Titus Flavius Sabinus was the elder son of Titus Flavius Sabinus and Vespasia Polla. Along with his younger brother Vespasian, he served in the Roman conquest of Britain in 43, during the reign of the Emperor Claudius. He was consul in 47, governor of Moesia from 50 to 56, and from 56-69 was Prefect of the city of Rome. Lucius Pedanius Secundus served as Prefect of Rome sometime during the year of 61 however, and so most scholars conclude that Sabinus served two terms as prefect, one from 56-60 and another from 62-69 . The reason for his temporary deposition is unknown.
Sabinus was an important supporter of his brother: when Vespasian found himself in financial difficulties while governor of Africa, Sabinus lent him the money to continue, and while Vespasian was governor of Iudaea Sabinus was a vital source of information on events in Rome. However in 69, the Year of the Four Emperors, as Vespasian advanced to Rome, Sabinus was besieged on the Capitoline Hill before being put to death by the Emperor Vitellius, and did not live to see his brother take over the Empire. He had one son, Titus Flavius Sabinus (consul 69).
There have been conjectures that he might have been the Theophilus mentioned in the Bible (Theophilus (Biblical)) to whom both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were written or dedicated.
References
- Tacitus, Histories
- Suetonius, Lives of the Twelve Caesars
- Cassius Dio, Roman History
- Arnold Blumberg (ed) (1995), Great Leaders, Great Tyrants?: Contemporary Views of World Rulers Who Made History
- Paul Maier, The Flames of Rome
Notes
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Last updated on Wednesday July 02, 2008 at 08:48:50 PDT (GMT -0700)
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