-MAN, HE WAS BOUND; HOW ALSO HE, WAS SET AT LIBERTY BY CAIUS, AFTER TIBERIUS’S DEATH AND WAS MADE KING OF THE TETRARCHY OF PHILIP.
3. Hereupon Flaccus received him kindly, and he lived with him. Flaccus had also with him there Aristobulus, who was indeed Agrippa's brother, but was at variance with him; yet did not their enmity to one another hinder the friendship of Flaccus to them both, but still they were honorably treated by him. However, Aristobulus did not abate of his ill-will to Agrippa, till at length he brought him into ill terms with Flaccus; the occasion of bringing on which estrangement was this: The Damascens were at difference with the Sidonians about their limits, and when Flaccus was about to hear the cause between them, they understood that Agrippa had a mighty influence upon him; so they desired that he would be of their side, and for that favor promised him a great deal of money; so he was zealous in assisting the Damascens as far as he was able. Now Aristobulus had gotten intelligence of this promise of money to him, and accused him to Flaccus of the same; and when, upon a thorough examination of the matter, it appeared plainly so to be, he rejected Agrippa out of the number of his friends. So he was reduced to the utmost necessity, and came to Ptolemais; and because he knew not where else to get a livelihood, he thought to sail to Italy; but as he was restrained from so doing by want of money, he desired Marsyas, who was his freed-man, to find some method for procuring him so much as he wanted for that purpose, by borrowing such a sum of some person or other. So Marsyas desired of Peter ("Protos"), who was the freed-man of Bernice, Agrippa's mother, and by the right of her testament was bequeathed to Antonia, to lend so much upon Agrippa's own bond and security; but he accused Agrippa of having defrauded him of certain sums of money, and so obliged Marsyas, when he made the bond of twenty thousand Attic drachmae, to accept of twenty-five hundred drachma as less than what he desired, which the other allowed of, because he could not help it. Upon the receipt of this money, Agrippa came to Anthedon, and took shipping, and was going to set sail; but Herennius Capito, who was the procurator of Jamhis, sent a band of soldiers to demand of him three hundred thousand drachmae of silver, which were by him owing to Caesar's treasury while he was at Rome, and so forced him to stay. He then pretended that he would do as he bid him; but when night came on, he cut his cables, and went off, and sailed to Alexandria, where he desired Alexander the alabarch to lend him two hundred thousand drachmae; but he said he would not lend it to him, but would not refuse it to Cypros, as greatly astonished at her affection to her husband, and at the other instances of her virtue; so she undertook to repay it. Accordingly, Alexander paid them five talents at Alexandria, and promised to pay them the rest of that sum at Dicearchia [Puteoli]; and this he did out of the fear he was in that Agrippa would soon spend it. So this Cypros set her husband free, and dismissed him to go on with his navigation to Italy, while she and her children departed for Judea."The statement that Peter and Andrew were brothers suggests that Andrew was also a freed-man like Peter and considering his greater connection with Cappadocia, a freedman of Glaphyra, Peter's mother-in-law and sister-in-law of Bernice.
The statement that Peter and Andrew were brothers suggests that Andrew was also a freed-man like Peter and considering his greater connection with Cappadocia, a freedman of Glaphyra, Peter's mother-in-law and sister-in-law of Bernice.