Political Rulers of Palestine in the New Testament Era

Some of the following dates overlap or have gaps due the complicated political situation under Roman rule. The territory we know as Palestine was divided into different administrative districts at different times and governed by various levels of the Roman political bureaucracy. Also, political leadership was granted as a reward for being in favor with Caesar, and could be withdrawn just as quickly because of disfavor or perceived threat. As a result, various parts of Palestine passed back and forth between supervised monarchial rule and total control under Roman procurators or governors. The area was unified only during the reign of Herod the Great, 37 - 4 BC, and for a brief time AD 41 - 44 under Herod Agrippa I.

Roman Emperors
Dates	Names	Scriptures
27 BC - AD 14	Augustus (Octavian)	Luke 2:1
14 - 37	Tiberius	Luke 3:1
37 - 41	Caligula (Gaius)
41 - 54	Claudius	Acts 11:28; 18:2
54 - 68	Nero	Acts 25:10; 28:19
68	Galba
69	Otho
69	Vitellius
69 - 79	Vaspasian
79 - 81	Titus
81 - 96	Domitian
96 - 98	Nerva
98 - 117	Trajan
117 - 138	Hadrian
Roman Procurators of Judea
Dates	Names	Scriptures
AD 6 - 10	Coponius
10 - 13	M. Ambivius
13 - 15	Annius Rufus
15 - 26	Valerius Gratus
26 - 36	Pontius Pilate	Matt 27:11-31, Lk 3:1, 23:1, Mk 15:1-15, Jn 18:28-19:16
36 - 38	Marcellus
38 - 41	Maryllus
37 - 44	Herod Agrippa*	(see below)
44 - 46	Cuspius Fadus
46 - 48	Tiberius Alexander
48 - 52	Ventidius Camanus
52 - 59	M. Antonius Felix	Acts 23, 24
59 - 61	Porcius Festus	Acts 24:27
61 - 65	Albinus
65	Gessius Florus
Turmoil leading to the Destruction of Jerusalem, AD 70
72	Vettulenus Cerialis
72 - 75	Lucilius Bassus
75 - 86	Flavius Silva
86	Pompeius Longinus
* Herod Agrippa ruled as King over Galilee and Perea in AD 37-44, then in AD 39 took over the territories of Judea and Samaria previously governed by Herod Philip. For more information on the Herods, see Palestine Under the Rule of the Herods
The Herods*
Dates	Names	Scriptures
37 - 4 BC	Herod the Great	Matt 2:1
4 BC - AD 39	Herod Antipas Tetrarch of Galilee and Perea	Luke 3:1, Mark 6:17-29, 8:15, etc.
4 BC - AD 6	Herod Archelaus Ethnarch of Samaria, Judea, and Idumea	Matt 2:22
4 BC - AD 39	Herod Philip Tertrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis	Luke 3:1
AD 37 - 44	Herod Agrippa I (see above*)	Acts 12:1-3, 21-23
53 - 93	Herod Agrippa II Tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis; c. AD 56 also parts of Galilee and Perea	Acts 25:13-26:32
*For more information on the Herods, see Palestine Under the Rule of the Herods