Augustus Caesar -- 63 BC to 14 AD (Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus)

Augustus (Octavian) was born in Rome. At the age of 19 he was formally adopted by his great-uncle Julius Caesar and took his name as part of his own.           Octavian restored the republican form of government in 27 AD and the newly-restored Senate then voted him as supreme ruler and gave him the title "Augustus," which means "the exalted one." The term Augustus also became synonymous with Emporer, as in Acts 25: 21, where the title "Augustus" is actually referring to Emporer Claudius. Octavian, now Caesar Augustus was given complete control of all government functions, with the Senate acting merely as an advisory body.           Under Augustus the empire had peace and prosperity. He was more interested in the arts than in warfare, and under his patronage Rome experienced a golden age of literature and architecture. Horace, Virgil, Ovid, and Livy rose to prominence during his reign. He was so revered by Romans that after his death he was elevated to the status of a god and worshiped as "the divine Augustus."           Augustus concerns us because he was the Emporer of Rome when Jesus was born. He is mentioned in the scriptures in Luke 2: 1.