Ofonius Tigellinus was the Prefect of the Praetorian Guard with the role of trusted adviser to Nero. Though Tigeliinus was born into a plebian family of modest means from Sicily, he became second to the emperor perhaps the most powerful man in Rome. Because of the support of a powerful families of Marcus Vinicius and Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus both Roman magistrates (Consul), he received a decent education. But, because of his illicit affair with the wife of Gnaeus, Tigellinus was exiled. With the money he saved he became a merchant in Greece. The emperor Claudius allowed Tigellinus to return to Italy if he promised never to visit the imperial palace. Because Claudius had married Agrippina, so he was no friend of her previous lover, and that is why Tigellinus was not to return to Rome. Tigellinus became wealthy from his investments in the "heel" of Italy (Salento), and became a close friend of a man named Lucius who was to be adopted by Claudius and married the emperor’s daughter. Because of this Lucius became the next Emperor and changed his name to Nero in 54 CE. In 60 CE Tigellinus became the perfect of the vigils or fire brigade, then joined the equestrian order and became the praetorian prefect in 62 CE.
Nero took on a lover named Poppaea and then Nero lost interest in his wife Octavia. Tigellinus created false evidence indicating that Nero's legally recognized wife Octavia had been unfaithful.
The Great fire of Rome began on July 18 64 CE in Circus Maximus. No one knows how big was the fire or it’s cause. Tacitus a historian at the time claimed the fire burned five days. Many Roman historians of the time never even mentioned the fire. Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus and Cassius Dio believed Nero might have had something to do with it. Tacitus claimed that Christians confessed to the crime, though if they confessed was torture involved? What we know was Nero fixed the blame on the Christians and rounded up many followers of Christ in Rome and publically executed them. In the movie and novel Quo Vadis, Nero had both Paul and Peter executed. The first written record of these deeds was from the apocryphal Ascension of Isaiah. Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea writing at the end of the third century or the beginning of the fourth, made the claim Paul was beheaded. Bishop Eusebius made the claim Nero put both Peter and Paul to death, Peter being crucified upside down. Other sources claim Paul lived another two years traveling to Hispania. The Acts of Peter, it wasn’t Nero but another unspecified emperor who killed Peter. The Orthodox/ Catholic faith won out over the other Christian sects and now it is commonly held both Peter and Paul died in Rome because of Nero.
Nero then had Roman homes rebuilt of brick, then the buildings spread out, and with porches facing the wider roads.
In 65 CE Caius Calpurnius Piso lead a failed cue to overthrow Nero. Latin poet Lucan was part of this plot. This was devastating to Nero because Lucan was Nero’s most outrageous flatterer was Lucan. But, at a public occasion both Lucan and Nero recited their poetry. Lucan won, Nero was bitter. Nero believed that no living human being could create any type of art as well as himself. Nero then banned all Lucan’s poetry. Thus Lucan joined with other’s among Rome’s elite who came the believe Nero was out of control. Tigellinus successfully crushed the revolt. After which he was awarded with a statue on the Palatine.
In 67 CE Nero and Tigelinus went to Greece for the Oplimpic games. While Nero was out of town members of the Praetorian Guard were placed in charge to managed things back in Rome.
After Nero came back to Rome, the Praetorian Guard reduced Tigellinus in status to the other prefects.
But anger with Nero continued to grow. Following this was a series of revolts that led to the overthrow of Nero. Gaius Julius Vindex commander of Gaul revolted but he was defeated. This led to another revolt by Lucius Verginius Rufus governor of Hispania who marched on Rome. Tigellinus, asserted he was unwell and was unable to respond. Nero then, was forced to flee and when caught was required to commit suicide.
The next emperor Galba, allowed Roman general Titus Vinius to protect Tigellinus. But, the palace guard murdered the new emperor because he missed paying their salary.
When Marcus Salvius Otho became Emperor Tigellinus was ordered to commit suicide.
Selected Bibiogrphy
Ascension of Isaiah
Ehrman, Bart D. (2003) Lost Scriptures: Oxford, Oxford University Press
Acts of Peter, Acts of Paul, Murtorian Canon
LIVIUS Articles on Ancient History: Ofonius Tigellinus
Rannzero, Carlo Mario (1954) The life and times of Nero Universal Digital Library.
Roper, Theresa K. (1979) Nero, Seneca and Tigellinus in Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte the 3rd quarter. Pages (346-357)
Michael Joseph Francisconi
Peter and Paul.
In the novel and film Quo Vadis about the early Christian faith at the time of Nero, Peter and Paul held the leadership of the Church in Rome jointly. This was important because until the Protestant Reformation the apostolic legitimacy was central to the authority of the Church. The succession of spiritual authorization from the Apostles for the Church leadership was fundamental to the faith.
According to tradition Simon renamed Peter was a fisherman from the village named Capernaum and was the first chosen by Jesus to be a disciple. He was to end up in Rome and became the first Bishop there. It was the Roman elder Clement that writes about Peter’s trial and Eusebius records that he was crucified, and unlike Jesus Peter was crucified upside down, as Peter believed he was unworthy to die in the manner that is lord died. Most of what we know comes from Church sources.
We know very little about the early Church outside of scripture, and Church writings of the second century. The epistles of Paul it appears to predate the gospels. In the first two centuries there were many Christian faiths and many competing stories and mutually exclusive descriptions of Christ. Rome too was the scene of competing and mutually hostile sects. But, one denomination would win out over the others. Not only did different faiths claim to have a special connection to different apostles, different regions claimed their own connection to these early Apostles. St. Clement of Rome wrote the apostles appointed successors to continue their work in different regions. Paul was closely connected to Antioch, John at Ephesus and Alexandria; Mark in Alexandria, Thomas it was said went to India. In Rome both Peter and Paul were venerated. In the second century the bishop of Rome was recorded in sources independent of Church traditions. It was established, the apostolic legitimacy of Peter as the first Bishop of Rome. But, earlier both Peter and Paul received benefaction of the Roman Church. It appears by the beginning of the second century Peter was the first Bishop of Rome. Before then in Rome, a council of presbyters controlled the church. Paul remained the founding spirit of the Eastern Church. As the most important sect of Christianity would slowly win out and became the Orthodox/ Catholic faith differences began. Peter became more important than Paul in Rome, the Eastern Church Paul became most important and John for the Coptic Church.
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was perhaps the true author of much of the orthodox Christianity, including Catholics and Protestants. Though not one of the original Twelve he became the untiring Apostle to the non-Jews of the Roman World after his conversion on the road to Damascus. Even non-believers say Paul existed and what survives of his writings predates the gospels. Probably it was through Paul the Christianity spread to the non-Jewish population in the Roman world. Paul wrote at least some of the books of the New Testament accredited to him. Seven letters attributed to Paul are undisputed, six more are in fact disputed, and most serious scholars doubt the “Epistle” to the “Hebrews” as Paul’s work.
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