ETHNARCH (Gr. Ἐθνάρχης). - Etymologically it means "head of a particular ethnic group." The term, extremely rare in the classical world (it occurs in Lucian, Macrobiol, 17), appears in use in the Semitic world.

A Nabataean sheikh bears the title of ethnarch of King Aretas (2 Cor. 11:32) in Damascus. Among the Jews the first ethnarch appears in Maccabean times, when the Seleucid kings conferred this title on an authority who represented the inhabitants of Judea before the central government. In practice this amounted to sanctioning a relationship of a vassal state with rather extensive powers (1 Macc. 14:47; 15:2). The Romans re-established the same hierarchy when they appointed the Hasmonean Hyrcanus (v.) ethnarch of the Jews. Later Archelaus (v.) saw his coveted title of king replaced with that of ethnarch by Augustus.

Outside Palestine, the Jewish community of Alexandria is found governed by an ethnarch with extraordinary powers in internal matters and with great authority to treat with the imperial government (Flavius Josephus, Antiq. Iud., XIV, 117).

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: A. Steinmann, Arctos IV, König der Nabattäer, Eine historisch-exegetische Studie zu 2 Kor. 11, 321, in Biblische Zeitschrift, 7 (1909), pp. 512-23; E. Schürer, Geschichte des jüdischen Folkes im Zeitalter Jesu Christi, 3 vols., 3rd-4th ed., Leipzig 1901-1909, passim (especially I, pp. 424, 422; II, pp. 76-78).

Angelo Perna

@incollection{ec5_etnarca_gr_ethnarkhes, author = {Penna, Angelo}, title = {Etnarca (Gr. ἘΘΝΆΡΧΗΣ)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {V}, pages = {708}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1950}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/etnarca-gr-ethnarkhes} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Ethnarch

About this entry