Lucceius Albinus
- SCHOLARLY AND FICTIONAL WORKS: see Category:Albinus (subject)
- ANCIENT SOURCES: see Albinus (sources)
Lucceius Albinus was the Roman governor of Judea, from 62 CE to 64 CE, under Emperor Nero.
Overview
In 62 CE, the Emperor Nero appointed Lucceius Albinus as Roman Procurator of Judea, following the death of his predecessor Porcius Festus. While Albinus was traveling from Alexandria to Judea, the High Priest Ananus ben Ananus, son of Annas took advantage of the interregnum to execute James, the brother of Jesus of Nazareth. As Ananus' action was denounced by "the most equitable of the citizens" and a delegation went to meet the new governor, Albinus accused the High Priest of abuse of power for "assembling a sanhedrim without his consent." Ananus was immediately deposed by Herod Agrippa II and replaced by Joshua ben Damnaeus. The influence of the House of Annas, however, was not diminished. The new High Priest and Albinus himself are said to have accepted bribes from Ananus, adding to the generalized corruption of the priesthood. Albinus then had Joshua ben Damnaeus replaced with Joshua ben Gamaliel, allegedly by accepting a bribe from the latter's promised wife, Martha the daughter of Boethus. The only results was an endless controversy among the three latest High Priests.
Albinus tried hard to crash the movement of the Sicarii, but when Eleazar, one of sons of Annas was kidnapped by the Sicarii, he let himself be persuaded to release in exchange some prisoners, which only led to repeated acts of kidnapping.
When Jesus ben Ananias predicted the destruction of Jerusalem in the Temple, Albinus had him scourged but eventually allowed him to go free as a harmless madman (Josephus, War VI 5 3; Hegesippus, v. 44).
At the end of his tenure in 64 CE, in order to please the people and in exchange for money, Albinus granted a general amnesty to prisoners, with the only result of "filling the country with robbers" (Ant XX 9:5).
In 64 CE, Nero appointed Albinus Governor of Mauretania, and Gessius Florus replaced him as Governor of Judea. In 69, in the turmoil of the Year of the Four Emperors, Lucceius Albinus, who had supported Galba and Otho, was murdered together with his wife and intimate friends.
Albinus in ancient sources
Josephus and Tacitus are the major sources of information on the life of Albinus.