Saturninius Secundus Salutius

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Saturninius Secundus Salutius was a high-ranking late antique Roman official in the 4th century.

Life

Salutius came from Gaul and was highly educated. He was considered a good expert on Greek literature and philosophy. Although he was a pagan himself , his impartiality was also praised by the Christian side.

Salutius had already held various high offices when, in his older years, he acted as an advisor to Caesar Julian in Gaul and in this position was Julian's most important civil helper. In 359, however, Salutius was recalled by Emperor Constantius II and brought to Constantinople , probably with the aim of curtailing the young Caesar's independence. After Constantius' death in 361 and Julian's subsequent takeover, Salutius was again one of his closest advisers; At the end of 361 the new emperor appointed him Praetorian Prefect of the East , placing him at the head of civil administration in a large part of the empire. Julian held Salutius in high regard and dedicated the work Hymnos to King Helios to him , in which he took a stand against the Christians.

On his poorly planned campaign against the Sasanids , Julian died on June 26, 363, while Salutius, who had accompanied the emperor, narrowly escaped death. He was then offered the dignity of emperor, but Salutius refused, referring to his age and frailty. Thereupon Jovian , the commander of the imperial guard, was elevated to emperor. After his death Salutius stood up for Valentinian and held the office of Praetorian prefect under his brother Valens . He was praised by Libanios for his incorruptibility.

Salutius is not to be confused with Julian's Praetorian Prefect for Gaul, Flavius ​​Sallustius .

Possible writing activity

Numerous scholars identify Salutius with the Neo-Platonist Salustios , the author of the Greek treatise On the Gods and the World (Peri theōn kai kósmou) . The difference in the name seems to speak against this equation; the contemporary historian Ammianus Marcellinus , who writes in Latin , always distinguishes clearly between Salutius and Sallustius . In the Greek sources, however, the Praetorian prefect is called Saloustios , and this form of name has also been passed down for the writer. To justify the hypothetical equation, it is asserted that the writer shared the philosophical and religious interests and inclinations of Emperor Julian's, which is also true of Salutius. Therefore, the excellently educated Praetorian prefect comes into consideration as the author of a treatise that introduces the fundamentals of late ancient Neo-Platonism and explains its pagan interpretation of the world for a broader educated audience.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ For the identity of the writer with Salutius stand up inter alia: Klaus Rosen: Julian. Kaiser, Gott und Christenhasser , Stuttgart 2006, p. 269 f .; Glen Bowersock : Julian the Apostate , London 1978, p. 125; Giancarlo Rinaldi: Sull'identificazione dell'autore del Περὶ θεῶν καὶ κόσμου . In: ΚΟΙΝΩΝΙΑ 2, 1978, pp. 117-152; Gabriel Rochefort (ed.): Saloustios: Des dieux et du monde , 2nd edition, Paris 1983, pp. XII-XXIII; Emma C. Clarke: Communication, Human and Divine: Saloustious Reconsidered . In: Phronesis 43, 1998, pp. 326-350, here: 347-350.
personal data
SURNAME Saturninius Secundus Salutius
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman official
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century or 4th century
DATE OF DEATH 4th century