| Claudius - klôīdi-us International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
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| (Κλαύδιος,
Klaúdios):
Fourth Roman emperor. He reigned for over 13 years (41-54 ad), having
succeeded Caius (Caligula) who had seriously altered the conciliatory
policy of his predecessors regarding the Jews and, considering himself a
real and corporeal god, had deeply offended the Jews by ordering a
statue of himself to be placed in the temple of Jerusalem, as Antiochus
Epiphanes had done with the statue of Zeus in the days of the Maccabees
(2 Macc 6:2). Claudius reverted to the policy of Augustus and Tiberius
and marked the opening year of his reign by issuing edicts in favor of
the Jews (Ant., XIX, 5), who were permitted in all parts of the
empire to observe their laws and customs in a free and peaceable manner,
special consideration being given to the Jews of Alexandria who were to
enjoy without molestation all their ancient rights and privileges. The
Jews of Rome, however, who had become very numerous, were not allowed to
hold assemblages there (Dio LX, vi, 6), an enactment in full
correspondence with the general policy of Augustus regarding Judaism in
the West. The edicts mentioned were largely due to the intimacy of
Claudius with Herod Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great, who had been
living in Rome and had been in some measure instrumental in securing the
succession for Claudius. As a reward for this service, the Holy Land had
a king once more. Judea was added to the tetrarchies of Philip and
Antipas; and Herod Agrippa I was made ruler over the wide territory
which had been governed by his grandfather. The Jews' own troubles
during the reign of Caligula had given “rest” (the American Standard
Revised Version “peace”) to the churches “throughout all Judea and
Galilee and Samaria” (Act_9:31).
But after the settlement of these troubles, “Herod the king put forth
his hands to afflict certain of the church” (Act_12:1).
He slew one apostle and “when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he
proceeded to seize” another (Act_12:3).
His miserable death is recorded in
Act_12:20-23, and
in Ant, XIX, 8. This event which took place in the year 44 ad is
held to have been coincident with one of the visits of Paul to
Jerusalem. It has proved one of the chronological pivots of the
apostolic history. Whatever concessions to the Jews Claudius may have been induced out of friendship for Herod Agrippa to make at the beginning of his reign, Suetonius records (Claud. chapter 25) “Judaeos impulsore Chresto assidue tumultuantes Roma expulit,” an event assigned by some to the year 50 ad, though others suppose it to have taken place somewhat later. Among the Jews Thus banished from Rome were Aquila and Priscilla with whom Paul became associated at Corinth ( Act_18:2). With the reign of Claudius is also associated the famine which was foretold by Agabus (Act_11:28). Classical writers also report that the reign of Claudius was, from bad harvest or other causes, a period of general distress and scarcity over the whole world (Dio LX, 11; Suet. Claud. xviii; Tac. Ann. xi. 4; xiii.43; see Mommsen, Provinces of the Roman Empire, chapter ix; and Conybeare and Howson, Life and Epistles of Paul, I). |
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Taken from: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia by James Orr, M.A., D.D., General Editor |
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