Rome, the Greek World, and the East, Vol. 1 - The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution

 The Augustan Revolution

tica,^114 Crete,andAchaea.^115 InscriptionsrecordarescriptofHadriantothe

proconsulofAchaiaorMacedonia,^116 andaletterfromAvidiusQuietus,pro-

consulofAsia,writtentoHadrianin–aboutalanddisputeatAezani,

withtheEmperor’sreply.^117 JustinandEusebiusquotealetterwritteninthe

earlystotheproconsulofAsia,MiniciusFundanus,inreplytoaletter

fromhispredecessor,SilvanusGranianus,aboutthejudicialprocedurewith

regardtoChristians.^118

The evidence available clearly shows a tendency for imperial letters to

proconsulstobecomemorefrequent,followedinHadrian’sreignbythebe-

ginning of consultation of the Emperor by them. It thus seems proper to

concludethatinthisrespecttherewasacertaindifferencebetweenlegates

andproconsuls,whichfinallydisappearedinthefirsthalfofthesecondcen-

tury.

PrisonersSentforTrialbyProconsuls

IfP.SextiusScaevawas,asisprobable,proconsulofCyrenein–..(text

ton.),thatistheearliestexampleofaproconsulsendingprisonersfortrial

beforetheEmperor(thecategoryofprisonersfrompublicprovincesaccused

inthefirstinstancebeforetheEmperorisnotconsideredhere).Then,in,

TacitusmentionsClaudiusDemianus‘‘whobecauseofhiscrimeswasimpris-

onedbyVetustheproconsulofAsiaandsubsequentlyreleasedbyNero’’;^119

and in about  the proconsul of Cyrene sent a Jewish rebel, Jonathan, to

Vespasian,whocondemnedhimtobeburnttodeath.^120 Thecategoryofpris-

onerssentbyproconsulsisthuslessnumerousandlessclearinitsnaturethan

thatofmensentbylegates,butsuchacategorydidexist.

Conclusions

When the evidence is assembled, the notion of two separate administra-

tivehierarchies,whoselinesofdemarcationwerecrossedonlybytheEm-

.Dig.,,,–Coll.,,(quotingfulltextofconsultationandreply).
.Dig.,,;,,.
.ILSa.
.OGISIGRIV,AbbottandJohnson,no..
. Eusebius,HE,,;,–;Justin,Apol.I,–.SeeW.H.C.Frend,Martyrdom
and Persecution in the Early Church(),–.
. Tac.,Ann.,,.Thereisnoreasontothink,aspresumedbyA.N.Sherwin-
White,Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament(),,thatthemanhadap-
pealed.
. Jos.,Vita–;cf.BJ,–.