Saul’s being born a Roman meant that one of his male ancestors had acquired the privilege of citizenship. How? There are several possibilities. Apart from inheriting citizenship, it could be accorded to individuals or groups either for particular merits, for mere political expediency, or as a reward for some signal service to the State. A slave able to buy his freedom from a Roman, or one emancipated by a Roman citizen, would become a Roman himself. So would a veteran of the auxiliary forces upon being discharged from the Roman legions. Local natives dwelling in Roman colonies could in time become citizens. It is also said that in certain periods citizenship was purchased for large sums. How citizenship entered Saul’s family remains a mystery.

Registration and Certification of Roman Citizenship

Registration of legitimate children of Roman citizens was established by Augustus with two statutes that were enacted in 4 and in 9 C.E. Registration had to take place within 30 days of birth. In the provinces, a family had to make a declaration before a magistrate in the appropriate public-record office, stating that the child was legitimate and had Roman citizenship. The parents’ names, the gender and name of the child, and the date of birth were also registered. Even prior to the introduction of these laws, registration of citizens in all Roman municipalities, colonies, and prefectures was renewed every five years by means of a census.

Status could thus be demonstrated by reference to a corpus of properly kept archives. Certified copies of such records could be obtained in the form of portable wooden diptychs (folding tablets). In the opinion of some scholars, when Paul claimed Roman citizenship, he may have been able to produce a certificate for corroboration. (Acts 16:37; 22:25-29; 25:11) Since Roman citizenship was viewed as having almost “sacred quality” and entitled a person to many privileges, forgery of such documents was an extremely serious offense. Falsification of one’s status was punishable by death.