Augustus Caesar
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Luke 2:1) (majestic, noble) — nephew and successor of Julius Caesar, who was Roman emperor at the time of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ; he reigned 41 years and was succeeded by Tiberius Caesar. After the murder of Julius Caesar, he shared administrative power for a time with Antony and Lepidus, but at last became sole emperor, receiving around the year 27 B.C. from the Senate the title of Augustus. After his brilliant victories a general peace ensued, and the gates of the pagan temple of Janus were closed.
He died in the year 14 A.D., in the 76th year of his life, in the city of Nola, in Campania, in the month of August, named after him. The word “Caesar” was a royal title of the Roman emperors; for this reason the succeeding emperors Tiberius and Nero are also called by this name (Matt. 22:21; Acts 25:11). The title “Augustus,” however, was a personal distinction, though after the death of the emperor who received it, this title continued to be regarded and used as an addition to the imperial title. Among the poets of the Augustan Age, called the golden age of Roman literature, especially famous are Virgil, Horace, and Ovid.