Marcellus, prefect of Judea
Encyclopedia
Marcellus was Roman Prefect
of the province of Judea
.
He was a friend of Lucius Vitellius
(ib. 4, § 2), who appointed him after sending Pilate to Rome
(in 36 or 37) to render account. It may be assumed, however, that Marcellus was not really a governor of Judea, but only a subordinate official of Vitellius. Indeed, this is the only instance where Josephus
, in designating the office of Marcellus, uses the expression epimeletes (ἐπιμελητής) = "overseer", which is uncommon, and we are not certain whether Marcellus really had the powers of a prefect, or was merely a caretaker. No official act of Marcellus is reported. In 37, he was replaced by Marullus
.
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
of the province of Judea
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
.
He was a friend of Lucius Vitellius
Lucius Vitellius
Lucius Vitellius the Elder was the youngest of four sons of quaestor Publius Vitellius and the only one that did not die through politics. Under Emperor Tiberius, he was Consul in 34 and Governor of Syria in 35. He deposed Pontius Pilate in 36 after complaints from the people in Samaria...
(ib. 4, § 2), who appointed him after sending Pilate to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(in 36 or 37) to render account. It may be assumed, however, that Marcellus was not really a governor of Judea, but only a subordinate official of Vitellius. Indeed, this is the only instance where Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
, in designating the office of Marcellus, uses the expression epimeletes (ἐπιμελητής) = "overseer", which is uncommon, and we are not certain whether Marcellus really had the powers of a prefect, or was merely a caretaker. No official act of Marcellus is reported. In 37, he was replaced by Marullus
Marullus, prefect of Judea
Marullus was Roman Prefect of Judea under Caligula, AD 37 – 41. He was the seventh governor of this province.-See also:* Prefects, Procurators and Legates of Roman Judaea...
.