Roman Special Forces at Jesus' Tomb

I did some serious reading some years back and the best reading was that it was an informal band of soldiers, the number being undetermined, and they were most likely the same delegation that was assigned to the priests. Any thing else would be somewhat speculative. But there was a tidbit that i remember reading that since there was a seal it had to be some special group of soldiers, but then they would not have taken a bribe - would they....

yeah, thats right up there with it being a 'roman' seal' - ? not specific nor implied.

Eurapion, I think./?

Which seal team was that?    Note that it says ἔχετε κουστωδίαν·  Would the priests have a detachment of Roman soldiers under their control?

EDIT: John 18:3

I come to some of the same conclusions.  My logic runs like this:

1. It seems unimportant to me whether the temple guards were Jewish (racially/religiously) or Roman (relatively few Roman soldiers were born into, had bought, or had earned Roman citizenship).
2. I see no evidence that Roman special forces (Praetorians? Bucelleri?) were stationed in a backwater province like Judea.
3. The fact that the guards at the tomb were both assigned by and answerable to Pilate, infers that they were likely a Roman Quaternion (the smallest squad of soldiers and the most likely to be assigned guard duty: one for each watch of the night so that three could sleep/eat/lounge while one was "on watch"), and gives some credence to the belief that they were Roman soldier vs. temple guards.

Mt is the only gospel with this particular pericope.  Also, Mt is the only one who uses κυστοδία.  Since it reads ἔχετε "you have" rather than indicating that Pilate was going to supply a guard, I would assume that these were temple guards and therefore Jewish.  Note also that after the fact the guards (again, only in Mt Mt 28.11-15) report not to Pilate but to the High Priests.

George,

Yes. I find that an attractive comment. It is as though he[Mt] was anticipating some repercussions from his writ. Also, noting Mt 27.27 that when they were before Pilate that they were in proper respect – Battalion[σπεῖραν], quite the same as that used of Jn 18.3[σπεῖραν] which would possibly indicate that this ‘band’ was from Pilate. Note v12: So the band of soldiers…their captain…the officers of the Jews, indicating that this band ws maybe a directive of Pilate – why else would they need their ‘captain’? 

But we do not find this support in 27.65-66.

[28:14 - NA²⁷ includes the word 'αὐτός' in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity./??]

Interesting debate.  If I try to do a quick search on koustodia, (Internet search not just a Logos search), I do not see it in any other context than here.

It would seem probable that the word koustodia refered to an assignment for these soldiers rather than to a type of soldier.

If we look at the concept of special forces, we should avoid considering the word special in the relatively recent north american context of special forces as it is highly unlikely these were members of the praetorian guard. It more probably derives from the earlier English concept of special forces which were local volunteers (not unrewarded volunteers) who would be available when called upon to supplement regular forces; akin to the national guard concept; but not necessarily Roman Citizens, more like locally recruited auxiliaries under the command of a Roman officer.

It is not impossible that the regular day job for these specials was as Temple Guards who could be called up at will by the local Roman Governor to serve him as specials under Roman command.  In guarding a tomb, these specials might have been in effect doing the same type of job as they normally did at the Temple, acting in a koustodia assignment.

In deciding whether these were regular Roman soldiers or locally recruited specials or auxiliaries, consider for a moment how easily they explained their way out of responsibility for their apparent negect of duty in letting an apparently dead prisoner escape......   If they were under the command of temple authorities, their commander would not likely be so easy on them.  If they had been regular Roman soldiers, would their Commanding Officer have been so easy on them.  If they were temple guards acting under Roman Command, given Pilate did not want any part of the crucifixion of this innocent man, and made sure it would be seen as it indeed was, at the instigation of the Temple authorities, then the Roman authorities would have likely used the occasion for ironic laughter at the incompetence of the temple guards and their lame excuses....  they lost a body, who cares in the Governors Palace. 

1) this whole topic is very unimportant and not a salvation issue.  My current study leads to Gospel of Peter as starting the talk about Roman Guards at the tomb

[...]

WOW? what a pandora's box.

I feel like I just got bamboozled by a hypothetical that went hyperbole-istic.....built on a persumptuose sophistry that could be encapsulating the cogency of the argument.

Tuche`

hhmmm Peter did you say - Where?

Well if we accept what is in those reports that makes our current “Bible” fallible  - meaning that they are not accurate nor complete….I got the Matrix reloaded....ltr.

What does this have to do with the Bible, again, Please?

Other than a personal quest in search of the holy grail...

Oh I know this is going to turn into a theo debate right? going back over the resources that KS4J coincidentally and conveniently provided, it could easily happen..

Thanks

According to BDAG (and if I'm reading the abbreviations correctly) the term is a Latin loan word... so I'm thinking they were Romans:

κουστωδία, ας, ἡ (POxy 294, 20 [22 A.D.]; PRyl 189, 2; BGU 341, 3; s. Hahn 233, 6; 234, 7 w. lit.—Lat. loanw., custodia, also in rabb.) a group of soldiers doing guard duty, a guard composed of soldiers Mt 27:66; 28:11. ἔχειν κουστωδίαν take a guard 27:65.—M-M.

Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed.) (563). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

He KNOWS Greek

He has a restaurant just down the street.  [;)]