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The Praetorian Guard Received a Witness The Praetorian Guard Received a Witness In the year 59 C.E., the centurion Julius and his tired soldiers led a group of prisoners into Rome. They came into the city through the Porta Capena gate. On Palatine Hill they could see the palace of Emperor Nero, which was protected by Praetorian sol- diers armed with swords. (See footnote.) The prisoners walked by the Roman Forum and up Viminal Hill. They went past a gar- RMN-Grand Palais/Art Resource, NY den with many altars to Roman gods and then past a large area used for parades and military training. One of the prisoners was the apostle Paul. Some time earlier, during a storm at sea, an angel had told Paul: “You must stand be- fore Caesar.” (Acts 27:24) Paul might have been wondering if these words would soon come true. As he looked around at the city, he may have remembered what Jesus had told him at the Tower of Antonia in Jerusalem years earlier: “Be of good courage! For as you A carving of Praetorian soldiers have been giving a thorough witness on the things about me in Je- thought to be from the Arch of rusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.”—Acts 23:10, 11. Claudius, built in the year 51 Perhaps Paul looked at the Praetorian camp, called the Castra Praetoria. This was a large fortress with high red-brick walls and towers. It housed 12 cohorts of the Praetorian Guard and sever- al cohorts of the city’s police, including cavalry. (See footnote.) See the box “The Praetorian Guard in Nero’s Day.” A Roman cohort was a group of up to 1,000 soldiers. FEBRUARY 15, 2013 29 This building reminded the people of how power- ful the emperor was. Because the Praetorian Guard was also responsible for prisoners from other parts of the Roman Empire, Julius led these prisoners into the Praetorian camp. After a trip that lasted several months, the prisoners were finally in Rome.—Acts 27: 1-3, 43, 44. Courtesy Classical Numismatic Group, Inc./cngcoins.com PAUL DID NOT STOP PREACHING Amazing things had happened on the way to Rome. During a storm at sea, Paul foretold that the ship would The Praetorian camp on a coin be destroyed but that everyone would survive. A poi- from the first century sonous snake bit Paul, but he was not harmed. Later, he healed sick people on the island of Malta, and some began to say that he was a god. Other members of the Praetorian Guard may have heard about these events The Praetorian Guard in and may have been talking about them. Nero’s Day Paul had already met brothers who had come from Those in the Praetorian Guard made Rome to the Marketplace of Appius and Three Tav- an oath to protect the emperor and erns to meet him. (Acts 28:15) Paul was eager to con- his family. When the Praetorian sol- tinue preaching in Rome. But how could he do that diers went to war, they would carry now that he was a prisoner? (Romans 1:14, 15) Some flags with symbols of the emperor as think that the prisoners were first taken to the captain well as shields that had the picture of of the guard. If that is true, Paul was probably taken to a scorpion, Tiberius Caesar’s zodiac the leader of the Praetorian Guard, Afranius Burrus, sign. The Praetorian Guard was divid- who may have had almost as much power as the em- ed into groups and led by officers peror. (See footnote.) Instead of being guarded by of- called tribunes and centurions. The ficers, Paul was now guarded by one ordinary Praetori- Praetorians kept order at the games an soldier. Paul was allowed to find his own place to and in the theaters and helped fight live and to receive visitors and preach to them.—Acts fires. They could retire after serving 28:16, 30, 31. only 16 years, while soldiers in the PAUL WITNESSED “TO BOTH SMALL AND GREAT” Roman army had to serve 25 years. They were paid a lot more money than Burrus perhaps questioned Paul at the Praetorian regular Roman soldiers, had more camp or at the palace before taking him to Nero. Paul benefits, and received a large sum of did not miss this opportunity to preach to someone money when they retired. Praetorians who had great authority. (Acts 26:19-23) We do not also tortured and executed prisoners. know if Burrus thought Paul was guilty or not, but we It is possible that Paul was executed do know that he did not send Paul to prison in the Prae- by Praetorian soldiers the second torian camp.—See footnote. time he was in prison in Rome. —2 Timothy 4:16, 17. See the box “Sextus Afranius Burrus.” Herod Agrippa was imprisoned in the Praetorian camp by Tiberius Caesar in the years 36/37 for saying that Caligula should become emper- or. After Caligula became emperor, he rewarded Herod by making him king of Judea.—Acts 12:1. 30 SIMPLIFIED EDITION Soldiers heard Paul dictate letters Paul invited the Jewish leaders and many others to his house and witnessed to them. The Praetorian sol- diers also received a witness. They heard as Paul gave a thorough witness to Jews about Jesus and the King- dom “from morning till evening.”—Acts 28:17, 23. Every day, there was a different group of Praetori- an soldiers guarding the palace. Paul may also have had a different soldier guarding him each day. As a re- sult, many guards received a witness. They heard him dictate the letters to the Ephesian, Philippian, Colos- sian, and Hebrew Christians and saw him write a letter to a Christian named Philemon. While in prison, Paul Walls of the Castra Praetoria today helped Onesimus, a slave who had run away. He had become like a son to Paul, but he later returned to his master. (Philemon 10) Paul probably also showed inter- est in the soldiers who guarded him. (1 Corinthians 9:22) For example, Paul may have had a conversation with a guard about what different pieces of armor were for and then used what he learned in one of his illus- trations.—Ephesians 6:13-17. FEBRUARY 15, 2013 31 Mus “SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD FEARLESSLY” ee Calvet Avignon ´ Those in the Praetorian Guard were in contact with people everywhere in the Roman Empire, in- cluding the emperor and his family members, ser- vants, and slaves. So not only the Praetorian Guard but also many others had the opportunity to hear the good news, and some of these became Chris- tians. (Philippians 1:12, 13; 4:22) Paul’s example en- couraged the brothers in Rome “to speak the word of God fearlessly.”—Philippians 1:14. Paul’s example also encourages us to preach the good news both in good times and in difficult times. A stone tablet with the name of (2 Timothy 4:2) For example, we may be in a nurs- Sextus Afranius Burrus ing home, in a hospital, or in prison because of our faith. Whatever our situation, we can preach to those we meet. Perhaps we can speak to those who Sextus Afranius Burrus come to care for us or who come to do some kind of work for us. When we courageously use every op- Burrus was probably born in the city of portunity to preach, we show that nothing can stop Vaison-la-Romaine, which is now in south- the good news from spreading.—2 Timothy 2:8, 9. ern France, where his name was found on a stone tablet in 1884. In the year 51, Burrus was made leader of the Praetori- an Guard by Agrippina the Younger, wife Whatever our situation, we can preach to those we meet and niece of Claudius Caesar. Burrus also helped prepare Agrippina’s young son, Nero, to become emperor by giving him military training. Later, Agrippina poi- soned her husband Claudius. Burrus immediately had the Praetorian Guard make Nero emperor, and the Senate was forced to accept their choice. When Nero had his mother, Agrippina, killed in the year 59, Burrus protected him. The Ro- man historians Suetonius and Cassius Dio wrote that Burrus was poisoned by Nero in the year 62. Free downloads of this You can also read the New magazine and other World Translation online publications are available s on www.jw.org ws13 02/15-E.
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