08-22-2015, 06:12 PM
Quote:"Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, "Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea along with seventy horsemen and two hundred auxilaries by nine o'clock tonight."
The Greek words used in this passage are Στρατιωτας ("stratiotes" - infantry or foot soldiers) and Δεξιολαβους ("dexiolabos") - this second word is usually translated as 'spearmen'. It's quite a strange word though (from dexios, “the right (hand),” and lambano, “to lay hold of,”), and means something like 'someone who takes something in their right hand'... What this is supposed to mean is unclear. Some sort of light or irregular infantry might be intended, or even missile troops.
Either way, the Στρατιωτας infantrymen would be the regular auxiliary troops, perhaps (as mentioned above) drawn from a cohors equitata together with the cavalry.
Nathan Ross
