Ventidius Cumanus
Ventidius Cumanus was the Roman procurator of Iudaea from AD 48 to c. AD 52, known from the Jewish historian Josephus and the Roman Tacitus. His tenure was marked by a series of major disturbances, which led to his removal from office by the Emperor Claudius or by the governor of Syria, Ummidius Caius Quadratus.
Procuratorship of Iudaea
Nothing is known about Cumanus before he was appointed procurator of Iudaea in 48, in succession to Tiberius Julius Alexander.[1] Under Alexander, the province had enjoyed a period of relative peace, but that proved to be transient, as Cumanus' governorship was marked by a series of serious public disturbances.
The trouble started while Jewish pilgrims were assembled in Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Cumanus, following the precedent set by earlier governors, assembled a detachment of Roman soldiers on the roof of the Temple portico to maintain order among the crowds, but one caused chaos by exposing himself to the Jews in the courtyard while calling out insults. Some of the Jews brought their complaints to Cumanus, but others began to retalliate by hurling stones at the soldiers.[2] Some openly accused Cumanus of being responsible for the provocation – a sign that relations between governor and provincials had been poor even previously.[3] Finding himself unable to calm the angry crowd personally, Cumanus called for fully-armed reinforcements, who assembled either in the Temple courtyard or on the roof of the Antonia Fortress, which overlooked the Temple.[4] In the ensuing stampede, according to Josephus' estimates, between twenty and thirty thousand people were crushed to death.[5] These numbers may be exaggerated,[3] but there is no doubt that the loss of life was substantial; the feast, says Josephus, "became the cause of mourning to the whole nation".[6]
Notes
- ^ At appoximately the same time as the death of Herod of Chalcis; see Josephus, War 2.223; Antiquities 20.103-104.
- ^ Josephus, War 2.224-225; Antiquities 20.105-108.
- ^ a b E. Mary Smallwood (1981). The Jews Under Roman Rule from Pompey to Diocletian: A Study in Political Relations (2nd ed. ed.). Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. p. 264. ISBN 90-04-06403-6.
{{cite book}}:|edition=has extra text (help);|pages=has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help) - ^ Josephus, War 2.226 (the Temple courtyard); Antiquities 20.109-110 (the Fortress).
- ^ Josephus, War 2.227; Antiquities 20.111-112.
- ^ Josephus, War 2.227.
Further reading
- Aberbach, M. (1949). "The Conflicting Accounts of Josephus and Tacitus concerning Cumanus' and Felix' Terms of Office". Jewish Quarterly Review. 40 (1): 1–14.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - Gottheil, Richard (1901–1906). "Cumanus, Ventidius". In Isidore Singer; et al. (eds.). Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. IV. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 383. Retrieved 2007-01-20.
{{cite encyclopedia}}: Explicit use of et al. in:|editor=(help)CS1 maint: date format (link) - McKechnie, Paul (2005). "Judaean Embassies and Cases before Roman Emperors, AD 44–66". Journal of Theological Studies. 56 (2): 339–361.
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