Jesus was not a Citizen of the Empire

Jesus lived in territory claimed by the Roman Empire, but not all individuals in this territory were automatically given citizenship. Today, many nations grant citizenship to anyone born on their soil, but the Roman Empire claimed many territories where citizenship was not granted to many residents. We know that crucifixion was a death commonly reserved for non-citizens because it was deemed to cruel to be exacted on a citizen. Combined with the statistical unlikelihood of Jesus being a Roman citizen, this strongly suggests that Jesus was not a citizen of the Roman Empire. While all human beings in the civilized world were thought to have basic rights under Roman law, a citizen was protected from degrading forms of punishment under Valerian and Porcian laws, they were given the right to vote, and they had stronger rights in terms of courtroom processes and appeals. No doubt Jesus’ lack of citizenship was a historical factor playing a role in his trial and death.

 

Jesus was not a citizen. He was God in the flesh, Lord, and Savior.