Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus | |
|---|---|
| Suffect consul of the Roman Empire | |
| In office 51–52 Serving with Titus Cutius Ciltus | |
| Preceded by | Quintus Volusius Saturninu Publius Cornelius Scipio |
| Succeeded by | Publius Sulpicius Scribonius Rufus Publius Sulpicius Scribonius Proculus |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lucius Annaeus Novatus c. 5 BC |
| Died | c. 65 AD (agedc. 69) |
Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus (Greek:Γαλλιων,Galliōn; c. 5 BC – c. AD 65) was aRoman senator and brother of the writerSeneca. He is best known for dismissing an accusation brought againstPaul the Apostle inCorinth.
Gallio (originally named Lucius Annaeus Novatus), the son of the rhetoricianSeneca the Elder and the elder brother ofSeneca the Younger, was born inCorduba (Cordova) c. 5 BC. He was adopted by Lucius Junius Gallio, arhetorician of some repute, from whom he took the name of Junius Gallio. His brother Seneca, who dedicated to him the treatisesDe Ira andDe Vita Beata, speaks of the charm of his disposition, also alluded to by the poetStatius (Silvae, ii.7, 32). It is probable that he was banished toCorsica with his brother, and that they returned together to Rome whenAgrippina selected Seneca to be tutor toNero. Towards the close of the reign ofClaudius, Gallio wasproconsul of the newly constituted senatorial province ofAchaea, but seems to have been compelled byill-health to resign the post within a few years.[1] He was referred to by Claudius as "my friend and proconsul" in theDelphi Inscription, around 52.
Gallio was a suffect or replacement consul in the mid-50s,[2] andCassius Dio records that he introduced Nero's performances.[3] Not long after the death of his brother, Seneca, Gallio (according to Tacitus,Ann. 15.73) was attacked in the Senate by Salienus Clemens, who accused him of being a "parricide andpublic enemy", though the Senate unanimously appealed to Salienus not to profit "from public misfortunes to satisfy a private animosity".[4] He did not survive this reprieve long. When his second brother, Annaeus Mela, opened his veins after being accused of involvement in a conspiracy (Tacitus,Ann. 16.17), Gallio seems to have committedsuicide, perhaps under instruction in 65 AD.[5]
According to theActs of the Apostles, when Gallio was proconsul of Achaea,Paul the Apostle was brought in front of him by theJews of Corinth with the accusation of having violatedMosaic Law. This action was presumably headed bySosthenes, a ruler of the local synagogue. Gallio, however, was indifferent towards religious disputes between theJews and theChristians, so he refused to pass any judgment and had Paul and the Jews removed from the Court. Soon after that, Sosthenes was beaten by a mob, but Gallio did not intervene (Acts 18:12-17).
Gallio's tenure can be fairly accurately dated to between AD 51–52.[6] Therefore, the events ofActs 18 can be dated to this period. This is significant because it is the most accurately known date in the life of Paul.[7]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gallio, Junius Annaeus".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 11 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 419.| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Roman consul 56 (suffect) withTitus Cutius Ciltus | Succeeded byas suffect consuls |
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