01-23-2002, 10:08 PM
For all intents and purposes an equestrian prefect would have had auxiliary troops at his disposal, not legionaries. That's not to say that, as you have stated, small detachments wouldn't have been placed under his command for this reason, or that. It's certainly feasible that vexillations from legions were all over the place performing any number of functions. A sizeable, permanent legionary garrison based in Jerusalem was not to happen until after the siege and destruction.<br>
It seems clear that the auxiliary units available to Florus were inadequate when the revolt started in Jerusalem as they were very quickly penned-up in the Antonia fortress by the rebel forces. I'm not even going to talk about Gallus' failed expedition and the loss of the XII Fulmenata. <!-- <br>
The whole issue of the Xth in Jerusalem prior to the Revolt has been a bone of contention for me and our local X Fretensis group. My problem isn't with some notion that maybe, perhaps, possibly there could've been a detachment of the Xth legion in Jerusalem during the lifetime and death of Christ, my problem is with what is being put out to the public as an immutable fact that this particular cohort from this particular legion was in this particular place at this particular time and were, in fact, involved in this particular event, ie., the execution of Christ. I think it would be much more "safe" to portray auxiliary troops as the Roman soldiers who are involved in the life and death of Christ.<br>
I have a copy of "The Oxford Companion To The Bible", Bruce Metzger, Michael coogan, 1993 here in front of me, and it's citing the New Testament (Acts 10.1; 27.1) as naming two auxiliary units in the vicinity of Jerusalem, an Italian and an Augustan Cohort. These are compared to the <i> Cohors II Italica Civium Romanorum</i> and the <i> Cohors Augusta I</i> respectively. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/uthecaesarionsection.showPublicProfile?language=EN>The Caesarion Section</A> at: 1/23/02 11:21:53 pm<br></i>
It seems clear that the auxiliary units available to Florus were inadequate when the revolt started in Jerusalem as they were very quickly penned-up in the Antonia fortress by the rebel forces. I'm not even going to talk about Gallus' failed expedition and the loss of the XII Fulmenata. <!-- <br>
The whole issue of the Xth in Jerusalem prior to the Revolt has been a bone of contention for me and our local X Fretensis group. My problem isn't with some notion that maybe, perhaps, possibly there could've been a detachment of the Xth legion in Jerusalem during the lifetime and death of Christ, my problem is with what is being put out to the public as an immutable fact that this particular cohort from this particular legion was in this particular place at this particular time and were, in fact, involved in this particular event, ie., the execution of Christ. I think it would be much more "safe" to portray auxiliary troops as the Roman soldiers who are involved in the life and death of Christ.<br>
I have a copy of "The Oxford Companion To The Bible", Bruce Metzger, Michael coogan, 1993 here in front of me, and it's citing the New Testament (Acts 10.1; 27.1) as naming two auxiliary units in the vicinity of Jerusalem, an Italian and an Augustan Cohort. These are compared to the <i> Cohors II Italica Civium Romanorum</i> and the <i> Cohors Augusta I</i> respectively. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/uthecaesarionsection.showPublicProfile?language=EN>The Caesarion Section</A> at: 1/23/02 11:21:53 pm<br></i>
