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CITIZENSHIP
In NT usage (1) designation of belonging to the city or city-state where one was born and reared, and (2) status of sharing in the privileges and responsibilities of the Roman Empire. Thus the apostle Paul claimed to be a citizen of both Tarsus (Acts 21:39) and Rome (22:27-28).
The right of Roman citizenship most commonly was acquired by birth, as was true of Paul. The status of a child whose parents were married was determined by the status of the father at the time of conception. The status of a child born out of wedlock was determined by that of the mother at the child’s birth. Slaves automatically became citizens when freed by their masters. Although known as “freedmen,” they were often denied the rights of regular freeborn citizens. Greedy magistrates frequently sold the right of citizenship for a high price. The tribune Claudius Lysias received his citizenship in that manner (Acts 22:28). Citizen rights could also be granted by treaty or imperial declaration. Following the Social War (about 90–85 BC), citizenship was granted to all the inhabitants of Italy. Julius Caesar extended the right to colonies in Gaul (France) and provinces in Asia Minor. According to the census of the emperor Augustus (Lk 2:1), there were approximately 4,233,000 Roman citizens at the time of Christ’s birth. By the time of Paul’s ministry, the number had reached 6,000,000.
Where Are These Cities?
The question of the location of the cities of the plain has been an intriguing one in biblical study. Today scholars generally conclude that these cities stood at the south end of the Dead Sea. Scripture itself connects them with the valley of Siddim. Either they stood in the valley or else the valley lay adjacent to the plain where they were located. Between the days of Abraham and Moses, the water level of the Dead Sea evidently had risen enough to cover at least part of the valley of Siddim; Genesis 14:3 declares that the valley of Siddim was “the Salt Sea” (in Moses’ time). The southern part of the Dead Sea is now only 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 meters) deep, whereas the northern part reaches a depth of 1,300 feet (396 meters). Josephus, a first-century AD historian, declared that ruins of the five cities were still to be seen at the south end of the Dead Sea. No trace of these ruins has been discovered in modern times.
Though much of the region south of the Dead Sea is now burned out and sterile, the area to its southeast is still fertile. Three streams pour down from the mountains of Moab into this area and furnish water for irrigation. W. F. Albright, a 20th-century archaeologist, noted that five streams flow into the south end of the Dead Sea. Atown could have stood on each of them.
Roman citizens were often required to give proof of their citizenship. That was usually accomplished by reference to the census archives, where the name of every citizen was recorded. In addition, freeborn citizens possessed a small wooden birth certificate containing information about their status at birth. Military documents and taxation tables also carried the names of registered citizens. Further, every Roman citizen had three names, whereas noncitizens generally had only one.
The rights of Roman citizenship were extensive, including the right to vote; to hold office; to serve in the military; to purchase, possess, sell, and bequeath property; to enter into a legal contract; to have a fair trial; and to appeal to Caesar. Thus Paul, upon mention of his Roman citizenship, received an apology from magistrates at Philippi for having imprisoned him without a trial (Acts 16:38-39). He also avoided a scourging in Jerusalem (22:24-29) and was able to request a trial before Caesar (25:10-12; cf. 26:32).