In ancient Rome, everything revolved around status. Man or woman, free or slave, citizen or not. Everyone had to be cataloged and visibly identified. Every aspect of your life was determined by your status, and there were mutiple, overlapping levels.
Three kinds of people inhabited the Roman Empire:
Senators or patricians
Equestrians or knights
Plebians
For the most part, this was determined by birth. The original patricians, during the time of the Kingdom and the Republic, were descendants of the first Senate established by Romulus. During the Empire, plebians could rise to the level of the patricians. Originally the classes could not intermarry, but that too changed during the Republic.
Senators and equestrians had to meet a minimum wealth threshold. Part of the reason for this was that they had to provide their own horses and military equipment to protect Rome.
Citizenship was also divided into classes. A male citizen enjoyed many rights and privileges such as the right to vote, hold office, own property, conduct business, and move within the Empire without losing citizenship. When one citizen married another, their children were counted as citizens. They were also entitled to a legal trial, and could commute a death sentence into voluntary exile, which many saw as worse than death.
Women citizens had most of these rights but could not vote or hold office.
Conquered peoples and those living in Roman colonies held a more limited form of citizenship, called the Latin right. Freed slaves and convicted citizens also held this lesser form. They could not vote or hold office.
Slaves had no rights whatsoever. They were considered property. If freed, however, they could become a citizen, and the children of freed persons were citizens.
One could become a citizen by birth, by purchase—usually at an exorbitant price, or after military service of twenty-five years.
Roman citizenship comes into play at several places in Scripture. Recall the story of Paul in Jerusalem:
But as he was being tied with the thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?”
Now when the centurion heard this, he went and reported it to the chief captain, saying, “Do you realize what you are about to do? For this man is a Roman.”. And when the chief captain came up, he said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” And the chief captain answered, “With a great sum of money I bought this citizenship.” And Paul said, “But indeed, I was born free.”
Paul was born in a free city, one granted full Roman rights due to some great service to the Empire. Citizens could not be scourged, whipped or sentenced to death for anything less than treason, and when Paul asserted his rights, the beating did not take place.
Detail of a Roman soldier carrying a gladius and whip
Other times, his citizenship did not exempt him. He was stoned in Lystra, but that was by Jews. In Philippi, he was whipped and thrown in prison. He either was not acknowledged as a citizen or did not declare his citizenship.
Citizenship in ancient Rome could mean the difference between life and death. But our hearts must be focused on our allegiance to Jesus. He is the author and finisher of our faith. He is life itself. As Paul put it:
