Bible Dictionaries
Tiberius Caesar

Holman Bible Dictionary

(Ti buhr' ih uhss ssee' ssuhr) The person who had the unenviable task of following Augustus as Roman emperor. He ruled the empire from A.D. 14-37. Tiberius was especially ill suited to follow Augustus. A solid, taciturn man, he lacked the public relations ability of Augustus.

Tiberius was 54 when he ascended to the throne. He was a republican at heart, so he must have felt very uncomfortable with the system of government which Augustus left him. He had a deep respect for the Senate, and he took great pains to preserve the dignity of that body. Yet even Tiberius came to realize that it was too late to make the Senate an equal partner in government.

During the reign of Tiberius, Jesus began His ministry; and He was crucified. This event was probably not noted at the emperor's court. Tiberius died in A.D. 37. He was 79 years old. See Rome.

Gary Poulton