From: Carl W. Conrad (cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu)
Date: Wed Dec 22 1999 - 13:22:51 EST
<x-rich>At 11:04 AM -0700 12/22/99, John Barach wrote:
>B-Greeks:
>
>I've been exegeting Luke 2:1-5 for reasons you may be able to guess.
>One Dutch writer, B. Holwerda, speaks about the worship of the
emperor
>and says that because Augustus brought peace to the Empire he was
>greeted as the "Saviour" who descended from heaven and who would
ascend
>to heaven again. Could any of you point me to source material which
>might back up this claim?
>
>Holwerda does refer to a "kalenderinschrift" from Priene (9 BC) which
>refers to Augustus as "God" and speaks of his "gospel" and indicates
a
>desire to have the calendar start with Augustus's birthday. Where
might
>I find a copy of that inscription? (Or could someone copy it and
send
>it to me?)
>
>This question isn't about Greek grammar, I realize, so could you
please
>send responses off list. Thanks!
Well, I don't think this involves any theology that members of this
list are likely to espouse!
I don't know of any reference to Augustus' DESCENT from heaven, but
Vergil in the opening of the Georgics (Book 1, lines 24-42) invokes the
still-living Augustus as a sort of TRISKAIDEKATOS QEOS to watch over
agriculture thus:
<color><param>0000,7777,0000</param>tuque adeo, quem mox quae sint
habitura deorum
25 concilia, incertum est, urbisne invisere, Caesar,
terrarumque velis curam et te maximus orbis
auctorem frugum tempestatumque potentem
accipiat, cingens materna tempora myrto,
an deus inmensi venias maris ac tua nautae
30 numina sola colant, tibi serviat ultima Thule
teque sibi generum Tethys emat omnibus undis,
anne novum tardis sidus te mensibus addas,
qua locus Erigonen inter Chelasque sequentis
panditur--ipse tibi iam bracchia contrahit ardens
35 Scorpius et caeli iusta plus parte reliquit--
quidquid eris,--nam te nec sperant Tartara regem
nec tibi regnandi veniat tam dira cupido,
quamvis Elysios miretur Graecia campos
nec repetita sequi curet Proserpina matrem--
40 da facilem cursum atque audacibus adnue coeptis
ignarosque viae mecum miseratus agrestis
ingredere et votis iam nunc adsuesce vocari.
thus translated by Greenough in the version at the "Roman" Perseus web
site:
And thou, even thou, of whom we know not yet
What mansion of the skies shall hold thee soon,
Whether to watch o'er cities be thy will,
Great Caesar, and to take the earth in charge,
That so the mighty world may welcome thee
Lord of her increase, master of her times,
Binding thy mother's myrtle round thy brow,
Or as the boundless ocean's God thou come,
Sole dread of seamen, till far Thule bow
Before thee, and Tethys win thee to her son
With all her waves for dower; or as a star
Lend thy fresh beams our lagging months to cheer,
Where 'twixt the Maid and those pursuing Claws
A space is opening; see! red Scorpio's self
His arms draws in, yea, and hath left thee more
Than thy full meed of heaven: be what thou wilt--
For neither Tartarus hopes to call thee king,
Nor may so dire a lust of sovereignty
E'er light upon thee, howso Greece admire
Elysium's fields, and Proserpine not heed
Her mother's voice entreating to return--
Vouchsafe a prosperous voyage, and smile on this
My bold endeavour, and pitying, even as I,
These poor way-wildered swains, at once begin,
Grow timely used unto the voice of prayer.
and Horace somewhere says of him, divus praesens habebitur ("he will be
deemed an efficacious god"). Both of these texts date to the late 30's
or early 20's BC.
</color>
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics/Washington University
One Brookings Drive/St. Louis, MO, USA 63130/(314) 935-4018
Home: 7222 Colgate Ave./St. Louis, MO 63130/(314) 726-5649
WWW: http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~cwconrad/
</x-rich>
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