Luke xi. 1.AUGUSTUS, Emperor of Rome, and Successor to Julius Cæsar. The battle of Actium, which he fought with Mark Antony, and which made him master of the Empire, happened fifteen years before the Birth of Jesus Christ, in the year of the world 3985. Augustus lived seventeen years after it. He died in the 14th year of the common Æra, and seventeen years after the Birth of our Saviour. This was the Emperor who appointed the Enrolment mentioned by S. Luke, which obliged Joseph and the Virgin to go to Bethlehem, the place where Jesus Christ was born.
Augustus procured the Crown of Judæa for Herod from the Roman Senate. After the defeat of Mark Antony, Herod adhered to Augustus, and was always very faithful to him. Augustus loaded him with honours and riches; and when this Monarch undertook to subject Arabia to the Roman Empire, Herod gave Ælius Gallus, who had the charge of this expedition, five hundred of his guards. Augustus was pleased to undertake the care of Alexander’s and Aristobulus’s education, Herod’s Sons, and gave them apartments in his palace. When he came into Syria, Zenodorus and the Gadarens waited on him with their complaints against Herod, accusing him of violence, rapine, and tyranny. But Herod by his presence cleared himself of these accusations, and obliged his accusers to lay violent hands upon themselves to prevent their falling into his; and Augustus was so far from having any regard to what was charged upon him, that he heaped new honours on him, and augmented his Kingdom with the addition of Zenodorus’s Tetrarchy1. He was so kind as to examine into the quarrels between Herod and his Sons, and reconciled them.
Syllæus Minister to Obadas King of the Nabatheans having accused Herod of making an irruption into Arabia with a powerful Army, and destroying abundance of people there2, Augustus wrote to Herod about it in an angry manner, but he justified his conduct so well, that the Emperor restored him to his good graces, and continued them to him ever after. But this did not prevent his disapproving very much the rigours exercised by Herod towards his Sons, he having put to death Alexander and Aristobulus, and last of all Antipater; whereupon the Emperor observed, that it were better a great deal to be Herod’s Hog than his Child3.
Augustus after the death of Lepidus assumed the office of High Priest among the Romans4. This dignity gave him an inspection over Ceremonies, and matters relating to Religion. One of his first concerns was, to order an examination of the Sybils Books, which were then very common, and occasioned great disorders among the People, and in the Government, every one taking the liberty of interpreting them, and giving such a turn to them as was agreeable to his fancy and inclinations. Augustus directed search to be made after them, and, as it is said, burnt near two thousand Copies of them. He preserved none but such as bore the name of some particular Sybils, and were esteemed to be their genuine works; and even these he submitted to a severe examination. Those which he preserved as authentick, were put into two little gold boxes under the pedestal of Apollo’s statue, whose Temple was built within the inclosure of the palace. See hereafter the article Sybils.
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