Proconsul, a Roman officer appointed to the government of a province with consular authority. He was chosen out of the body of the senate; and it was customary, when anyone’s consulate expired, to send him as a proconsul into some province. He enjoyed the same honor with the consuls, but was allowed only six lictors with the fasces before him.
The proconsuls decided cases of equity and justice, either privately in their palaces, where they received petitions, heard complaints, and granted writs under their seals; or publicly in the common hall, with the formalities generally observed in the courts at Rome. These duties were, however, more frequently delegated to their assessors, or other judges of their own appointment. As the proconsuls had also the direction of justice, of war, and of the revenues, these departments were administered by their lieutenants, or legati, who were usually nominated by the senate. The office of the proconsuls lasted generally for one year only, and the expense of their journeys to and from their provinces was defrayed by the public. After the partition of the provinces between Augustus and the people, those who presided over the provinces of the latter were especially designated proconsuls, for whom it appears to have been customary to decree temples. Livy (viii and xxvi) mentions two other classes of proconsuls: those who, being consuls, had their office continued beyond the time appointed by law; and those who, being previously in a private station, were invested with this honor, either for the government of provinces, or to command in war. Some were created proconsuls by the senate without being appointed to any province, merely to command in the army, and to take charge of the military discipline; others were allowed to enter upon their proconsular office before being admitted to the consulship, but having that honor in reserve.
When the Apostle Paul was at Corinth, he was brought before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, one of the provinces of Greece, of which Corinth was the chief city, and arraigned by the Jews as one who ’persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law’ (Act 18:13); but Gallio refused to act as a judge of such matters, and ’drave them from the judgment-seat’ (Act 18:16).
Proconsul. (for, or in place of, the consul). At the division of the provinces by Augustus, in the year B.C. 27, into senatorial and imperial, the emperor assigned to the senate such portions of territory as were peaceable and could be held without force of arms. Those which he retained were called imperial, and were governed by legates and procurators. See Procurator. Over the senatorial provinces, the senate appointed by lot yearly an officer, who was called "proconsul," and who exercised purely proconsul, civil functions. The provinces were, in consequence, called "proconsular."
One who acts as a consul in a province. The word
PROCONSUL.—This was originally two words—proconsule, meaning a magistrate with the insignia and powers of a consul. When the kingship was abolished in Rome it gave place to a rule of two men, not called by the now detested name, but named prætores (‘generals’) or consules (‘colleagues’). As the Roman territory increased, men of prætorian or consular rank were required to govern the provinces (wh. see). During the Empire all governors of senatorial provinces were called proconsuls, whether they were ex-consuls and governed important provinces like Asia and Africa, or merely ex-prætors, like Gallio (Act 18:12 AV
A. Souter.
Down to the time of Augustus this word had not become one, but was still two words-pro consule, ‘in place of a consul.’ It signified a man with the rank and insignia of a consul, whether he had already held the office or not. In practice the title was conferred on certain governors of provinces, and only the Emperor possessed the power belonging to this office within the walls of the city of Rome. Nothing need here be said of such governors during the Republican period. By the arrangements of January, 27 b.c., all the provinces of the Roman Empire (see Province) were divided between the Senate and the Emperor Augustus. In conformity with his desire to keep all the real power in his own hands, while the semblance was left in the hands of the Senate, the governors of Imperial provinces were given humble titles such as legati Augusti pro praetore, etc., whatever had been their career, but all governors of senatorial provinces were called proconsules. The senatorial provinces were divided into two grades-the higher grade, open only to ex-consuls, comprising Asia and Africa; and the lower, open to ex-praetors, comprising all the other senatorial provinces. The governors of Asia and Africa were provided with three legati each. In the NT only three proconsuls are referred to-the proconsul of Cyprus, Sergius Paulus (Act_13:7 ff.), the proconsul of Achaia, Gallio (Act_18:12), and the proconsul of Asia (Act_19:38, the plural is generalizing, and does not imply more than one at a time).
A. Souter.