Augury (Hastings' Dictionary)

Lv 19", Dt IS'"'*, 2 K 21«, 2 Ch 33«, all RV, for AV ' times.' See Divination. AUGUSTU3(A(>7ouffToi,Lk2';2(;3o<rT45,Ac25"-»). — 1. The lirst Roman eniiieror. His original name was that of his father, Caius Octavius ; as the heir of Cu-sar, who was his grand- uncle, ho received the names Julius Ca'sar ; in his subsequent career he was designated Caius Julius Cjrsar Uctavianus. The title Augustus was given him by tlie Senate after he bad attained to supreme power. Augustus was bom B.C. 63.

204 AUGUSTUS' BAKD AVENGE After spending a studious youth, he came suddenly to the front at the death of Ca'sar (l).C. 44), when he began to manifest tlie singuhir adroitness of cliaracter by which he made and maintained his position. Marching against Antony ostensibly in defence of the repuulic, he came to terms with the usurper. At first he had the chief place in a triumvirate. But one after anotlier his rivals were removed out of his way, till the defeat of Antony at Aetium (B.C.

31) left him undisputed master of the Roman world. In B.C. 29 he returned to Rome, and thenceforth ruled autocratically under the forms of republicanism, establishing and preservin" order throughout his wide dominions, till he died in old age, 8ad<lened by family trouble, morose and suspicious, leaving Tiberius, whom he had already as.sociated with himself in the government, as his successor (A.D. 14). As the Jews were subject to Rome, Augustus became their supreme ruler.

After the battle of Aetium, Herod, previously a supporter of Antony, passed over to the victorious sitfe, and was confirmed in his kingdom by Augustus, who added to his territory on the occasion of a subsequent visit to Syria (B.C. 20, Jo.s. Aiit. XV. X. 3). In honour of the emperor, Herod erected a marble temple at Panias, built the capital, Ciesarea (B.C. 10), and rebuilt Samaria, calling it Sebaste.

After Herod's death Augustus carried out his wishes in the division of his king- dom among his sons (Jos. Ant. x\^I. xi. 4), but subsequently joined Juda-a and Samaria to the province of Syria, exiling their ruler Archelaus (Jos. Atit. XVII. xiii. 2). Jesus Christ was bom in the time of Augustus, and was about eighteen years old when the emperor died. Augustus ordered a more or less complete census to be taken on four :>icasions, viz. in B.C. 26 and 6, A.D. 4 and 14 (Lk 2'). 2.

The title of subsequent Roman emperors. The Augustus {If^airrds) mentioned in Ac 25^'-''' ( AV) is Nero. In RV the word is translated ' the emperor.' Literature. — Dion Cassius ; Suetonins ; Tacitus ; Josephna ; Merivule, ttisUrm of the tifinans uiidfr the Empire ; Duniy, HiS' tory of Home (edited by Mahatfy) ; Gflr<lthausen, Augu»tiL3 und Seim Zeit ; H. Schiller, (ieschichte tier rOmisLhen Kaiaerzeit ; Hertzberg, Gt^chichu des rimischen KaiserreicKe^. W. F. Adenky.