Nerva

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• ANCIENT SOURCES: see Nerva (sources)
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=Overview

Marcus Cocceius Nerva (30 – 98 CE) was the first of the Adopted Emperors. He was proclaimed emperor after the murder of Domitian by the Senate. He reigned only two years, from 96 till 98 CE. Following the mutiny of the Praetorian Guard, he adopted Trajan, then in command on the Rhine frontier. Nerva is most known for the dismissal of the abuses connected with the Fiscus Judaicus, as his coins Calumnia Judaica Sublata do indeed testify.

Early Career

Marcus Cocceius Nerva was born in Narni, Umbria, in 35 CE from a family of Italic stock. His great-grandfather was consul in 36 BCE, and his grandfather was in the imperial entourage. His grandfather, also named Marcus Cocceius Nerva, consul suffectus in 21 CE, was in a friendly relationship with Tiberius. Nerva had connection with the Julio-Claudian dynasty, as his uncle Octavius Laenas had married Rubellia Bassa, the great-granddaughter of Tiberius. One sister, named Cocceia married Lucius Salvius Titianus Otho, the brother of the future Emperor Otho. Nerva cursus honorum included a praetorship in 65 CE under Nero. In the same year, he helped to expose the Pisonian conspiracy. Nero awarded him triumphal honors. Nero then held a consulship under Vespasian in 71 CE and once more under Domitian in 90 CE.

Imperial Succession

Nerva was elevated to the Imperial throne after the murder of Domitian in 96 CE by the Senate. Nerva immediately eased Domitian’s reign of terror. Thus he released those imprisoned for treason, and banned future prosecutions for treason, granted amnesty to many whom Domitian had exiled, restored much confiscated property. Moreover Nerva publicly swore that no senators would be put to death as long as he remained in office. The short rule of Nerva was characterized by a close involvement of the Senate in the decision making. Nerva’ short reign was characterized by a series of reforms in Italy intended to alleviate the life of the poorest citizens. He thus granted allotments of land, exempted the poorest citizens from the inheritance tax, and begun the alimentary scheme, later expanded by Trajan and his successors. At Rome, Nerva erected the so called Forum Transitorium, or the Forum of Nerva, located between the Forum of Mars Ultor, erected by Augustus, and the Forum Pacis, erected by Vespasian. He also had roads repaired, and improved the water system of Rome, under the direction of Sextus Iulius Frontinus. He also had a public set of granaries built, known as Horrae Nervae. However, Nerva had a very uneasy relationship with the Praetorian Guard. Thus in 97 CE, the Praetorian Guard staged a palace revolution, took the emperor as hostage and obliged him to hand over the murderers of Domitian, Petronius and Parthenius. However, Casperius Aelianus, the Guard Prefect responsible for the mutiny against Nerva, was later executed under Trajan. Nerva also had to adopt Trajan, then in command of the Rhine frontier as successor.

Nerva and the Jews

It seems that Nerva corrected the various abuses made under Domitian for the collection of the fiscus iudaicus, as this was celebrated on the series of coins, bearing the inscription Fisci Iudaici Calumnia Sublata, minted by this short ruling Emperor. According to most scholars, the main correction of abuses, connected to the Jewish tax, by Nerva was the ending of the use of secret informers. However Goodman argues that Nerva released only ethnic Jews, who had given up public identification with their religion, from the payment of the fiscus iudaicus. Thus with Nerva, only Jews who declared themselves Jews were taxed. The main incentive to make such declaration by individual Jews was the freedom of religion. Goodman argues as well for the side effects of Nerva policy on the status of the proselytes. Before 96 C.E., it was irrelevant if the status of the Gentile proselyte was that of full fledged Jew or just a friendly Pagan, or “theosebeis”. Nerva’ legislation, which imposed the Jewish tax only on observant Jews, defined now the proselyte or as a full fledged Jew, who had the obligation to pay the Jewish tax, or a sympatyzer, who was exempted from its payment. Thus Nerva for the first time gave the legal recognition to the Jewish proselytes, according to Roman law.