Chiliarch
Chiliarch
See Army.
Fuente: Dictionary of the Apostolic Church
Chiliarch
(, captain of a thousand; A. V. “high captain,” Mar 6:21; “captain,” Joh 18:12; Rev 19:18; elsewhere “chief captain”), a military title occurring frequently in the (Greek) New Test. in the following senses. SEE ARMY.
1. As a general state officer (Mar 6:21; Act 25:23; Rev 6:15; Rev 19:18; comp. Josephus, Ant. 7:2, 2).
2. Specifically, a tribune of the soldiers among the Romans, six of whom formed the field officers of every “legion” (q.v.), corresponding in rank nearly to our colonel (see Smith’s Dict. of Class. Antig. s.v. Exercitus); in the N.T. spoken individually of Claudius Lysias, who, as military tribune, in the capacity of a modern major, commanded the garrison of Fort Antonia at Jerusalem (Act 21:31 sq.; comp. Herodian, 2:12, 18; Dion. Hal. Ant. 6:4). 3. Particularly applied to the praefect or (Levitical) superintendent of order in the Temple (Joh 18:12). SEE CAPTAIN.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
Chiliarch
CHILIARCH ().The title of this military officer is twice used in the Gospels: Joh 18:12 and Mar 6:21 (Authorized Version captain, high captains; Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 chief captain, high captains; (Revised Version margin) military tribune(s), Gr. chiliarch(s)). It is the Greek equivalent for the Roman office of tribunus militum, an office of great historical antiquity, from the analogy of which the famous tribuni plebis took their name. The tribunus militum is called by Mommsen the pillar of the Roman military system; he was an officer commanding a cohort. See, further, Legion.
A chiliarch with his band () is represented by St. John as coming with Judas to take our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane. If this is to be understood strictly as standing for a tribunus militum and his cohort, the use of so large a force would point to a great (real or assumed) fear of popular disturbance on the part of the authorities. The words may, however, be used in a general sense for a body of troops under an officer (see Westcott, ad loc.).
In St. Marks account of the martyrdom of John the Baptist, Herod the tetrarch of Galilee is represented as making a feast to his (highest civil officials), (highest military officers), and (leading provincials). These chiliarchs were officers of the army of the tetrarch, which would be organized on Roman models. For the association of and cf. Rev 6:15. (See Swetes St Mark, ad loc.).
M. R. Newbolt.
Fuente: A Dictionary Of Christ And The Gospels
Chiliarch
CHILIARCH (Rev 19:18 RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ).See Band.