The Italian Cohort

[Anonymous]

Well I was persuing the book of ACTS for a historical/biblical studies class I'm taking and came across an interesting reference that I'm now curious about.<br>
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<i> In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in the Italian Cohort, as it was called.</i><br>
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Acts 10:1 (NRSV) Now I'm curious we know anything about this Italian Cohort. My footnote says it was most likely Cohors II. Italica Civium Romanorum. I'm assuming this is perhaps an auxillery unit?<br>
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Don't have my Greek translation available. So I'm curious we know anything about this particular Italian Cohort or anything about the makeup of its troops?<br>
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Thanks<br>
<p><i>For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
Is God, our father dear/
And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love
Is Man, his child and care./

For Mercy has a human heart/
Pity a human face/
And Love, the human form divine/
And Peace, the human dress./
And all must love the human form,
In heathen, Turk, or Jew;/
Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell
There God is dwelling too.</i> William Blake <i>The Divine Image</i>


</p><i></i>

[Guest]

Salve,<br>
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Greek text<br>
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This is indeed an auxiliary unit. Legionary cohorts carried just a number and were not distinguished by a sopecial title. The majority of the cohorts of the <i> auxilia</i> were levied in the provinces, but a number of them were also formed in Italy. At first they had been distinguished from other cohorts as they originally contained Roman citizens, singled out for a grant of money in the will of Augustus on the same rate as legionaries (Tacitus , <i> Annales</i> 1.8 <i> ...legionariis aut cohortibus civium Romanorum trecenos nummos viritim dedit. ...</i> '... to the legionaries and the cohorts of Roman citizens he had given three hundred coins per man. ...') , but later on such distinctions seem to have watered down as peregrine recruits came to be accepted like in other auxiliary formations. Such units were often placed under a <i> tribunus cohortis</i> rather than a <i> praefectus cohortis</i>, a difference that seems to have outlasted the change in recruitment practice, though exceptions are known.<br>
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Related reading matter:<br>
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Glay, M. Le, 'Le commandement des cohortes voluntariorum de l'armée romaine' in: <i> Ancient Society</i> 3 (1972), 209-222.<br>
Saddington, D.B., <i> The development of the Roman auxiliary forces from Caesar to Vespasian</i> (Harare 1982).<br>
Saddington, D.B., 'Roman military and administrative personnel in the New Testament' in: <i> ANRW</i> II-26 (1996), 2409-2435.<br>
Spaul, J.E.H., <i> Cohors 2 : the evidence for and a short history of the auxiliary infantry units of the imperial Roman army</i> (Oxford 2000).<br>
Speidel, M.P., 'The army in Judea under the procurators' in: Ancient Society 13/14 (1983), 233-240.<br>
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Some inscriptions found in the online epigraphic databases (NB not all texts are yet available) for <i> cohors</i> I <i> Italica</i> and <i> cohors</i> II <i> Italica</i>. The latter is regarded as the unit mentioned in the NT as it is attested stationed in Syria some time afterwards (first text in the list below).<br>
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<i> CIL</i> 3, 13483a (= <i> AE</i> 1896, 27)<br>
<i> AE</i> 1941, 142<br>
<i> AE</i> 1939, 126<br>
<i> AE</i> 1959, 252<br>
<i> AE</i> 1977, 183<br>
<i> AE</i> 1900, 27 (= <i> CIL</i> 16, 106 = <i> AE</i> 1900, 58)<br>
<i> AE</i> 1927, 44 (= <i> CIL</i> 16, 35 = <i> AE</i> 1959, 90).<br>
<i> AE</i> 1961, 319.<br>
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See also this earlier thread which dealt with related matters.<br>
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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: 8/29/02 10:07:26 am<br></i>