Sergeants

"Sergeants" in the KJV (Acts 16:35, 38) translates the Greek rhabdouchoi ("rod-carriers"), the officers who carried the bundle of rods (fasces) as the symbol of Roman magisterial authority — equivalent to the Latin lictores. They attended Roman magistrates (duumviri or praetores) and carried out sentences including flogging. The magistrates of Philippi sent their sergeants to order Paul and Silas' release from prison, unaware that the men were Roman citizens. When Paul revealed their citizenship, the magistrates feared — for it was illegal to beat an uncondemned Roman citizen, a violation of the lex Valeria and lex Porcia — and came in person to escort the apostles out with deference.