Publius Egnatius Celer, (lived c. AD 60), was a
Stoic
Stoic may refer to:
* An adherent of Stoicism; one whose moral quality is associated with that school of philosophy
* STOIC, a programming language
* ''Stoic'' (film), a 2009 film by Uwe Boll
* ''Stoic'' (mixtape), a 2012 mixtape by rapper T-Pain
* ...
philosopher, who as a result of being a ''
delator
Delator (plural: ''delatores'', feminine: ''delatrix'') is Latin for a denouncer, one who indicates to a court another as having committed a punishable deed.
Secular Roman law
In Roman history, it was properly one who gave notice (''deferre'') t ...
'', or informer, in the reign of
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
, was sentenced to death in the reign of
Vespasian
Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...
.
Treason charges were brought against
Barea Soranus
Quintus Marcius Barea Soranus was a Roman senator who lived in the reign of Nero. He was suffect consul in 52, but later attracted the hatred of Nero, and upon being condemned to death committed suicide. He was associated with a group of Stoics ...
in AD 66 because he had incurred the hatred of Nero. Egnatius Celer, who had formerly been a client and the teacher of Barea Soranus, stood as chief witness against him. Barea Soranus was condemned to death together with his daughter
Servilia.
Egnatius received great rewards from Nero, but was afterwards accused by
Musonius Rufus
Gaius Musonius Rufus (; grc-gre, Μουσώνιος Ῥοῦφος) was a Roman Stoic philosopher of the 1st century AD. He taught philosophy in Rome during the reign of Nero and so was sent into exile in 65 AD, returning to Rome only under Galba ...
, another Stoic philosopher, under Vespasian, and fell out from favor.
References
* Tacitus, ''Annals'', xvi. 30–33.
* Juvenal, ''Satire'' iii. 116.
* Dio Cassius, lxii. 26.
Further reading
* John K. Evans, "The Trial of P. Egnatius Celer", ''
Classical Quarterly
The Classical Association is a British learned society in the field of classics, aimed at developing classical study and promoting its importance in education.
Constitution
The association was founded on 19 December 1903, and its objects are de ...
'', 29 (1979), pp. 198–202
Philosophers of Roman Italy
Executed ancient Roman people
Roman-era Stoic philosophers
1st-century philosophers
1st-century Romans
Celer, Publius
1st-century executions
People executed by the Roman Empire
Year of birth unknown
Ancient Roman delatores
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