See also: Acts 16

• Kyrychenko, 2014
• Brink, 2014
• Zeichmann, 2018
• Huttunen, 2020
  • (p.174n147): "The jailer in Philippi, under the duoviri (στρατηγοί [vv.20,22,35,38. strategoi, G4755]) city authorities, heeds the commands of their lictores (ραβδοῦχοι [vv.35,38. rhabdouchos, G4465. lictores is in Vulgate]). It seems that this jailer is a civilian. Later (from ca. 150 onwards), the city prison came more strongly under military command. For more on prison guards, see Krause 1996, 252–264." Maybe a numerii, but not a civilian...

Cadoux

**17 “**cases of men being converted when already engaged in the military profession (such as Cornelius the centurion of Caesarea, and the gaoler of Philippi) were during the same early period few and far between”

**97 “**Apart from Cornelius and the one or two soldiers who may have been baptized with him by Peter at Caesarea (? 40 A.D.)[Acts 5:I, 7, 47] and the gaoler baptized by Paul at Philippi (circ A.D. 49),[Acts 16:27-34] we have no direct or reliable evidence for the existence of a single Christian soldier until after I 70 A.D.

222 [Psaul’s] …apparent silence on the unchristian character of the Philippian gaoler's calling [Acts 16:29-34]… are cases so near the border-line that much discussion would be needed to enable us to measure what degree of inconsistency, if any, was involved in each of them.

226 “the dutiful and officious but otherwise humane gaoler of Philippi”

228 one of three (with Cornelius and soldiers in his oikos) “the only real cases of Christian soldiers in the New Testament times.”

Acts 16:23-36 "After they [strategoi, from vv.20,22] had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer (desmophylax, G1200) to keep them securely. 24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 When the desmophylax woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs (kyrois, G2962), what must I do to be saved?” 31 They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God. 35 When morning came, the magistrates (strategos, G4755) sent the police (rhabdouchos, G4465), saying, “Let those men go.” 36 And the jailer (desmophylax, G1200) reported the message to Paul, saying, “The magistrates (strategos, G4755) sent word to let you go; therefore come out now and go in peace.”