ARCH OF TRA'JAN. See TRAJAN, ARCH OF.
ARCHON, (11k. ttpxwv, arehit, liter ally leader, (•hiel, from dpxew, archcin, to begin. lead, rule). The highest magistrate in Athens and other Greek cities. As the name shows. it denotes the one in power as opposed to 'king' (gacr/XE6s). The Athenian archon is the only one whose history and duties are well known. There were nine arehons at Athens, later chosen yearly by lot. The first was called "The Archon," or, as be gave his name to the year. Archon Eponymos: the second was the Archon Basileus, the third Archon Polemarchns, the other six were Thesmothet:e. During the Athenian democracy the archons were law-otli cers, the Archon Eponymos having charge of suits relating to the family, the Basileus of religions eases, the Polemarch of those involving foreigners, and the Thesmotheta- of a variety of other eases. According to Athenian tradition the last king. Codrus (q.v.), was succeeded by a life archon, but in B.c 752 the office was limited to ten years, and in n.e 713 opened to all nobles (Enpat•idfe), and in it.c. 683 it was made an nual, and in B.C. 457 opened to citizens of the three upper classes, and in practice to all citi zens. The historical development seems rather to have been the reduction of the power of the Basileus, by giving first the military command to a new officer, Polemareh ('general'), and then adding a civil ruler as the civil head of the State,thus restricting the 'king' to religious func tions. The military command was still held by
the Polemareh at the time of the battle of Marathon (n.e. 490). The same Greek word is often used to denote rulers of other official titles.
Among the Jews of the Dispersion the title was used to denote members of the official body exercising control over their independently or ganized communities, as at Alexandria, Antioch, and Rome. In the New Testament it is used specifically by members of the Sanhedrin (e.g., Nicodemus, John iii. 1) of the officer presiding over the synagogue (e.g., Jain's, Luke viii. 4); and generally for rulers, magistrates. and men of influence. In the sense of ruler it is applied to Christ in Rev. i. 5: "Ruler [archon] of the kings of the earth•" and to Satan in John xii. 31: "The prince [archon] of this world." In the mystical jargon of the Gnostics. the term archon was frequently employed; and hence one of their sects, especially opposed to Judaism, received the name Arehontics. See GN0STICS; HERESY; HERE TICS.