He appeared to be kind to the populace in Jerusalem, in order to appease their desires for lower taxes and an end to the (political) imprisonment of Herod's enemies.

The demeanor of the questioning appeared to turn at some point, and the crowd began to call for the punishment of those of Herod's people who ordered the death of the two teachers and the 40 youths.

Archelaus asked for moderation and told the crowds that all would be well if they would put aside their animosities and wait until he was confirmed king by Caesar Augustus.

Archelaus began to worry as people started streaming into the temple area and those who wailed for the loss of the teachers continued their very loud mourning.

Henry St. John Thackeray's translation of Josephus here states it thus: "The promoters of the mourning for the doctors stood in the body of the temple, procuring recruits for their faction".

He was proclaimed king by the army, but declined to assume the title until he had submitted his claims to Caesar Augustus in Rome.

In Rome he was opposed by Antipas and by many of the Jews, who feared his cruelty, based on the murder of 3000 people; but in 4 BC Augustus allotted to him the greater part of the kingdom (Samaria, Judea, and Idumea) with the title of ethnarch (a ruler of an ethnic group).

Archelaus fell into disrepute and was deposed in his 10th year of reign as ethnarch, being banished to Vienna (today Vienne) in Gaul.

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to get up and take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt to avoid the Massacre of the Innocents.

However, upon hearing that Archelaus had succeeded his father as ruler of Judaea he "was afraid to go there" (Matthew 2:22), and was again warned in a dream by God "and turned aside to the region of" Galilee.

The beginning and conclusion of Jesus' parable of the minas in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 19, may refer to Archelaus' journey to Rome.

Some interpreters conclude from this that Jesus' parables and preaching made use of events familiar to the people as examples for bringing his spiritual lessons to life.

(Luke 19:12, 19:14, 19:27) According to the Ethiopic Christian apocryphal text "Epistle of the Apostles", Archelaus was ruling Cilicia under the Romans during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.