The Politics of Philo Judaeus: Practice and Theory, with a General Bibliography of Philo

STATESMAN AND PHILOSOPHER 65

not surprising that Alexander had an official title, "Alabarch,"^4 which
meant that he was the person responsible to the Romans for the collec­

tion of taxes, though whether for the taxes of all Alexandria or only for
those of the Jews does not appear.^5 He was also the steward (erriTponoc)
of Claudius' mother Antonia, and the personal friend ($Uoc ctpxafoc)
of Claudius. During the riots Gaius had imprisoned him, but Claudius
on coming to the throne released him. He married one son, Marcus, to

Berenice, daughter of Herod.^6

Another son of Alexander, Tiberius Alexander,^7 deserted his religion,

and had a political career even more brilliant than his father's. We first

hear of him when he is appointed Roman procurator in Palestine at

about 46 A.D., where he seems to have been a severe but acceptable ruler.^8

He was later made prefect of Egypt by Nero,^9 and there played the part

of Flaccus himself in turning the legions of Rome upon the Jews dur­

ing one of the riots, with the result, says Josephus, that fifty thousand

Jews were killed.^10 His appointment as prefect had carried with it the

rank of a Roman knight, if he had not received it before." He assisted

Corbulo in the expedition into Armenia, in the course of which, as in-

lustris eques Romanus, along with a nephew of Corbulo of minor age,

he was considered adequate hostage for the safety of King Tiridates

himself.^12 Roman historians especially stress Alexander's part in sup­

porting Vespasian's candidacy for the throne. It appears that the eastern

army had declared for Vespasian, but that Tiberius Alexander in Egypt

was the first Roman governor to recognize him and formally to swear

the legions and populace of a province to his support, so that Vespa­

sian's accession was subsequently dated from this recognition rather

than from the day of the army's acclamation.^13 In our last glimpse of

Tiberius Alexander he is again in Palestine, this time during the great

4. He is given this title in the two passages just cited, and in Antiq., XVIII, 259 (viii, 1).


5. On this tide see Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Encyclopadie, s.v., I, 1271. See also M. I. Rostovtzeff
   and C. B. Welles, "A Parchment Contract of Loan from Dura-Europus," Yale Classical Studies,
   II (1931), 50, with bibliography there listed.


6. Antiq., XIX, 276 (v, 1). Marcus seems to have died soon after the marriage.


7. An interesting sketch of the cafeer of Tiberius Alexander is by A. Lepape, "Tiberius Julius
   Alexander, Prefet d'Alexandrie et d'figypte," Bulletin de la SocietS royale d Archeologie d*Alex-
   andrie, N.S. VIII (1934), 331-341. Beside the bibliography given there see William Smith in
   his Dictionary of Gree\ and Roman Biography and Mythology, I, 126b.


8. Antiq., XX, 100 (v, 2); Bf, II, 220 (xi, 6).


9. BJ, II, 309 (xv, 1); IV, 616 (x, 6); V, 45 (i, 6); Tacitus, Hist., I, 11; II, 74.


10. BJ, II, 487-498 (xviii, 7, 8). 11. Tacitus, Hist., I, 11; Annates, XV, 28.


11. Annales, XV, 28.


12. BJ, IV, 616 f. (x, 6); Tacitus, Hist., II, 74, 79; Suetonius, Vespas., vi, 3.