Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar (November
16, 42 BC - March 16, AD 37), Roman emperor A.D. 14 - 37. Second emperor
of what is usually identified as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Tiberius was
by birth a Claudian -- son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia -- and was
the adopted heir of Augustus, who was a Julian. The subsequent emperors
who were related in varying degrees to both families through Nero were
members of this blended dynasty.
Tiberius received his position through his mother, who was Augustus's
second wife. In pursuance of their family policy, he was compelled by politics
to divorce his first wife, Vipsania, daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa,
and marry Julia, daughter of Augustus (and, thus, his own step-sister),
but that marriage failed.
Tiberius spent much of the latter part of his reign in self-exile on
the island of Capri. The city of Rome was controlled in his place by Sejanus.
In the Bible, Tiberius is mentioned by name only once, in Luke 3:1 (stating
that John the Baptist entered on his public ministry in the fifteenth year
of his reign). However, since it was during his reign that Jesus Christ
preached, many references to Caesar ( or the emperor in some
other translations), without further specification, actually refer to Tiberius.
The town of Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee was
named in Tiberius's honour by Herod Antipas.
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previous emperor: Augustus
(27 B.C. - A.D. 14)
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following emperor: Caligula
(A.D. 37 - 41)
see
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Roman
Emperors
Julio-Claudian
Family Tree
