Roman Praetor Lucius Valerius Flaccus Seizes the Temple Tribute

62 BCE

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In 62 BCE, Lucius Valerius Flaccus prevented the Jews of his province from sending the tribute due to the temple of Jerusalem, and diverted that money instead into his own treasury. Due to a masterly defense by Marcus Tullius Cicero, he was acquitted and escaped a merited punishment. Cicero was a leading political figure of the era of Julius Caesar, Pompey, Marc Antony, and Augustus and one of the greatest orators of Rome. His works are well-known and read even today.

His defense speech in the Flaccus case was riddled with strong antisemitic undertones. Although Flaccus' confiscation of the Jewish gold was vindicated in this trial, there was no evidence that the ban on the export of this gold was applied further, and we may assume that the Jews of Rome, Italy, and the provinces continued to make their annual contributions to the Temple. Click on the Read More button to view Cicero's full speech.

Bust of Marcus Tulius Cicero from 1st century BCE
Capitoline Museum, Rome

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Overview

Cicero’s Defense of Flaccus in 59 BCE:

“When every year it was customary to send gold to Jerusalem on the order of the Jews from Italy and from all our provinces, Flaccus forbade by an edict its exportation to Asia (Jerusalem)

.… At Apamea, a little less than a hundred pounds of gold was openly seized at Laodicea a little more than twenty pounds. At Adramyttium hundred pounds, at Pergamum a small amount.”