02-28-2002, 10:17 AM
Salve,<br>
<br>
The term <i> chiliarchos</i> ('commander of a thousand') is used in Greek as an equivalent of <i> tribunus</i>. It does not specifically mean legionary tribune, but was applied to tribunes of any type. A <i> tribunus</i> could also be placed in command of an auxiliary unit and commanders of units composed of citizens usually carried this title rather than that of <i> praefectus</i>. There seems to have been one such unit in Judea, as the centurion in the Acts belonged to one (<i> ek speirès tès kaloumenès Italikès</i> 'from the cohort that was called the Italian one').<br>
<br>
The word used for the units mentioned in the NT is <i> speira</i> or <i> speirè</i>, a term commonly used in Greek text to denote a cohort. The added specification as <i> Sebastè</i> and <i> Italikè</i> indicate that these cohorts were auxiliary units, since legionary cohorts were designated by a number and carried no distinguishing titles. The unit mentioned as <i> Sebastè</i> in the NT is to be identified with a <i> cohors Augusta</i> rather than one of the units of <i> Sebasteni</i>. The latter category were formed by units taken over from the army of Herodes, who at one point had some three thousand <i> Sebasteni</i> in his army according to Josephus. Read the articles mentioned in my prior post for more details.<br>
<br>
Stationing a unit with a boar as its emblem in Judea after the suppression of the revolt was surely done to add insult to injury. The Roman authorities however took Jewish religious sensitivities into account prior to the Jewish war, refraining from using the military standards whose presence could cause rioting. This makes the X <i> Fretensis</i> less likely to have been garrisoned there before.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst
<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showLocalUserPublicProfile?login=sandervandorst>Sander van Dorst</A> at: 2/28/02 2:33:09 pm<br></i>
<br>
The term <i> chiliarchos</i> ('commander of a thousand') is used in Greek as an equivalent of <i> tribunus</i>. It does not specifically mean legionary tribune, but was applied to tribunes of any type. A <i> tribunus</i> could also be placed in command of an auxiliary unit and commanders of units composed of citizens usually carried this title rather than that of <i> praefectus</i>. There seems to have been one such unit in Judea, as the centurion in the Acts belonged to one (<i> ek speirès tès kaloumenès Italikès</i> 'from the cohort that was called the Italian one').<br>
<br>
The word used for the units mentioned in the NT is <i> speira</i> or <i> speirè</i>, a term commonly used in Greek text to denote a cohort. The added specification as <i> Sebastè</i> and <i> Italikè</i> indicate that these cohorts were auxiliary units, since legionary cohorts were designated by a number and carried no distinguishing titles. The unit mentioned as <i> Sebastè</i> in the NT is to be identified with a <i> cohors Augusta</i> rather than one of the units of <i> Sebasteni</i>. The latter category were formed by units taken over from the army of Herodes, who at one point had some three thousand <i> Sebasteni</i> in his army according to Josephus. Read the articles mentioned in my prior post for more details.<br>
<br>
Stationing a unit with a boar as its emblem in Judea after the suppression of the revolt was surely done to add insult to injury. The Roman authorities however took Jewish religious sensitivities into account prior to the Jewish war, refraining from using the military standards whose presence could cause rioting. This makes the X <i> Fretensis</i> less likely to have been garrisoned there before.<br>
<br>
Regards,<br>
<br>
Sander van Dorst
<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/bromanarmytalk.showLocalUserPublicProfile?login=sandervandorst>Sander van Dorst</A> at: 2/28/02 2:33:09 pm<br></i>
