Lysanias was the tetrarch (ruler of a fourth part) over the region of Abilene in Syria at the time when John the Baptist began his ministry. He is mentioned only once in the Bible, in Luke 3:1, as part of the historical dating for John's service. His mention serves as an important chronological anchor for dating the events of the Gospels.
Nyckelhändelser
Mentioned as tetrarch of Abilene
Lysanias is mentioned as the tetrarch of Abilene in the detailed historical dating that Luke provides to mark the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry.
1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
Luke places the appearance of John the Baptist in a precise historical framework by mentioning six political and religious leaders, including Lysanias, to anchor the gospel narrative in world history.
1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
Lysanias' role as tetrarch of Abilene illustrates the complex political division in the eastern Mediterranean under Roman rule, where the region was split among several local rulers.
1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
In the same historical context where Lysanias is mentioned, Luke tells us that the word of God came to John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness – an event that marked the beginning of the messianic proclamation.