Quirinius

Publius Sulpicius Quirinius (synonymous: Cirinus , Cyrénius , in Greek old Κυρήνιος) (? - 21), was born with Lanuvium (30 km in the south of Rome), general and Roman administrator.

Biography

As we learns it Tacite, Sulpicius Quirinius did not belong to the family Patricien of the Sulpicii , but had more modest origins, it is representative of these notable Italian who knows a strong social rise at the end of the republic and the beginning of the principat.

The first action that we really know of Quirinius is the war which it carried out against the Marmarides at the time of its government of the province of Cyrénaïque. The date is badly known but is generally placed before its consulate, towards 20 av. J.C or 15 av. J.C. This military action seems to take the continuation of that, known better, of Cornelius Balbus against the Garamantes. It been worth a rather important glory to him and the nickname of Marmaricus (victorious of Marmarides).

In 12 av. J. - C., because of the eminent services, administrative and military, that it had returned to the State, César Auguste raised it with the rank of consul. He conducted then a victorious campaign against a tribe of Cilicie (located in current Turkey), the Homonades, the emperor rewarded some: Quirinius accepted the badges of the Triomphe. In 1 av. J. - C., it was given like council, rector , with the young person Caius César. At the time of the exile of Tibère to Rhodos, between 6 av. J. - C. and 2, it seem that Quirinius was shown near to Tibère and testified to him to its respect. Tibère rented it this action on a purely posthumous basis at the time of the meeting of the Roman Sénat which decided its public funeral.

Between the years 2 with 4, it married Aemilia Lepida, which it repudiated then, which gave place to a lawsuit twenty years after repudiation, lawsuit which is known to us by Suétone and Tacite. Lépida was downward of Sylla and Pompée.

Of 6 with 9, it was sent in Syria, with the title of legate of Auguste propretor ( Legatus Augusti ), as governor of this consular imperial province. It is at that time that it accepted the order to count the Judaea, which had just been joined together with the province of Syria by the deposition of Archélaos. The historian Flavius Josèphe (Book XVIII chap. III) locates Cyrénius governor of thirty-seven Syria years after the Bataille of Actium which took place on September 2nd 31 av. J. - C., this census thus took place in 6 of the Christian era. To proceed to a census when a province falls under the direct administration from Rome is a procedure attested in addition; that caused the revolt of Judas Galiléen (cf Acts of the Apostles). The Gospel according to Luc speaks about the census of the Judaea which took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. It is according to Luc for this period that was born Jesus Christ.

In 16, Quirinius is in Rome, where Marcus Scribonius Libo Drusus, its ally by its wife Aemilia Lepida, present at Tibère its demand for grace. Libo, " as stupid as noble" according to Sénèque, was shown to prepare a coup d'etat. Tacit a long development devotes to the lawsuit of this descendant of Pumped. The grace was not accepted by Tibère which claimed to rely on the senate: Libo ends up committing suicide.

In 20, took place the charge of Quirinius against his Lepida wife. Lawsuit complexes which was worth unpopularity to him and where its modest origins were pointed out. Lépida was shown several serious facts: adultery, poisoning and consultation of horoscope on the imperial person of the family members. This last charge was extremely serious: the belief in astrology being strongly widespread one thought that to consult the horoscope of the prince amounted speculating in the date of its death, the difficulties of coming from its reign and finally was the first stage of a plot against him. Finally, Lépida was condemned only to the exile. However, its popularity harmed Quirinius already scorned of the people because of his avarice.

Its mission in Syria and the census in Judaea

The date of the government of Syria de Quirinius raises a chronological problem which was amply discussed, since the census carried out in 6 cannot correspond to the birth date of Jesus. To solve this chronological inconsistency several solutions were proposed, most usually retained being that of an error of the evangelist. Nevertheless part of the scientists have advanced, at the 19th century the idea that Quirinius had carried out two governments of Syria, and that it would thus have proceeded to a census before. To support this assumption one allotted to Quirinius a inscription carrying a fragment of anonymous Cursus honorum, because broken, found with Tivoli ('' LASH '' XIV 3613 = THEY 918 = IIt IV 4,1) and concerning a character having controlled Syria. Until 20th century one thought sometimes indeed that inscription specified that the character had controlled twice Syria, which would have made it possible to explain the passage of Luc, but E.Groag showed that the real direction of the inscription was that the character had received two legations, one of them being that of Syria, to in no case the inscription cannot thus provide a support to the text of the evangelist. In addition, if she is still sometimes proposed the attribution of the inscription with Quirinius were not most usually retained and several other name were proposed: Marcus Plautius Silvanus, Lucius Calpurnius Piso, Caius Sentius Saturninus.

The mission of Quirinius, after the deposition of Archélaos, consisted in transforming a kingdom customer into province directly managed by a Roman governor. For that it carried out the calculation of the inhabitants and the evaluation of their property, in order to fix and distribute the tribute which the province owed in Rome: it continued in Judaea the taxable quota which it also carried out in Syria. Such a practice was one of the innovations of the reign of Auguste, the first case attested being the taxable quota of the provinces of Gaules in -27. As in Judaea this census raised a dissatisfaction, and it is as following an attempt at provincial taxable quota as the Romans lost the Germanic one in 9. The mission of Quirinius was thus delicate and left an outstanding memory among the provincial ones.

It is undoubtedly this memory which explains its presence in the text of the Gospel of Luc. In addition to the chronological inconsistency the text of the evangelist raises several other historical problems. According to Luc the taxable quota would have related to the whole ground, inaccurate appreciation in the case of a taxable quota which related to only one province, but which finally returns well account of the perception which provincial innovations of the reign of Auguste had. For Fergus Millar however, the use that made Luc of the taxable quota of Quirinius, to explain how Jesus was born in Bethlehem, is " completely misleading and ahistorique". Because the taxable quota of Quirinius was not extended to Galileo, where the family of Jesus lived, since the latter was directed by Hérode Antipas and did not form part of the province yet.

Knowledge that we have of the mission of Quirinius also makes it possible us to assist with the installation of a new type of Roman Province, the future provinces procuratoriennes, directed not by a senator but by a member of the equestrian order. The province was initially entrusted to a prefect ( praefectus ), the spreading title of procurator only more tardily, and it is Quirinius which accompanied and assisted Coponius the first prefect, in particular vis-a-vis the revolt of Judas Galiléen. Quirinius proceeded to the sale of the goods of Archélaos and replaced the large Joazar priest by Annas.

The taxable quota of the province of Syria is known to us by an inscription in the honor of a Roman knight, Quintus Aemilius Secundus which made, as subordinate of Quirinius, the census of the inhabitants of the town of Apamée, quoted which counted 117000 free men then. Tacite teaches us that eleven years later, the provinces of Syria and Judaea asked for a reduction of tribute, Quirinius having had seems it the heavy hand.

Death

Quirinius died in 21 (year 774 of Rome) rather old and without leaving descent. Tibère, always overflowing of gratitude for the services that it had returned to him at the time of its exile rhodien, granted national funeral to him.

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