12-09-2008, 07:41 PM
Avete,
Acts 27:1 describes Paul being handed over to a (Praetorian?) centurion named Julius : "And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius."
I thought it was interesting that Paul was transfered to the custody of the Praetorians rather than the Urban Cohorts since the former were 'merely' the emperor's body guards. But then I figured this was done because Paul was to make his appeal directly to Nero. In other words, since Paul was considered a political prisoner, was it decided to turn him over to the Praetorians ?
How would the rendition process work ? Would the procurator of Judea (Porcius Festus) have contacted the Praetorian Prefect directly ? Or were there legal intermediaries (e.g., Praetors) taking care of the rendition process ?
Phillipians 4:22 may be alluding to such intermediaries when Paul concludes his letter saying, "All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household." Meaning the emperor's civil servants, maybe ?
Also, where would Paul have been imprisoned in Rome ? Did the Praetorians have their own cells inside their barracks ? Church tradition says, IIRC, that he may have been kept at the Mamertine Prison .
~Theo
Acts 27:1 describes Paul being handed over to a (Praetorian?) centurion named Julius : "And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius."
I thought it was interesting that Paul was transfered to the custody of the Praetorians rather than the Urban Cohorts since the former were 'merely' the emperor's body guards. But then I figured this was done because Paul was to make his appeal directly to Nero. In other words, since Paul was considered a political prisoner, was it decided to turn him over to the Praetorians ?
How would the rendition process work ? Would the procurator of Judea (Porcius Festus) have contacted the Praetorian Prefect directly ? Or were there legal intermediaries (e.g., Praetors) taking care of the rendition process ?
Phillipians 4:22 may be alluding to such intermediaries when Paul concludes his letter saying, "All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household." Meaning the emperor's civil servants, maybe ?
Also, where would Paul have been imprisoned in Rome ? Did the Praetorians have their own cells inside their barracks ? Church tradition says, IIRC, that he may have been kept at the Mamertine Prison .
~Theo
Jaime
