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Bible Dictionaries
Proconsul
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament
or Down to the time of Augustus this word had not become one, but was still two words-pro consule, ‘in place of a consul.’ It signified a man with the rank and insignia of a consul, whether he had already held the office or not. In practice the title was conferred on certain governors of provinces, and only the Emperor possessed the power belonging to this office within the walls of the city of Rome. Nothing need here be said of such governors during the Republican period. By the arrangements of January, 27 b.c., all the provinces of the Roman Empire (see Province) were divided between the Senate and the Emperor Augustus. In conformity with his desire to keep all the real power in his own hands, while the semblance was left in the hands of the Senate, the governors of Imperial provinces were given humble titles such as legati Augusti pro praetore, etc., whatever had been their career, but all governors of senatorial provinces were called proconsules. The senatorial provinces were divided into two grades-the higher grade, open only to ex-consuls, comprising Asia and Africa; and the lower, open to ex-praetors, comprising all the other senatorial provinces. The governors of Asia and Africa were provided with three legati each. In the NT only three proconsuls are referred to-the proconsul of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:7 ff.), the proconsul of Achaia, Gallio (Acts 18:12), and the proconsul of Asia (Acts 19:38, the plural is generalizing, and does not imply more than one at a time).
A. Souter.
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Hastings, James. Entry for 'Proconsul'. Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hdn/p/proconsul.html. 1906-1918.
