Colony

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

The careful reader of  Acts 16:12, the only place in the NT where the term ‘colony’ (κολωνία, a mere transliteration of the Latin original) occurs, sees at once that a Roman colony must have been very different from what we understand by the word ‘colony.’ Colonia (from colonus , ‘settler,’ ‘husbandman,’ from colere , ‘to cultivate’) was a word applied by the Romans to a body (usually 300) of their citizen-soldiers (in earlier days the two terms were convertible), transferred from the city of Rome itself to some outlying part of Italy or (later) to some other land. These men remained Roman citizens after transference, and were collectively, in fact, a portion of Rome itself planted amidst a community not itself possessed of Roman citizenship. The object of the earliest colonies was the holding in subjection to Rome of the particular country in which they were planted. It was not usually a fresh city that was thus founded. The rule was that a community was already resident there, and the body of Roman soldiers was stationed there, thus making the place into a garrison city. The coloniœ were connected by military roads, beginning at Rome, and troops could be marched along those roads to relieve the coloniae in the shortest possible time, supposing a rising ( tumultus ) should occur, too powerful to be quelled by the local garrison. (A good example is the case of the Lombardy Plain and the Campaigns of Marius.) A Roman colony, then, means a garrison city, and implies the presence of Roman soldier-citizens.

This was the Roman colonia in origin and purpose. We find, however, that, after danger from the enemy had ceased, coloniae continued to be planted during the Empire in peaceful districts. This new style of colonia continued to mean a body of Roman citizens, but the military aspect was lost sight of. It was an honour for a provincial city to be made into a colonia , because this was a proof that it was of special importance, specially dear to the Emperor, and worthy to be the residence of Roman citizens, who were the aristocracy of the provincial towns in which they lived.*[Note: The British coloniae were Colchester, Gloucester, York, and Lincoln.](It was not till a.d. 212, the time of Caracalla, that all the subjects of the Roman Empire received the Roman citizenship.)

A number of towns mentioned in the NT were coloniœ at the time the events narrated there took place: Corinth (since 44-43 b.c.), Puteoli (since 194 b.c.), Philippi (42 b.c.), Pisidian Antioch (before 27 b.c.), Syracuse (21 b.c.), Troas (between 27 and 12 b.c.), Lystra (after 12 b.c.),†[Note: Not Iconium till the time of Hadrian.]Ptolemais (before a.d. 47). All these places are mentioned by the writer of Acts, and yet to one only does he attach the epithet ‘colony,’ namely Philippi. The whole manner in which he refers to his place shows personal pride in it, and it is hard to refrain from believing that he had a special connexion with it.

The comparatively large proportion of places holding the dignity of colony, which were visited by St. Paul, illustrates very forcibly the plan of his evangelization. He aimed at planting the gospel in the leading centres, knowing that it would spread best from these.

Literature.-Kornemann, article‘Coloniae’ in Pauly-Wissowa[Note: auly-Wissowa Pauly-Wissowa’s Realencyklopädie.]. (Kornemann’s statement that there is no up-to-date comprehensive work on coloniae outside Italy appears to be still true.) On Philippi as colonia see W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller , London, 1895, p. 206ff.; Iconium not a colonia till Hadrian, see W. M. Ramsay, Historical Commentary on St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians , do. 1899, pp. 123, 218f., and later works.

A. Souter.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

1: Κολωνία (Strong'S #2862 — Noun Feminine — kolonia — kol-o-nee'-ah )

transliterates the Latin colonia. Roman colonies belonged to three periods and classes, (a) those of the earlier republic before 100 B.C., which were simply centers of Roman influence in conquered territory; (b) agrarian "colonies," planted as places for the overflowing population of Rome; (c) military "colonies" during the time of the Civil wars and the Empire, for the settlement of disbanded soldiers. This third class was established by the imperator, who appointed a legate to exercise his authority. To this class Philippi belonged as mentioned in  Acts 16:12 , RV, "a Roman colony." They were watch-towers of the Roman State and formed on the model of Rome itself. The full organization of Philippi as such was the work of Augustus, who, after the battle of Actium, 31 B.C., gave his soldiers lands in Italy and transferred most of the inhabitants there to other quarters including Philippi. These communities possessed the right of Roman freedom, and of holding the soil under Roman law, as well as exemption from poll-tax and tribute. Most Roman "colonies" were established on the coast.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Colony . The word colonia is a pure Latin word, which is written in Greek letters in the only place where it occurs in the Bible (  Acts 16:12 ), and expresses a purely Roman institution. It is a piece of Rome transported bodily out of Rome itself and planted somewhere in the Roman Empire. In other words, it is a collection of Roman citizen-soldiers settled on a military road to keep the enemies of the Empire in check. These retained their citizenship of Rome and constituted the aristocracy of every town in which they were situated. Their constitution was on the model of Rome and the Italian States. A number of places are mentioned in the NT which were really coloniÅ“ , but only one, Philippi, is so named , and the reason for this naming is no doubt that the author of Acts was proud of this city, with which he had some connexion. Pisidian Antioch, Lystra, Corinth, and Ptolemais, not to mention others, were coloniÅ“ . Sometimes these coloniÅ“ were merely settlements of veterans for whom their generals had to find a home.

A. Souter.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): (n.) A number of animals or plants living or growing together, beyond their usual range.

(2): (n.) A company of persons from the same country sojourning in a foreign city or land; as, the American colony in Paris.

(3): (n.) The district or country colonized; a settlement.

(4): (n.) A company of people transplanted from their mother country to a remote province or country, and remaining subject to the jurisdiction of the parent state; as, the British colonies in America.

(5): (n.) A community of social insects, as ants, bees, etc.

(6): (n.) A cluster or aggregation of zooids of any compound animal, as in the corals, hydroids, certain tunicates, etc.

(7): (n.) A cell family or group of common origin, mostly of unicellular organisms, esp. among the lower algae. They may adhere in chains or groups, or be held together by a gelatinous envelope.

King James Dictionary

COLONY, n.

1. A company or body of people transplanted from their mother country to a remote province or country to cultivate and inhabit it, and remaining subject to the jurisdiction of the parent state as the British colonies in America or the Indies the Spanish colonies in South America. When such settlements cease to be subject to the parent state, they are no longer denominated colonies.

The first settles of New England were the best of Englishmen, well educated, devout Christians, and zealous lovers of liberty. There was never a colony formed of better materials.

2. The country planted or colonized a plantation also, the body of inhabitants in a territory colonized, including the descendants of the first planters. The people, though born in the territory, retain the name of colonists, till they cease to be subjects of the parent state. 3. A collection of animals as colonies of shell-fish.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

Philippi was one, planted with Italian colonists, transplanted from those parts of Italy which had espoused Antony's side, and which Augustus assigned therefore to his veterans. Inscriptions and coins of Augustus are still extant, with the designation "colonia" assigned to Philippi. It had the " Jus Ιtalicum ", or privileges of Italian citizens. The accuracy of  Acts 16:12 appears in calling Philippi Kolonia (Roman), not Greek Apoikia .

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Colony. A designation of Philippi, in  Acts 16:12. After the battle of Actium, Augustus assigned to his veterans, those parts of Italy which had espoused the cause of Antony, and transported many of the expelled inhabitants to Philippi, Dyrrhachium and other cities. In this way, Philippi was made a Roman colony with the "Jus Italicum." At first, the colonists were all Roman citizens, and entitled to vote at Rome.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

Spoken of Philippi in Macedonia. Under Augustus that city became a Roman colony.  Acts 16:12,21 . Such colonies were subject to the parent government, and the townsmen enjoyed the privilege of Roman citizenship.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Acts 16:12 Acts 16:12-40

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Acts 16:12

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( Κολώνια , for the Lat. colonia), a distinction applied to the city of Philippi, in Macedonia ( Acts 16:12). After the battle of Actium, Augustus assigned to his veterans those parts of Italy which had espoused the cause of Antony, and transported many of the expelled inhabitants to Macedonia, by which means the towns of Philippi, Dyrrachium, etc., acquired the right of Roman colonies ( Dio Cass . p. 455). Accordingly, we find Philippi described as a "colonia" both in inscriptions and upon the coins of Augustus (Orelli, Inscr. 512, 3658, 3746, 4064; Rasche, vol. 8, pt. 2, p. 1120). See PHILIPPI. Such towns possessed the jus coloniarium (Pliny Nat. Hist. v. 1), i.e. so-called jus Italicum (Digest. Leg. 8:8), consisting, if complete, in a free municipal constitution, such as was customary in Italy, in exemption from personal and land taxes, and in the commerce of the soil, or the right of selling the land. Originally and properly a colony was a body of Roman citizens sent out as volunteers (Livy, 10:21) to possess a commonwealth, with the approbation of their own state (Servius, ad AEneid. 1:12). The old Roman colonies were thus in the nature of garrisons planted in conquered towns, having a portion of the conquered territory (usually a third part) assigned to them, while the native inhabitants retained the rest, and lived together with the new settlers (Dionys. Ant. Rom. 2:53). Such colonists, of course, remained Roman citizens in the fullest sense. The original natives, however, and their descendants, did not become Roman citizens by having a colony planted among them, unless it was conferred, either at the time or subsequently, by a special act of the Roman people, senate, or emperor. Their exact relation in this respect it is somewhat difficult to determine in the absence of such a specific act, as the jus Italicum, readily and often conferred upon provincial cities, and which now would be more likely to obtain than colonial ones, conferred only the above rights upon the community, without making the individual inhabitants Roman citizens in full. (See Smith's Dict. of Class. Antiq. s.v. Colonia.) (See Citizenship).

In one passage of the Apocrypha (Wisdom of Solomon 12:7) the term "colony" stands for Ἀποικία , a settlement, referring to Palestine as the seat of the chosen people of God.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

kol´ō̇ - ni ( κολωνία , kolōnı́a , Greek transliteration of Latin colonia , from the root, col , "cultivate"): The word occurs but once ( Acts 16:12 ) in reference to Philippi in Macedonia. Roman colonies were of three kinds and of three periods: (1) Those of the early republic, in which the colonists, established in conquered towns to serve the state as guardians of the frontier, were exempt from ordinary military service. They were distinguished as ( a ) c. civium Romanorum , wherein the colonists retained Roman citizenship, also called c. maritumae , because situated on the coast, and ( b ) c. Latinae , situated inland among the allies ( socii ), wherein the colonists possessed the ius Latinum , entitling them to invoke the Roman law of property ( commercium ), but not that of the family ( connubium ), and received Roman citizenship only when elected to magistracies. (2) The colonies of the Gracchan period, established in pursuance of the scheme of agrarian reforms, to provide land for the poorer citizens. (3) After the time of Sulla colonies were founded in Italy by the Republic as a device for granting lands to retiring veterans, who of course retained citizenship. This privilege was appropriated by Caesar and the emperors, who employed it to establish military colonies, chiefly in the provinces, with various rights and internal organizations. To this class belonged Philippi. Partly organized after the great battle of 42 bc, fought in the neighboring plain by Brutus and Cassius, the champions of the fated Republic, and Antonius and Octavian, it was fully established as a colony by Octavian (afterward styled Augustus) after the battle of Actium (31 bc), under the name Colonia Aug. Iul. Philippi or Philippensis. It received the ius Italicum , whereby provincial cities acquired the same status as Italian cities, which possessed municipal self-government and exemption from poll and land taxes. See Citizenship; Philippi; Roman .

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

This distinction is applied to Philippi in Macedonia . Augustus Caesar had deported to Macedonia most of the Italian communities which had espoused the cause of Antony; by which means the towns of Philippi, Dyrrachium, etc. acquired the rank of Roman colonies, which possessed the privilege of a free municipal constitution, such as was customary in Italy, in exemption from personal and land taxes, and in the commerce of the soil, or the right of selling the land.