Lentulus
Encyclopedia
Lentulus, the name of a Roman
patrician family of the Cornelian gens, derived from lentes (lentils), which its oldest members were fond of cultivating (according to Pliny, Nat. Hist. xviii. 3, 10). The word Lentulitas ("Lentulism"; cf. Appietas) is coined by Cicero
(Ad Fam. iii. 7, 5 ) to express the attributes of a pronounced aristocrat. The three first of the name were L. Cornelius Lentulus (consul 327 BC), Servius Cornelius Lentulus (consul 303) and L. Cornelius Lentulus Caudinus (consul 275). Their connection with the later Lentuli (especially those of the Ciceronian period) is very obscure and difficult to establish. The following members of the family deserve mention.
See also Publius Lentulus
, fictitious governor of Jerusalem, supposedly the author of an epistle describing Jesus
.
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
patrician family of the Cornelian gens, derived from lentes (lentils), which its oldest members were fond of cultivating (according to Pliny, Nat. Hist. xviii. 3, 10). The word Lentulitas ("Lentulism"; cf. Appietas) is coined by Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
(Ad Fam. iii. 7, 5 ) to express the attributes of a pronounced aristocrat. The three first of the name were L. Cornelius Lentulus (consul 327 BC), Servius Cornelius Lentulus (consul 303) and L. Cornelius Lentulus Caudinus (consul 275). Their connection with the later Lentuli (especially those of the Ciceronian period) is very obscure and difficult to establish. The following members of the family deserve mention.
- Gnaeus Cornelius LentulusGnaeus Cornelius LentulusGnaeus Cornelius Lentulus was a consul of the Roman Republic in 146 BC. His colleague was Lucius Mummius Achaicus, whose military achievements outshone him.He was from the Lentuli branch of the gens Cornelia...
, consul 146 BC - Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus ClodianusGnaeus Cornelius Lentulus ClodianusGnaeus Cornelius Lentulus Clodianus was a Roman politician and general who was one of two Consuls of the Republic in 72 BC along with Lucius Gellius Publicola...
, consul 72 BC - Publius Cornelius Lentulus (Sura)Publius Cornelius Lentulus (Sura)Publius Cornelius Lentulus, nicknamed Sura, was one of the chief figures in the Catiline conspiracy and also a stepfather of Mark Antony....
, consul 71 BC - Publius Cornelius Lentulus SpintherPublius Cornelius Lentulus SpintherPublius Cornelius Lentulus, nicknamed Spinther because of his likeness to a popular actor of that name, came from an ancient Roman patrician family of the Cornelia gens. Although treated with great favour by Julius Caesar, Spinther eventually came to support the aristocratic senatorial cause of...
, consul 57 BC - Lucius Cornelius Lentulus CrusLucius Cornelius Lentulus CrusLucius Cornelius Lentulus, surnamed Crus or Cruscello , was a member of the anti-Caesarian party.In 61 BC he was the chief accuser of Publius Clodius in the affair of the festival of Bona Dea...
, consul 49 BC
See also Publius Lentulus
Publius Lentulus
Publius Lentulus is an allegedly fictitious person, said to have been Governor of Judea before Pontius Pilate, and to have written a letter to the Roman Senate, concerning Jesus.-Authenticity:...
, fictitious governor of Jerusalem, supposedly the author of an epistle describing Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
.