Sermon Central
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Emperor Domitian Series
Contributed by John Lowe on Feb 24, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: Domitian was a good administrator and a competent ruler despite all his transgressions. He was the first Roman Emperor who spent most of his reign out of the capital, touring the provinces of the gradually growing Empire.
Emperor Domitian
Emperor Domitian was an immoral man who thought he was divine and promoted the worship of the Roman gods.
Domitian
Roman Emperor
Description
Domitian was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty.
Born: October 24, 51 AD, Rome, Italy
Full name: Titus Flavius Domitianus
Assassinated: September 18, 96 AD, Rome, Italy
Spouse: Domitia Longina (m. 70 AD–96 AD)
Children: Titus Flavius Caesar, Flavia
Parents: Vespasian, Domitilla, the Elder
Siblings: Titus, Domitilla the Younger
What was Emperor Domitian known for?
His 15-year reign was the longest since that of Tiberius. As Emperor, Domitian strengthened the economy by revaluing the Roman coinage, expanding the Empire's border defenses, and initiating a massive building program to restore the damaged city of Rome.
Was Domitian a good Emperor?
Domitian was a good administrator and a competent ruler despite all his transgressions. He was the first Roman Emperor who spent most of his reign out of the capital, touring the provinces of the gradually growing Empire. This ruling style further diminished the Senate's influence and increased the Emperor's power.
Who is Domitian in the Bible?
Domitian (ruled 83-95 AD) was the son of Emperor Vespasian (ruled 68-79 AD). He declared himself a god and was best known for his proclamation that all worship him. The Christian persecution began under Nero, but it got to a whole new level under Domitian.
What happened to Christians under Emperor Domitian?
According to some historians, Jews and Christians were heavily persecuted toward the end of Domitian's reign (89-96). The Book of Revelation, which mentions at least one instance of martyrdom (Rev 2:13; cf. 6:9), is thought by many scholars to have been written during Domitian's reign.
Why was Domitian assassinated?
A highly detailed account of the plot and the assassination is provided by Suetonius, who alleges that Domitian's chamberlain, Parthenius, was the chief instigator behind the conspiracy, citing the recent execution of Domitian's secretary, Epaphroditus, as the primary motive.
God on earth: Emperor Domitian
In life, the Emperor Domitian (81-96 CE) marketed himself as a god; he was condemned to be forgotten after his assassination. Nonetheless, he oversaw a literary, cultural, and monumental revival on a scale not witnessed since Rome's first Emperor, Augustus.
Domitian's government exhibited solid authoritarian characteristics. Religious, military, and cultural propaganda fostered a cult of personality, and by nominating himself perpetual censor, he sought to control public and private morals.
What kind of ruler was Domitian?
Described as "a ruthless but efficient autocrat," his authoritarian style of ruling put him at sharp odds with the Senate, whose powers he drastically curtailed. Domitian had a minor and largely ceremonial role during the reigns of his father and brother.
What did Domitian do to John?
Domitian orders his men to throw John into a cauldron of boiling oil with an imperial gesture. John emerges unharmed.
Domitian's personality is inseparably linked with tyranny, and his power to humiliate senators generated disapproving headline anecdotes in *Suetonius' The Lives of the Caesars. A paranoid megalomaniac who once hosted a macabre party to embarrass his guests, he was assassinated in 96 AD. Here are ten facts about Emperor Domitian.
1. Domitian became Emperor in 81 AD
Domitian was the son of Emperor Vespasian (69-79). He had ruled between 69 and 79 AD and achieved a reputation for shrewd management compared to his profligate (wasteful) predecessor Nero. Domitian's elder brother Titus succeeded Vespasian first but died barely two years later. It is possible Domitian had a hand in slaying Titus, who is otherwise recorded as dying from fever. The Talmud, by contrast, includes a report that a gnat chewed on his brain, having flown up his nostril after Titus destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem.
2. Domitian had a reputation for sadism
Domitian was a paranoid bully with a reputation for sadism, said to torture flies with his pen. He was the last Emperor to be a subject of Suetonius' moralistic biography, which depicts Domitian as capable of "savage cruelty." Meanwhile, Tacitus wrote that he was "a man who plunged into violence by nature."
Gleeful with arbitrary power, Suetonius records that Domitian used treason charges to set up prominent men so that he could claim their estates. To fund his building program and propagandistic performances, Domitian seized "the property of the living and the dead, on any charge brought by any accuser."
3. He was a megalomaniac
Where Emperors often continued the charade that the Empire was just like the Republic it had supplanted, Domitian eroded the traditions of the Senate and ruled openly as a despot. He claimed he was a living god and made sure priests worshipped the cults of his father and brother.
