Marcellus was the 6th
Roman Prefect of the
province of Judea.
Biography
He was a friend of
Lucius Vitellius, who appointed him after sending
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate (; ) was the Roman administration of Judaea (AD 6–135), fifth governor of the Judaea (Roman province), Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official wh ...
to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
(in 36 or 37) to render account. It may be assumed, however, that Marcellus was not really a governor of Judea, but only a subordinate official of appointed by Vitellius to make sure that taxes continued to be collected for the Empire. This task was usually the job of the local Roman
procurator. That Marcellus had less power than an actual prefect is supported by the title given him by Judeo-Roman historian,
Josephus
Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...
, who, in designating Marcellus' office, uses the Greek expression, ''epimeletes'' (ἐπιμελητής), "overseer", which is uncommon. Historians are not certain whether Marcellus really had the powers of a prefect or was merely a tax-collecting caretaker. No official act of Marcellus is reported. In 37, he was replaced by
Marullus.
However, some insight into the changed situation in Jerusalem after the departure of Pilate is seen in the contrast between the trial and execution of
Jesus
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
and that of the first Christian
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
Saint Stephen
Stephen (; ) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity.["St ...]
(). In the former, the Sanhedrin (Jewish Council) passed the death sentence but dared not carry it out without the prefect's endorsement, and the execution was carried out by the Roman state (). In the case of Stephen, the Romans were ignored and the hurried execution was by the old Jewish method of
stoning
Stoning, or lapidation, is a method of capital punishment where a group throws stones at a person until the subject dies from blunt trauma. It has been attested as a form of punishment for grave misdeeds since ancient times.
Stoning appears t ...
. It would appear that a temporary overseer may have preferred to stay in
Caesarea
Caesarea, a city name derived from the Roman title " Caesar", was the name of numerous cities and locations in the Roman Empire:
Places
In the Levant
* Caesarea Maritima, also known as "Caesarea Palaestinae", an ancient Roman city near the modern ...
and turn a blind eye to the growing confidence and aggression of the Jewish leaders.
References
*
External links
Livius.org: Marcellus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcellus
Roman governors of Judaea
1st-century Romans
1st-century Roman governors of Judaea
1st-century deaths
Year of birth unknown