Divus
Divus ( Latin for "the divine" or "divine" in contrast to deus = "god") is a title of the Roman emperors and their relatives, which could be bestowed on them after death. Exceptionally, members of emperors who had not previously held the title of Augustus or Augusta could also be divinized. For example, Egnatia Mariniana , who died before her husband Valerian took office and could no longer use the title of Augusta, was divinized after he took office.
Roman antiquity
In the Roman imperial cult , divinization meant that the deceased was accepted into the ancient heaven of gods. The senate resolution required for this was confirmed by the public act of consecration (Latin: consecratio ) in the state funeral.
This divinization was based on the belief in the ascension of the emperor. Here the emperor either drove up to heaven on a winged four- horse carriage or was led by the lord of the age in the form of a winged boy of the gods. Roman coins, which are reminiscent of a consecratio , have the nickname “Divus” (DIVVS) or “Diva” for the empresses on the portrait side. On the reverse of these consecration coins, eagles or four-tier pyre are often depicted for the divus. Consecration coins with a diva also show other motifs such as a peacock on the reverse. Taking care of the divinization of a deserving deceased predecessor was part of the pietas of his successor and also served his own reputation. As the (adoptive) son of a Divus, the successor also strengthened his legitimacy by referring to a divine descent.
The ceremony also called apotheosis took place for the first time with Gaius Iulius Caesar , who became Divus Iulius . His adoptive son Octavianus , who later became Augustus, was venerated as Divi filius (German: "Son of the deified") during his lifetime and as Divus Augustus after his death .
Divinizations in the Republic and in the Early Principate
- Scipio Africanus (divinization during lifetime as the son of Jupiter )
- Cornelia (mother of the Gracchi , approx. 100 BC; divinization as deus parens )
- Gaius Marius (private libations; divinized during his lifetime as the son of Mars and Venus )
- Marcus Marius Gratidianus (1980s BC; urban Roman divinization)
- Metellus Pius (during his lifetime, 74: divinization in Spain)
- Cornelius Sulla Felix (during lifetime; unofficial, in the east)
- Pompey Magnus (during his lifetime; unofficially, in the east)
- Gaius Iulius Caesar ( Divus Caesar ; during lifetime: unofficially since 49; officially since 48)
- Caesarion (Ptolemy XV. Caesar, during his lifetime, since 47: officially only in Egypt)
- Marcus Antonius (identified with Dionysus-Osiris during his lifetime since 41; officially only in the East since 37)
- Sextus Pompeius (during his lifetime; son of Neptune ; nickname of the opponent: Neptunius )
List of the Roman state gods with the year of their official apotheosis
Late republic and early imperial era
- Divus Iulius (cult during his lifetime: or so . 44 BC .: beginnings of the official cult; 42: consecratio )
- Divus Augustus (14 AD; during lifetime: Divi (Iuli) filius , sometimes also as Divus )
- Tiberius (already divinized as Divi Augusti filius during his lifetime ; no consecratio and posthumous apotheosis)
- Gaius (Caligula) ( consecratio by Caligula already done by hand during his lifetime; no official posthumous apotheosis)
- Diva Drusilla (sister of Gaius, 38)
- Diva Iulia Augusta (Livia, 42)
- Divus Claudius (54)
- Diva Claudia (virgo) (daughter of Poppaea , 63)
- Diva Poppaea Augusta ( Nero's wife , 65)
- (Divus) Nero (divinized during his lifetime; AD 69: partial restitutio memoriae under Emperor Otho ; apotheosis as Divus under Emperor Vitellius probably)
- Divus Vespasianus (77/78; probably rejected his planned posthumous apotheosis and promoted the cult of Divus Iulius )
- Divus Titus (81)
- Divus Caesar (son of Domitian , 82)
- Diva Iulia (daughter of Titus, 89)
- Diva Domitilla (either Vespasian's daughter Domitilla the younger or his wife Domitilla the elder , 82-85 / after 90)
High imperial era
- Divus Nerva (98)
- Diva Marciana (Sister Traian's, 112)
- Divus Traianus pater (father Traians , 113)
- Divus Traianus Parthicus (118)
- Diva Matidia (daughter of Marciana , Traian's sister , 119)
- Diva Plotina (wife of Traians , 123)
- Antinous (friend of Hadrian , probably during his lifetime; 130 AD: no official apotheosis as Divus)
- Diva Sabina (Hadrian's wife, 138)
- Divus Hadrianus (138)
- Diva Faustina (wife of Antoninus Pius , 140)
- Divus Antoninus (161; cult name in Perugia: Divus Antoninus Pius )
- Divus Verus (169; see Divus M (arcus) Antoninus Pius)
- Diva Faustina Pia (wife of Marcus Aurelius , 176)
- Divus M (arcus) Antoninus Pius (Marcus Aurelius, 180; cult name in Rome: Divus M (arcus) Antoninus Germ (anicus) Sarm (aticus) ; Divus Marcus and Divus Verus were worshiped together as Divi fratres )
- Divus Pertinax pater (193)
- Divus Commodus (195; restitutio memoriae under Emperor Septimius Severus , apotheosis three years after his death)
- Divus Septimius Severus (211; cult name in Assura / Africa proconsularis: Divus Severus Pius )
- Divus Geta (probably fictional: Apotheosis disputed by Caracalla ( damnatio memoriae ); cf. Clauss, 1999 and Alföldi, 1970/1972)
- Diva Iulia (Iulia Domna, 217)
- Divus Antoninus Magnus (Caracalla, 218)
- Diva Maesa (grandmother of Severus Alexander , 224; alternative cult name: Diva Iulia Augusta )
Imperial crisis of the 3rd century
- Diva Paulina (wife of Maximinus Thrax , 236)
- Divus Alexander (Severus Alexander, 238)
- Divus Gordianus (Gordianus I, 238)
- Divus Gordianus (Gordianus II., 238)
- Divus Gordianus (Gordianus III., 244)
- Divus Marinus (father of Philip Arabs ; official apotheosis disputed; pro: Clauss, 1999; contra: Kienast, 1996)
- Divi Philippi (249; joint consecratio of Philip Arabs and his son Philip Caesar )
- Divus Decius (251)
- Divus Herennius (son of Decius , 251)
- Diva Egnatia Mariniana ( Valerian's wife , 253)
- Divus Trebonianus Gallus (approx. 253)
- Divus Volusianus (son of Trebonianus Gallus, approx. 253)
- Divus Valerianus Caesar (son of Gallienus , 257/258)
- Divus Q (uondam?) Gallienus ( Saloninus , son of Gallienus, 260)
- Divus Valerianus (probably after 262)
- Divus Gallienus (268)
- Divus Claudius (Claudius Gothicus, 270)
- Divus Victorinus Pius (271)
- Divus Aurelianus (275)
- Divus Carus (Pius or Parthicus, 283)
- Divus Numerianus (son of Carus, 284)
- Divus Nigrinianus (grandson of Carus, 284/285)
- Divus Probus (285)
Tetrarchy
- Divus Constantius (306)
- Divus Romulus (son of Maxentius , 309)
- Divus Maximianus Father (310)
- Divus Maximianus iunior (Galerius, 311; alternative cult names: Divus Galerius and Divus Iovius )
- Divus Diocletianus (313)
Constantinian Dynasty
- Divus Constantinus (337; cult name in Fanum Fortunae: Divus Constantinus Pius )
- Divus Constans (350)
- Divus Constantius (361)
- Divus Iulianus (363)
Late ancient dynasties
- Divus Iovianus (364)
- Divus Valentinianus senior (375)
- Divus Valens (378)
- Divus Theodosius pater (after 379; divinization in the east)
- Divus Gratianus (383)
- Divus Valentinianus (392)
- Divus Theodosius (395; divinization throughout the empire)
- Divus Arcadius (408)
- Divus Constantinus (411)
- Divus Honorius (423)
- Divus Libius Severus (465; divinization likely, but no explicit mention of a consecratio or apotheosis)
- Divus Leo (474)
- Divus Anastasius (518)
See also
Remarks
- ↑ 46; Divus Caesar reconstructed in: Ittai Gradel, Emperor Worship and Roman Religion , Oxford 2002, pp. 61–69
- ^ Crossing the Rubicon: Cicero, Att. 8.16.1
- ↑ Divinization as Caesar Epibaterios in Alexandria (Philo, leg. Ad Gai. 22.151); Deus Invictus statue no later than 45 (Cicero, Att. 12.45.3 [2] & 13.28.3); Dio 43.45.3); Genius cult in Aesernia 45 or 44: Dievus Iulius
- ↑ January / February 44: divine honors and determination of the god's name Divus Iulius ; after the ides of March 44: proclamation as God by Mark Antony, followed by an informal and short-lived cult under the pseudo-Marius Amatius; 44/43: Cult under Octavian and the Second Triumvirate; 42: Senatorial confirmation as state cult through consecratio ; 40: Inauguration of Mark Antony as the first Flemish Divi Iulii
- ↑ According to Suetonius Vespasian ironically the divinization. When his illness ultimately led to his death, he is said to have said: "Vae ... puto deus fio!" ("Oh dear ... I think I'll be a god!"). Suet. Vesp. 23.4.
- ↑ S. Wood: Who was Diva Domitilla? Some Thoughts on the Public Images of the Flavian Women. In: American Journal of Archeology. 114, 2010, pp. 47-57.
- ↑ Dietmar Kienast : Diva Domitilla. In: Journal of Papyrology and Epigraphy . Volume 76, 1989, pp. 141-147 ( PDF ).
- ↑ Last divinized emperor with his own temple; According to Gradel (2002), Pertinax's apotheosis is regarded as a turning point in the imperial cult, and Divus Pertinax pater as the last traditional Divus; beginning with the belated apotheosis of Commodus, the emperor lost more and more importance as a posthumous divus until the term divus at the time of the Christianization of the Roman Empire under Constantine and his successors only had the meaning "venerable" and not a direct one, with the earlier divi resulted in comparable state cult consequences.