Legio XVII: Roman Legion at War (53 page)

J
oseph, son of Levi, was a Roman citizen of Hebrew ancestry who was born in Rome in 227 BC.  His father Levi was born in Israel in 268 BC, reared in the Greek city state of Corinth, and moved to Rome in 243 BC at age 25.  Unfortunately, the scrolls are silent as to why or when Levi relocated from Israel to Corinth.  The Team suspected that Levi traveled to Corinth from Israel with his parents to escape the rampant Hellenization and accompanying violence that was taking place throughout Israel and particularly around Lake Kinneret.  Corinth, by comparison appeared to be a relatively peaceful, sophisticated, and cosmopolitan Greek city state that was tolerant of Israelis and their belief in the Torah.

Joseph mentions that his father Levi came to Rome in 243 BC as an emissary of Corinth to seek Roman help in their struggle against Macedonia whose forces occupied their city.  For a young man of 25 to be entrusted with such great responsibility suggests that Levi was well versed in diplomacy and fluent in Greek and Latin.  From our knowledge of Corinth’s history, we can piece together the likely circumstances that led to Levi’s mission to Rome.

Two years earlier, in 245 BC, a man named Aratus from the Greek city state of Sicyon, about 12 miles NW of Corinth, was appointed leader of the Achaean League. At the time, the Achaean League's rivals were the Macedonians, who had military garrisons throughout the Peloponnesus, including a garrison in Corinth.  Without Aratus’ knowledge, the city leaders of Corinth dispatched Levi to Rome in a failed bid to secure the assistance of Rome’s new and growing naval power that was employed primarily against Carthage.  Corinth wanted Roman ships to threaten key Macedonian holdings in the Aegean Sea to prevent them from reinforcing Corinth.  Trading rights and new shipping routes were to be offered in exchange.

Corinth, which had been garrisoned years before by Philip II of Macedonia, became Aratus’ first target for liberation from the Macedonians. A Syrian soldier who was an ally of Aratus discovered a part of the city wall which was only 4.5 meter high and accessible through some rocks by a hidden path.

In 243 BC, the same year that Levi left Corinth for Rome, Aratus led 400 Achaeans to Corinth to attack the Macedonian garrison.   The Macedonians were overwhelmed by the assault and quickly surrendered.  The next morning, the entire Achaean army marched through the city’s gates and occupied the city.

When word of these events reached Levi in Rome, he concluded that Corinth had merely exchanged one tyrant for another and decided to not return.  Despite the fact that his request for Roman naval support fell on deaf ears because of Rome’s burgeoning conflict with Carthage, he made many personal and powerful friends through his intelligence, tact, sound judgment, and wit.

Over time, Levi was elected
Quaestor
by the
Comitia Tributa
to work with the Roman Senate on Treasury matters and grew in power, wealth, and influence.  His goal, which was never achieved, was to be appointed by a
Censor
to fill one of the 300 Senate seats when a vacancy occurred.

He married Rivkah, a wealthy Jewish woman and raised a family of six; the last was Joseph.  Joseph credits his father Levi and the example he set for his own successful life.  Levi and Joseph were honest, exercised self control, practiced patience, and possessed a strong work ethic, concern for others, love of God, They both had a strong drive for self improvement, and the habit of not wasting time on trivial pursuits.  For the rest of their lives, Levi and Joseph maintained their Hebrew identity and good standing with God and man by observing the Torah and obeying the laws of the land.

Joseph was raised in the Hebrew tradition and received a first class Roman education, including study in Greece and Israel.  He was fluent in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin as well as a few dialects spoken in the Cisalpine Gaul of modern northern Italy.  Like his father, Joseph was extremely capable, liked, and trusted by all he met.  His values and virtues reflected those of his father and were a reflection of early Roman moral probity.  Throughout his life, he remained faithful to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

After Joseph’s formal education, Levi entrusted his 18 year old son to his good friend of many years Tribune Manius Titurius Tullus, commandant of Rome’s Recruit Training Camp at
Campus Martius
.  Levi’s plans for Joseph’s continuing education included two years of hands-on experience with Rome’s military.  First, Joseph was to undergo a Legionaries’ six month basic training and then live with Tribune Tullus and his family to learn at the “master’s feet” for another year and a half.  This phase of his military education included travel to Army and Naval bases to observe first hand Rome’s military might.

Tribune Tullus taught Joseph Roman tactics, logistics, engineering, and medical field operations from an officer’s view point.  The Tribune also engaged Joseph in many late night discussions about his wartime experiences in the Cisalpine region against the
Gauls, Insubres, Ligures, Gaesatae, and Boii.

As evidenced by the contents of the scrolls, Joseph came to respect and admire Manius.  He not only faithfully recorded Manius’ military operations in the Cisalpine, but also served as Manius’ biographer.  As a result of his diligence, we have a detailed history of Manius’ life and service to Rome.

Levi was grooming Joseph to compete for one of the 24 “Tribunes of the Soldiers” positions with the four standing Legions in order to be more competitive to eventually seek a seat as a
Plebeian
Tribune on the
Concilium Plebis
.  As events unfolded, Joseph received far more training and field experience than either Levi or Joseph could ever have imagined.

What began for Joseph as an 18 month stint with an experienced Legionaire to prepare him for life as a Roman politician, turned out to be a 30 month life changing event and the highlight of his life.

Joseph fulfilled his father’s ambitions for him by becoming one of the 10
Plebeian
Tribunes and retired after a lengthy and successful career to rewrite his war time scrolls and complete his biography of Tribune Manius Tullus.

E
ven after fifteen hundred years, the Western world’s fascination with all things Roman continues unabated.  Why and how an ancient miniscule Mediterranean city, and later vast Imperial power, is able to maintain its grip on the minds of so many people for so long is a study in itself.

Figure 24

Rome was a force in the Western world from 753 BC to 476 AD and controlled a large swath of territory from Spain to England, Germany and France, the entire Mediterranean basin, Turkey, Greece, and countries bordering the Adriatic and Black Sea.  At 2.2 million square miles, it was enormous, but it was not the largest empire the world had ever seen.

The Persian Empire, 500 BC - 330 BC, was the largest empire by geographical extent in ancient times; at the height of its power, it encompassed approximately 5 million square miles.  It was forged by Cyrus the Great and spanned three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe.  By comparison, the United States and China each encompass 3.7 million square miles.

Yet it is Rome that continues to inspire the world.  Longevity certainly accounts for part of this phenomenon, but the real reason is that Rome left a positive and enduring legacy across the spectrum of human development.  Unlike the Mongolian hoards that infested Europe and left nothing but death and destruction in their wake, the Persian Empire did made a positive contribution, but it pales in comparison with that of Rome’s.

The Romans were the greatest empire builders of the ancient Western world and had the greatest influence on Western Civilization of all previous civilizations in areas such as language, architecture, warfare, art, law, and government.  They created a legacy that proved to be as dominant as it was long lasting and became the ideal upon which Western civilization was shaped.

One of Rome’s greatest contributions to Western Civilization was the establishment of the Christian Church. Without the Church, there would have been no Western Civilization. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Church was the link that held the West together until the Renaissance. Without those monks preserving the ancient Greek and Latin texts, knowledge and learning would have been lost.

During Rome's
Pax Romana
, 27 BC to 180 AD, the spread of Christianity flourished, making way for it to evolve from a small following of a few people along the eastern Mediterranean to a worldwide faith of multitudes. This incredible, though unintentional contribution forever changed the course of human history.

The ancient Roman republican form of government created the basis to effectively govern a large number of people while giving the population a say in the political process.  This was a priceless gift to the Western World.  Another gift copied from the Roman republic was its system of checks and balances to ensure that power was not too highly concentrated in any one person or institution.

The sheer size of the Roman Empire and its unified nature allowed for the spread of ideas across the Empire. Rome was a melting pot of cultures and customs that brought ideas to a place where they could quickly be passed.  In time, even Rome’s enemies came under the pervasive influence of Roman ideals.

The Romans built things to last; things that people could actually use: sewers, public baths, sports stadiums, temples, bridges, and aqueducts that stand even today. They invented
highways, which were technological marvels. The army built a vast network of roads constructed of stone and concrete that connected Rome to all parts of the empire.  Many lasted until the Middle Ages and some are still in use today.

Roman Architecture and city-planning were second to none.  Visitors from all over the empire came to Rome to marvel at the grandeur and architectural innovations on display: the arch, dome, and concrete.

Despite a series of devastating losses to Hannibal in the 3rd Century BC, the Roman Army was almost invincible and has been studied for centuries.  The Army was renowned for its splendid leadership, discipline, tactics, logistics, training, weapons, and ability to innovate.  The vaunted Roman Legions provide an endless source of fascination to amateur and professional historians alike.

The Latin language gave birth to 47 other Romance languages and dialects spoken in Europe such as French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian.  It also has had a profound influence on the development of English.

Some would argue that Rome’s most lasting and widespread contribution to Western culture was its system of law.  Roman law developed the division between public law, in which the state is directly involved, such as with issues of treason and taxation, and private law, which is concerned with disputes between people, such as with contracts. This system was the basis for what is now known in the West as Civil law. Romans had indictments and jury trials similar to today's practices. The many defense techniques currently used today in our own courts can be traced back to Roman procedures.

Early Roman law dealt mostly with the rights of Roman citizens. However, as the empire grew the Romans came to believe that laws should be fair and apply equally to all people, rich and poor. Slowly, judges began to recognize certain standards of justice such as:

• All persons had the right to equal treatment under the law

• A person was considered innocent until proven guilty

• The burden of proof rested with the accuser rather than the accused

• A person should be punished only for actions, not thoughts