Who was Cherea Cassius?

Cherea Cassius was willing to sacrifice his life for something worthwhile. The odds are good that you have never heard of him, but his life, though far from perfect, teaches us something and forces us to look inside and examine ourselves.

The Roman historian Josephus called Cherea Cassius a hero. He was a tribune, a leader of the Pretorian Guard. That group was made up of hand-picked, elite troops of the Roman Army, were the personal bodyguards for the emperor of Rome in both war and peace and, during the rule of Caesar Caius, the Pretorian unit was also responsible for the security of the Senate, and for some law enforcement functions in Rome, and were the only persons who could carry weapons in the sacred parts in the center of Rome.

The Pretorians rubbed shoulders with everyone who was important in Rome and Cherea Cassius met with Caesar every day, knew everything about him, and accompanied him everywhere. But Caesar Caius was not a nice person. His first two years were not that bad, and it seemed as if he was going to be a good leader, but then the power of his office went to his head. While previous emperors had been proclaimed as gods, they knew that they were not, and while Augustus allowed people to say so, he tried to discourage it. But Caius was different. He began to believe that he really was a living god. He demanded the worship of the people around him, and he did things like stealing money from the temples of the gods for his own use, arguing that it was proper because he was a god as well.

Worse than that, he was cruel, and he loved to use his power to watch other people suffer and die. Would take things that he liked, whether they belonged to others or not, even accusing wealthy and powerful people of terrible crimes so that he could kill them and take their lands and estates. Caius was also unpredictable. Someone who was a friend today, and who might have been a friend for years, could find themselves accused of terrible crimes tomorrow.

No one was safe.

I might also mention that Caius was also known as Gaius or, as Caligula (which is a name that some might recognize). Because he thought so highly of himself, Caligula could not stand the idea that the Jews in Judea would not worship him. Most other nations worshiped Rome and its Caesar alongside all their other gods and would offer sacrifices to them together. But the Jews would not. For a long time, Rome had accepted a compromise that every day, in the Temple in Jerusalem, a priest would offer a sacrifice of two lambs and a bull to Israel’s God for the health and prosperity of Caesar, but not to Caesar himself. But that was not good enough for Caligula. He ordered that a statue of himself be constructed and installed inside the holy of holies, the most sacred place in the Temple of Jerusalem. That did not happen, but the Jews never forgot, or forgave the offense against them, and against their God.

In any case, after four years of his rule, and at least two years of living in absolute terror, the leaders in Rome knew that something needed to be done. Many people were so afraid of Caligula, and what he would do to them, and to their family, friends, and anyone else that they cared about, that they just tried to get along, stay out of the way. and not be noticed. But Cherea, and others, knew that anyone who was safe today, could be accused and put to death tomorrow. They knew that no one was safe, and worse, that their nation, and the whole of the Roman empire, was being destroyed because of Caligula.

Cherea also knew that if he were to assassinate the emperor, his life would be forfeited. He understood law enforcement and he knew that murder, even murdering a psychopathic murderer, had to be punished. But he also knew that his family, his friends, fellow soldiers, his nation, and the empire would be safer, and better off, if Caligula was dead.

And so, Cherea organized one of several plots to assassinate Caesar Gaius Caligula and his plan was the first to succeed. In fact, Cherea was first to attack Caligula and draw blood, but his sword thrust was deflected by a bone so that others delivered the fatal blow. Afterward, as you might expect, there was a time of considerable chaos. The Senate wanted to take the opportunity to return Rome to its origins as a democratic republic, but the military feared a republic because they saw the senate as being corrupt, and the people simply mourned because, despite his cruelty, Caligula was popular because he offered them free food and “entertainments” that were often bloody battles in the arena with wild animals, gladiators, prisoners of war, criminals, or the people that Caligula had accused of crimes.

In the end, Claudius was eventually recognized as the new emperor and, as Cherea expected, he, and his conspirators were arrested and put to death. At his execution, Cherea held his head high and acted nobly. He shared a word of encouragement with the soldier, whom he likely knew personally, who had been assigned as the executioner and even asked if he might be killed with the sword with which he had struck Caligula.

It is an ugly story, but Josephus explains that Cherea was remembered, even decades later, as a hero.

So, besides telling a long story, what is my point?

Well, as I read this story, while it is clear that Cherea Cassius was not a perfect human being, and is in no way messianic, he knew that what was happening in his nation was not good. Cherea knew that he was one of the very few people who had the opportunity to do something about the problem. But he also knew that taking action would cost him his life… and he was willing to give up his life to make life better for the people around him.

And that makes me ask this question…

…What are you willing to give to make the world a better place for the people around you?

Are you willing to share what God has given to you to feed the hungry and clothe the naked? Are you willing to speak for the voiceless, care for the broken hearted, bind the wounds of the afflicted, bring hope to the hopeless, and seek justice? Are you willing to share the good news of Jesus Christ with people who are lost, hurting, and trying to find their way in a world that is increasingly hostile and difficult?

Maybe you don’t think that Cherea Cassius was particularly heroic, and that’s okay, but he did what he could, even at the expense of his own life, to make the world a better place.

What are you doing?

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