COPONIUS°

COPONIUS°, first procurator of Judea, from 6 to 9 C.E. Of equestrian rank, he was sent to Judea by Augustus after the banishment of archelaus . He was accompanied by the Syrian governor, Quirinus, who was sent to take charge of Archelaus' property and to take a census in order to determine taxation. This census was customary in every land which became a Roman province, but the Jews, incited by zadok the pharisee and judah the galilean , regarded it as a sign of servitude and protested against it. Josephus mentions Judah as the founder   of a new sect which has been identified variously with the zealots and the sicarii . As a result of the intervention of joezer b. boethus , the high priest, the people were pacified and the census taken. During Coponius' period of office some Samaritans penetrated into the Temple and scattered human bones through its chambers, which led to an intensification of the vigil at the Temple (Eduy. 8:5; Tosef. Eduy. 3:3). No specific complaints were raised against Coponius as was the case with his successors, and he is believed to have maintained a satisfactory relationship with the Jews. One of the gateways to the Temple Mount, "the door of Coponius," was apparently named after him (Mid. 1:3). -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Jos., Ant., 18:1–10; 2:29; 31; Jos., Wars, 1:117–8. (Lea Roth)