Bible Dictionary
SOSTRATUS
Sostratus was the governor of the citadel of Jerusalem under Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He was responsible for collecting revenues and was summoned with Menelaus after a dispute over money promised to the king.
Definition
Sostratus was the governor of the citadel of Jerusalem during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He was responsible for collecting the revenues of the city and province for the imperial treasury.
Biblical Usage
Sostratus appears in the account of the dispute involving Menelaus in 2 Maccabees. He demanded directly the money Menelaus had promised the king, and both men were summoned before the king after Menelaus disputed the claim.
Historical Background
His office placed him over the citadel and imperial revenue collection in Jerusalem. The supplied material records no further information about his fate and says that he is otherwise unknown.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>sos'-tra-tus (Sostratos, in Codex Venetus Sos-): "The governor of the citadel" of Jerusalem under Antiochus IV (Epiphanes). His duty was to gather the revenues of the city and province for the imperial treasury. He made a new departure in demanding from Menelaus direct the sum promised to the king in 2 Macc 4:27 ff (for Jason had the privilege of sending the money by his own messenger to the king (2 Macc 4:23)). This claim the usurper Menelaus disputed; consequently he and the governor were both summoned to appear before the king. No more is told, and Sostratus is otherwise unknown.</p><p>S. Angus</p>