Bible Lexicons

Ἀσιάρχης, Ἀσιαρχου, ὁ, an Asiarch, President of Asia: Acts 19:31. Each of the cities of proconsular Asia, at the autumnal equinox, assembled its most honorable and opulent citizens, in order to select one to preside over the games to be exhibited that year, at his expense, in honor of the gods and the Roman emperor. Thereupon each city reported the name of the person selected to a general assembly held in some leading city, as Ephesus, Smyrna, Sardis. This general council, called τό κοινόν, selected ten out of the number of candidates, and sent them to the proconsul; and the proconsul, apparently, chose one of these ten to preside over the rest. This explains how it is that in Acts, the passage cited several Asiarchs are spoken of, while Eusebius, h. e. 4, 15, 27 mentions only one; (perhaps also the title outlasted the service). Cf. Meyer on Acts, the passage cited; Winers RWB under the word Asiarchen; (BB. DD. under the word; but especially Le Bas et Waddington, Voyage Archeol. Inscriptions part. v., p. 244f; Kuhn, Die städtische u. bürgerl. Verf. des röm. Reichs, i. 106ff; Marquardt, Röm. Staatsverwalt. i. 374ff; Stark in Schenkel i., 263; especially Lightfoot Polycarp, p. 987ff).