Agrippa
1. Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great; the name ‘Agrippa’ was assumed on account of a friendship with Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, son-in-law of the emperor Augustus. In 37 ce he was given the ...
Apelles
Warmly greeted by Paul in Rom. 16: 10. It is known to be a name borne by members of Caesar's domestic staff; and also of a well-known tragic actor. This Apelles may have been one of the household of ...
Augustus
(63 bc–ad 14),the first Roman emperor; also called (until 27 bc) Octavian. He was adopted by the will of his great-uncle Julius Caesar and gained supreme power by his defeat of Mark Antony in 31 bc. ...
Battle of Philippi
(42 bc)A battle fought at Philippi, a city in Macedonia in northern Greece, in which Caesar's assassins under Brutus were defeated by the armies of Mark Antony and Octavian (Augustus). Both Cassius ...
Brutus
In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Decius Brutus is one of the conspirators. Marcus Brutus is the idealistic friend of Caesar who is persuaded by Cassius to join the conspiracy. Caesar receives his ...
Caesarea
An ancient port on the Mediterranean coast of Israel, founded in 22 bc by Herod the Great on the site of a Phoenician harbour and named in honour of the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar. Caesarea became ...
Caesarean section
A surgical operation for delivering a child by cutting through the wall of the mother's abdomen. The term is recorded from the early 17th century, and the name is said to come from the story that ...
Captivity Epistles
The four epistles —Phil., Col., Eph., and Philem.—believed to have been written by St Paul in captivity. See entries on individual epistles.
Cassius
In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, friend of Brutus and leader of the conspiracy against Caesar.
Cato the Younger
‘of Utica’ (‘Uticensis’) (95–46bc), greatgrandson of Cato the Elder (see preceding entry), nephew of Livius Drusus (2), and brought up in the Livian household with the children of his mother's ...
Cleopatra
(69–30bc),queen of Egypt from 47 bc, the last Ptolemaic ruler. After a brief liaison with Julius Caesar she formed a political and romantic alliance with Mark Antony. Their ambitions ultimately ...
council
A formal meeting of bishops and representatives of several Churches convened for the purpose of regulating doctrine or discipline. General or Oecumenical Councils are assemblies of bishops ...
Crassus
Son of Publius Licinius Crassus (consul 97 bc, escaped from Cinna to Spain, joined Sulla after Cinna's death, played a prominent part in regaining Italy for him, and made a fortune in Sulla's ...
decrees
There are in the NT decrees of Caesar (e.g. Luke 2: 1; Acts 17: 7, NRSV; ‘*laws’, REB, ‘edicts’, NJB), but where AV used the word modern versions often prefer ‘decision’ or ‘law’.
Gallic Wars
Julius Caesar's campaigns 58–51 bc, which established Roman control over Gaul north of the Alps and west of the River Rhine (Transalpine Gaul). During this period Caesar twice invaded Britain (55 and ...
ides
In the ancient Roman calendar, a day falling roughly in the middle of each month (the 15th day of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th of other months) from which other dates were ...
king
Kingship and deity were closely associated in the ancient world—Egyptian Pharaohs and Assyrian emperors, for example; and at a later date Roman Caesars. In Israel before the monarchy there were no ...
Mark Antony
(c. 83–30 bc),Roman general and triumvir. A supporter of Julius Caesar, in 43 he was appointed one of the triumvirate after Caesar's murder. Following the battle of Philippi he took charge of the ...
Roman Empire
The period when the Roman state and its overseas provinces were under the rule of an emperor, from the time of Augustus (27 bc) until 476 ad. The Roman empire was divided in 375 ad by Emperor ...
Rubicon
A small stream in north-east Italy near San Marino that flows into the Adriatic, marking the ancient boundary between Italy and Cisalpine Gaul. By taking his army across it (i.e. outside his own ...
