᾿Ασιάρχης, -ov, 6, an Asiarch, President of Asia: Acts xix. 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 τὸ 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 ]. 6. 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 l.c.; Win. RWB. s. v. Asiarchen; [BB.DD.s. v.; but esp. Le Bas et Waddington, Voyage Archéol. Inserr. part. v. p. 244 sq.; Kuhn, Die stiidtische u. biirgerl. Verf. des rom. Reichs, i. 106 sqq-; Marquardt, Rom. S‘aatsverwalt. i. 374 sqq-; Stark in Schenkel i. 263; esp. Bp. Lght/t. Polycarp, p. 987 sqq-]-

Ἀσιάρχης Asiarchēs 1x

an Asiarch, an officer in the province of Asia, as in other eastern provinces of the Roman empire, selected, with others, from the more opulent citizens, to preside over the things pertaining to religious worship, and to exhibit annual public games at their own expense in honor of the gods, in the manner of the aediles at Rome, Acts 19:31*

*† Ἀσιάρχης, -ου, ὁ, an Asiarch, one of ten officers elected by the various cities in the province of Asia whose duty it was to celebrate at their own charges the public games and festivals: Ac 19:31 (Strab., Inscr.; DB, s.v.).†

Ἀσιάρχης (Asiarchēs) — Asiarch. Ἀσι-άρχης, ου, ὁ, an Asiarch, priest of the Imperial cult in the province of Asia, [NT+1st c.BC+]:—hence Ἀσι-αρχέω, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]