CLAUDIA (KNatZta), a Christian female of Rome, the wife of Pudens (2 Tim. iv. 21). The attempt to identify this Claudia with the British lady Claudia, whose marriage to Pudens is cele brated by Martial (•pig. iv. 13), rests on no foun dation beyond the identity of the names of the parties, and the fact that Martial calls Pudens sanctus,' and says he was a corrector of his verses. But such reasons are very weak. The identity of names so common as Pudens and Claudia, may be nothing more than a mere acci dental coincidence that proves nothing ; as for the term sanctus,' it is precisely the term which a heathen would not have applied to a Christian, whom he would have regarded as the adherent of a prava superstitio ' (Phn. Ep. ad Maj.); and as respects Pudens's correction of Martial's verses, until we know whether that was a correction of their style or a correction of their morals (in which case Pudens really must have done his work of correction very badly), we can build nothing on it. On the other hand, the immoral character of Martial himself renders it impro bable that he should have had a Christian and a friend of St. Paul among his friends. Fur
ther, Paul's Pudens and Claudia, if husband and wife, must have been married before A.D. 67, the latest date that can be assigned to Paul's writing. But Martial's epigram must have been written atter this, perhaps several years after, for he came to Rome only in A.D. 66 ; so that if they were married persons in 67, it is not likely Martial would cele brate their nuptials years after this. And, in fine, if Paul's Pudens and Claudia were unmarried at the time of his writing, they must at least have been persons of standing and reputation among the Christians ; and in this case can it be supposed that a poet meaning to gratify them would invoke on them the favour of heathen deities, whom they had renounced with abhorrence ? Burdened with these difficulties, the hypothesis seems deserving only of prompt rejection.—W. L. A.