Hadrian, Roman Emperor

HADRIAN (Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus), Roman Emperor. - Publius Aelius Hadrianus was born at Italica (in Baetica) in 76 A.D. of a good family; he was a cousin of Trajan and was adopted by him as a son. Cultured and valiant, he united in a fine synthesis the fruits of Greek and of Roman civilization, but he was dissolute, selfish, and ambitious. During his reign (117-38) he made many inspection journeys through all the provinces of the empire, providing for the defense of the frontiers with grandiose works; he reformed the administration, rapidly steering the State toward absolutist forms and diminishing the importance of Rome in favor of the provinces. Of his artistic constructions, mention should be made of the Mausoleum (today Castel Sant'Angelo) and the villa at Tivoli.

A determined opponent of Judaism, he waged for three years a harsh struggle against the insurgents of Palestine led by Simon Bar-Kokhba (132-35); he built a temple to Jupiter on the ruins of the Temple of Yahweh and founded a colony in place of the destroyed Jerusalem (Aelia Capitolina); no fewer than 580,000 Jews were killed and grave sanctions were taken against the others, very many of whom were sold as slaves. Toward the Christians, however, he showed himself tolerant: following the example of Trajan, he replied to a magistrate, C. Minucius Fundanus, proconsul of Asia, that anonymous denunciations were not to be acted upon and that no one was to be condemned unless there was a specific offense. This act, reported by St. Justin (I Apology, 68) and recalled by Melito (cf. Eusebius, Hist. eccl., IV, 26, 10) and then reproduced by Eusebius (ibid., IV, 9), was sometimes held to be a forgery, but now its authenticity is no longer doubted; with it the possibility of defending themselves was offered to the Christians, and the impositions of the crowd upon weak and uncertain magistrates were forbidden. H. was personally skeptical because he was an aestheticizing spirit; he defended the official cult of the State only out of a sense of duty. He died on July 10, 138, much hated because in his last years he had become suspicious and cruel.

Paolo Brezzi