("proconsul" or "propraetor"); Greek anthupatos . The supreme governor of the provinces left by the emperors, still under the Roman senate (Acts 13:7; Acts 19:38, plural for singular). The emperor gave the peaceable provinces to the senate. Over these the senate appointed those who had been praetors; governing only one year; having no power of life and death, not wearing sword or military costume (Dion. Cass., 53:13-14).
Achaia had been imperial, governed by a procurator, but was restored to the senate by Claudius (Tacitus, Annals 1:76; Suet., Claud., 25). So Gallio is rightly named "proconsul" or "deputy" (Acts 18:12). Cyprus after the battle of Actium was an imperial province (Dion. Cuss., 53:12), but five years later was given to the senate and had a deputy; so, Acts 13:7-8; Acts 13:12 is accurate. A coin of Ephesus, in the senate's province of Asia, illustrates the use of "deputies" in Acts 19:38.
From the co-author of the classic Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary, Fausset's Bible Dictionary stands as one of the best single-volume Bible encyclopedias ever written for general use. The author's writing style is always clear and concise, and he tackles issues important to the average student of the Bible, not just the Biblical scholars. This makes Fausset an excellent tool for both everyday Bible study and in-depth lesson or sermon preparation.Wikipedia
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