Soter

Soter derives from the Ancient Greek epithet Σωτήρ (Sōtḗr), meaning a saviour, a deliverer. The feminine form is Soteira (Σώτειρα, Sṓteira) or sometimes Soteria (Σωτηρία, Sōtería).

Soter was used as:

• A title of gods: Poseidon Soter, Zeus Soter, Dionysus Soter, Apollo Soter, Hades Soter, Helios Soter, Athena Soteira, Asclepius Soter, Persephone Soteira, and Hecate Soteira.
• The name of a distinct mythical figure, Soter (daimon)
• An epithet of several Hellenistic rulers
• a title of liberators (see also eleutherios (disambiguation)
• a title of Jesus of Nazareth, which came into use some time after the death of Paul the Apostle, most particularly in the fish acronym
• the term "God our Saviour" (Greek: θεῷ σωτῆρι ἡμῶν, dative) occurs several times in the New Testament, in the Epistle of Jude, 1 Timothy and Titus.
• Pope Soter, r. ca. 167 – 174.

List of People given the epithet of Soter

Hellenistic Rulers

Name	Description	Dedication	Dates	Ref
Antigonus I Monophthalmus	King of the Antigonid empire	Liberating Athens from Cassander	382–301 BC
Ptolemy I Soter	King and Pharaoh of Egypt		323–283 BC
Antiochus I Soter	King of the Seleucid Empire	Defeating the Gallic invasion of Anatolia	281 –261 BC
Diodotus I Soter	King of Bactria		c. 255 – c. 235 BC
Attalus I Soter	King of Pergamon		241–197 BC
Seleucus III Ceraunus	King of the Seleucid Empire	Postumus	226/225 – 223 BC
Demetrius I Soter	King of the Seleucid Empire		161–150 BC
Menander I Soter	Indo-Greek King		c. 165/155 –130 BC
Strato I Soter	Indo-Greek King		125–110 BCE
Polyxenos Epiphanes Soter	Indo-Greek King		c. 100 BC
Diomedes Soter	Indo-Greek King		95–90 BC
Hermaeus Soter	Indo-Greek King		90–70 BC
Dionysius Soter	Indo-Greek King		65–55 BC
Ptolemy IX Soter	King and Pharaoh of Egypt		116–107 BC, 88–81 BC
Strato II Soter	Indo-Greek King		25 CE – 10 AD
Rabbel II Soter	King of Nabataea		70–106 AD

Roman Period

Name	Description	Dedication	Dates	Ref
Titus Quinctius Flamininus	Proconsul in the east	Laconia	198-194 BC	[1]
Lucius Cornelius Sulla	Proconsul of the east	Boeotia	87–85 BC	[2]
Lucius Licinius Murena	Legatus in the east	Caria	83/82 BC?	[3]
Quintus Caecilius Metellus	Proconsul in the east	Attica	c.68–62 BC	[4]
Pompey the Great	Governor of Asia	Samos, Lesbos, Keos	67–61 BC	[5][6][7]
Publius Cornelius Sulla		Caria	67 BC	[8]
Lucius Antonius	Propraetor of Asia	Pergamon	50/49 BC	[9]
Gaius Julius Caesar	Roman dictator	Ephesus, Pergamon, Lesbos, Megara	49–44 BC	[10][11] [12][13]
Quintus Fufius Calenus	General	Olympia	48/47 BC	[14]
Cato the Younger	Propraetor of Africa	Utica	46 BC	[15]
Marcus Junius Brutus	Proconsul of Macedonia, Achaia, Illyricum and Asia	Oropos	44–42 BC	[16]
Marcus Junius Silanus	Proquaestor in Achaea and Macedonia	Attica	34–32 BC	[17]
Octavianus	Roman emperor[18]	Boeotia	30-27 BC	[19]
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa	Governor of the east	Corfu, Lesbos	19–13 BC	[20][21]
Gaius Marcius Censorinus	Proconsul of Asia	Mylasa	c. 2 AD	[22]
Germanicus	Governor of the east	Phrygia	17–19 AD	[23]
Gaius Trebonius Proculus Mettius Modestus	Legatus pro praetore of Lycia et Pamphylia,	Lycia	99–102 AD	[24]
Quintus Pompeius Falco	Proconsul of Asia	Phrygia	c.123–128 AD	[25]

See also

• Hellenistic religion
• Messiah
• Soteria (disambiguation)
• Soteriology, the study of salvation; in Christian contexts, the branch of Christology dealing with Jesus' capacity as Saviour of humankind
• Sozusa (disambiguation)

Notes

8.^ Roman Emperors are excluded from this list as nearly all were granted the epithet of soter.