Augustus

Augustus, also known as Caesar, was the Roman emperor during the time of Jesus' birth and early life (Luk.2.1; 3:1; Act.25.21, 25; 27:1).

Augustus, also referred to as Caesar, was the first Roman emperor and ruled during the time of Jesus' birth and early life. He is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. In Luk 2:1, a decree is issued by Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered, leading Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. Luk 3:1 mentions that John the Baptist began his ministry in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, indicating that Augustus had died by this time. In Acts, Paul appeals to Caesar as a Roman citizen, referring to the emperor's authority. Augustus' reign was marked by a period of relative peace and stability in the Roman Empire, known as the Pax Romana. His rule had a significant impact on the political and social context of the New Testament world.

The cognomen of the first Roman emperor, C. Julius Caesar Octavianus, during whose reign Christ was born (Luke 2:1). His decree that “all the world should be taxed” was the divinely ordered occasion of Jesus’ being born, according to prophecy (Micah 5:2), in Bethlehem. This name being simply a title meaning “majesty” or “venerable,” first given to him by the senate (B.C. 27), was borne by succeeding emperors. Before his death (A.D. 14) he associated Tiberius with him in the empire (Luke 3:1), by whom he was succeeded.