Coponius was the 1st Roman governor (

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

) of

Judaea province Judaea ( la, Iudaea ; grc, Ἰουδαία, translit=Ioudaíā ) was a Roman province which incorporated the regions of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea from 6 CE, extending over parts of the former regions of the Hasmonean and Herodian kingdoms of ...

(6 to 9).

Biography

He was, like the prefects who succeeded him, of knightly rank, and "had the power of life and death". During his administration the revolt of

Judas the Galilean Judas of Galilee, or Judas of Gamala, was a Jewish leader who led resistance to the census imposed for Roman tax purposes by Quirinius in Judea Province around 6 CE. He encouraged Jews not to register and those that did had their houses burnt an ...

occurred, the cause of which was not so much the personality of Coponius as the introduction of Roman soldiers. Owing to the reconstruction of the province of Judea then in progress, the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

was being taken by

Quirinius Publius Sulpicius Quirinius (c. 51 BC – AD 21), also translated as Cyrenius, was a Roman aristocrat. After the banishment of the ethnarch Herod Archelaus from the tetrarchy of Judea in AD 6, Quirinius was appointed legate governor of Syria, ...

Roman legate A ''legatus'' (; anglicised as legate) was a high-ranking Roman military officer in the Roman Army, equivalent to a modern high-ranking general officer. Initially used to delegate power, the term became formalised under Augustus as the officer ...

of Syria, which was a further cause of offence. In 9 Coponius was recalled to Rome, and replaced by

Marcus Ambivulus Marcus Ambivulus was the 2nd Roman Prefect of the province of Judea, comprising biblical Judea and Samaria. History Originally a cavalry officer, he succeeded Coponius in 9 and ruled the area until 12, when he was succeeded by Annius Rufus. ...

. Probably it is on account of this occurrence that one door of the Temple bore the name of "door of Coponius".Mid. i. 3.; compare the reading in Parḥi 16a, ed. Edelman. Regarding the personal attitude of Coponius toward the Jews nothing definite is known.

Notes

References

* Schürer, Gesch. 3d ed., i. 487; * Schlatter, Zur Topogr. und Gesch. Palästinas, p. 206; * Krauss, Lehnwörter, ii. 537. {{s-end Roman governors of Judaea 1st-century Romans 1st-century Roman governors of Judaea Census of Quirinius

Biography

See also

Notes

References