Coponius (sources)

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This page includes ancient sources dealing with the character of the Roman Governor Coponius.

Ancient Jewish sources

Josephus, Jewish War

Bel II 8, 1 -- And now Archelaus's part of Judea was reduced into a province, and Coponius, one of the equestrian order among the Romans, was sent as a procurator, having the power of [life and] death put into his hands by Caesar. Under his administration it was that a certain Galilean, whose name was Judas, prevailed with his countrymen to revolt, and said they were cowards if they would endure to pay a tax to the Romans and would after God submit to mortal men as their lords...

Josephus, Jewish Antiquities

Ant XVIII 1,1 -- Coponius also, a man of the equestrian order, was sent together with him [i.e. Quirinius], to have the supreme power over the Jews. Moreover, Cyrenius [=Quirinius] came himself into Judea, which was now added to the province of Syria, to take an account of their substance, and to dispose of Archelaus's money... Yet was there one Judas, a Gaulonite, of a city whose name was Gamala, who, taking with him Sadduc, a Pharisee, became zealous to draw them to a revolt, who both said that this taxation was no better than an introduction to slavery, and exhorted the nation to assert their liberty...

Ant XVIII 2, 2 -- As Coponius, who we told you was sent along with Cyrenius [=Quirinius], was exercising his office of procurator, and governing Judea, the following accidents happened. As the Jews were celebrating the feast of unleavened bread, which we call the Passover, it was customary for the priests to open the temple-gates just after midnight. When, therefore, those gates were first opened, some of the Samaritans came privately into Jerusalem, and threw about dead men's bodies, in the cloisters; on which account the Jews afterward excluded them out of the temple, which they had not used to do at such festivals; and on other accounts also they watched the temple more carefully than they had formerly done. A little after which accident Coponius returned to Rome, and Marcus Ambivius came to be his successor in that government.