Numen (plural numina) is a Latin term for "divinity", "divine presence", or "divine will." The Latin authors defined it as follows:[1]Cicero writes of a "divine mind" (divina mens), a god "whose numen everything obeys," and a "divine power" (vis divina) "which pervades the lives of men." It causes the motions and cries of birds during augury.[2] In Virgil's recounting of the blinding of the one-eyed giant, Polyphemus, from the Odyssey, in his Aeneid, he has Odysseus and his men first "ask for the assistance of the great numina" (magna precati numina).[3] Reviewing public opinion of Augustus on the day of his funeral, the historian Tacitus reports that some thought "no honor was left to the gods" when he "established the cult of himself" (se ... coli vellet) "with temples and the effigies of numina" (effigie numinum).[4]Pliny the Younger in a letter to Paternus raves about the "power," the "dignity," and "the majesty;" in short, the "numen of history."[5]Lucretius uses the expression numen mentis,[6] or "bidding of the mind,"[7] where "bidding" is numen, not, however, the divine numen, unless the mind is to be considered divine, but as simply human will.[1]
Since the early 20th century, numen has sometimes been treated in the history of religion as a pre-animistic phase; that is, a belief system inherited from an earlier time. Numen is also used by sociologists to refer to the idea of magical power residing in an object, particularly when writing about ideas in the western tradition. When used in this sense, numen is nearly synonymous with mana. However, some authors reserve use of mana for ideas about magic from Polynesia and southeast Asia.
Etymologically, the word means "a nod of the head", here referring to a deity as it were "nodding", or making its will or its presence known. According to H. J. Rose:
The literal meaning is simply "a nod", or more accurately, for it is a passive formation, "that which is produced by nodding", just as flamen is "that which is produced by blowing", i.e., a gust of wind. It came to mean "the product or expression of power" — not, be it noted, power itself.[8]
Thus, numen (divinity) is not personified (although it can be a personal attribute) and should be distinguished from deus (god).[9]
Roman cults of the numinaEdit
Numen was also used in the imperial cult of ancient Rome, to refer to the guardian-spirit, 'godhead' or divine power of a living emperor—in other words, a means of worshiping a living emperor without literally calling him a god.[9]
The cult of Augustus was promoted by Tiberius, who dedicated the Ara Numinis Augusti.[10] In this context, a distinction can be made between the terms numen and genius.[11]
Definition as a pre-animistic phase of religionEdit
The expression Numen inest appears in Ovid's Fasti (III, 296) and has been translated as 'There is a spirit here'.[12] Its interpretation, and in particular the exact sense of numen has been discussed extensively in the literature.[13]
The supposition that a numinous presence in the natural world supposed in the earliest layers of Italic religion, as it were an "animistic" element left over in historical Roman religion and especially in the etymology of Latin theonyms, has often been popularly implied, but was criticised as "mostly a scholarly fiction" by McGeough (2004).[14]
Numina and specific religionsEdit
The phrase "numen eris caeloque redux mirabere regna" appears on line 129 of the poem Metrum in Genesin,[15] attributed to Hilary of Arles.[16]
^ abFor a more extensive account, refer to Charlton T. Lewis; Charles Short. "numen". A Latin Dictionary (in Latin). Perseus Digital Library.
^Cicero. "De Divinatione". Loeb Classical Library; penelope.uchicago.edu. I.119-120. Marci Tulli Ciceronis. "De divinatione Prior" (in Latin). The Latin Library. I.119-120.
^Lucretius; R. Allison, Translator (1919). On the Nature of Things. London: Arthur Humphries. {{cite book}}: |author2= has generic name (help)
^Rose, H. J. (1926). Primitive Culture in Italy. Methuen & Co. pp. 44–45.
^ abBailey, Cyril (1907). The Religion of Ancient Rome. Archibald Constable & Co Ltd., freely available from Project Gutenberg
^Fishwick, Duncan (July 1969). "Genius and Numen". Harvard Theological Review. 62 (3): 356–367. doi:10.1017/s0017816000032405. S2CID 162517163. Reprinted in Fishwick, D. (1990).
^Fishwick, Duncan (May 1970). "'Numina Augustorum". The Classical Quarterly. New Series. 20 (1): 191–197. doi:10.1017/s0009838800044773. S2CID 246881554. Reprinted in Fishwick, D. (1990).
^Ovid. Fasti. Translated by Frazer, James George. Loeb Classical Library Volume. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1931.
^Rose, Herbert Jennings (October 1935). "Nvmen inest: 'Animism' in Greek and Roman Religion". Harvard Theological Review. 28 (4): 237–257. doi:10.1017/s0017816000023026. S2CID 162391992.
^Kevin McGeough The Romans: new perspectives 2004:179 "Numinous Forces and Other scholarly Inventions"; "Scholars may have to content themselves with nodes of meanings for the Italic gods rather than hard-and-fast definitions," observes Charles Robert Phillips III, in "A Note on Vergil's Aeneid 5, 744," Hermes104.2 (1976:247–249) p. 248, with recent bibliography; Gerhard Radke's classification of the forms and significances of these multifarious names in Die Götter Altitaliens (Münster, 1965) was criticized as "unwarranted precision" in the review by A. Drummond in The Classical Review, New Series, 21.2 (June 1971:239–241); the coupling and uncoupling of Latin and Italic cognomina of the gods, creating the appearance of a multitude of deities, were classically dissected in Jesse Benedictus Carter, De Deorum Romanorum Cognominibus: Quaestiones Selectae (Leipzig, 1898).
^Gottfried Kreuz; Pseudo-Hilary (2006). Pseudo-Hilarius Metrum in Genesin, Carmen de Evangelio: Einleitung, Text und Kommentar. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. ISBN978-3-7001-3790-0. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
^Pavlovskis, Zoja (December 1989). "The Pastoral World of Hilarius' "in Genesin"". The Classical Journal. 85 (2): 121–132.
Further readingEdit
Fishwick, Duncan (1990). The Imperial Cult in the Latin West. Brill.
Rudolf Otto (October 2004). The Idea of the Holy: An Inquiry Into the Non Rational Factor in the Idea of the Divine 1926. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN978-1-4179-7875-5. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
External linksEdit
Roman religion
October 21, 2023
numen, other, uses, disambiguation, plural, numina, latin, term, divinity, divine, presence, divine, will, latin, authors, defined, follows, cicero, writes, divine, mind, divina, mens, whose, numen, everything, obeys, divine, power, divina, which, pervades, li. For other uses see Numen disambiguation Numen plural numina is a Latin term for divinity divine presence or divine will The Latin authors defined it as follows 1 Cicero writes of a divine mind divina mens a god whose numen everything obeys and a divine power vis divina which pervades the lives of men It causes the motions and cries of birds during augury 2 In Virgil s recounting of the blinding of the one eyed giant Polyphemus from the Odyssey in his Aeneid he has Odysseus and his men first ask for the assistance of the great numina magna precati numina 3 Reviewing public opinion of Augustus on the day of his funeral the historian Tacitus reports that some thought no honor was left to the gods when he established the cult of himself se coli vellet with temples and the effigies of numina effigie numinum 4 Pliny the Younger in a letter to Paternus raves about the power the dignity and the majesty in short the numen of history 5 Lucretius uses the expression numen mentis 6 or bidding of the mind 7 where bidding is numen not however the divine numen unless the mind is to be considered divine but as simply human will 1 Since the early 20th century numen has sometimes been treated in the history of religion as a pre animistic phase that is a belief system inherited from an earlier time Numen is also used by sociologists to refer to the idea of magical power residing in an object particularly when writing about ideas in the western tradition When used in this sense numen is nearly synonymous with mana However some authors reserve use of mana for ideas about magic from Polynesia and southeast Asia Contents 1 Etymology 2 Roman cults of the numina 3 Definition as a pre animistic phase of religion 4 Numina and specific religions 5 Analogies in other societies 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksEtymology EditEtymologically the word means a nod of the head here referring to a deity as it were nodding or making its will or its presence known According to H J Rose The literal meaning is simply a nod or more accurately for it is a passive formation that which is produced by nodding just as flamen is that which is produced by blowing i e a gust of wind It came to mean the product or expression of power not be it noted power itself 8 Thus numen divinity is not personified although it can be a personal attribute and should be distinguished from deus god 9 Roman cults of the numina EditNumen was also used in the imperial cult of ancient Rome to refer to the guardian spirit godhead or divine power of a living emperor in other words a means of worshiping a living emperor without literally calling him a god 9 The cult of Augustus was promoted by Tiberius who dedicated the Ara Numinis Augusti 10 In this context a distinction can be made between the terms numen and genius 11 Definition as a pre animistic phase of religion EditThe expression Numen inest appears in Ovid s Fasti III 296 and has been translated as There is a spirit here 12 Its interpretation and in particular the exact sense of numen has been discussed extensively in the literature 13 The supposition that a numinous presence in the natural world supposed in the earliest layers of Italic religion as it were an animistic element left over in historical Roman religion and especially in the etymology of Latin theonyms has often been popularly implied but was criticised as mostly a scholarly fiction by McGeough 2004 14 Numina and specific religions EditThe phrase numen eris caeloque redux mirabere regna appears on line 129 of the poem Metrum in Genesin 15 attributed to Hilary of Arles 16 Analogies in other societies EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed October 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Brahman in Hinduism Kami in Japanese Shinto mana in Polynesian mythology maban in Australian Aboriginal mythology manetuwak in Lenape mythology shekhinah in Judaism sila inua in Inuit mythology teotl in Aztec mythology maegen in Anglo Saxon mythology vaki in Baltic Finnic mythologySee also EditAnimism Lares Numinous Penates Sacred comparative religion References Edit a b For a more extensive account refer to Charlton T Lewis Charles Short numen A Latin Dictionary in Latin Perseus Digital Library Cicero De Divinatione Loeb Classical Library penelope uchicago edu I 119 120 Marci Tulli Ciceronis De divinatione Prior in Latin The Latin Library I 119 120 3 634 C Cornelius Tacitus Annales in Latin Perseus Digital Library 1 10 C Plinius Caecilius Secundus Letters in Latin Perseus Digital Library 9 27 1 T Lucretius Carus De Natura rerum 3 144 Lucretius R Allison Translator 1919 On the Nature of Things London Arthur Humphries a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a author2 has generic name help Rose H J 1926 Primitive Culture in Italy Methuen amp Co pp 44 45 a b Bailey Cyril 1907 The Religion of Ancient Rome Archibald Constable amp Co Ltd freely available from Project Gutenberg Fishwick Duncan July 1969 Genius and Numen Harvard Theological Review 62 3 356 367 doi 10 1017 s0017816000032405 S2CID 162517163 Reprinted in Fishwick D 1990 Fishwick Duncan May 1970 Numina Augustorum The Classical Quarterly New Series 20 1 191 197 doi 10 1017 s0009838800044773 S2CID 246881554 Reprinted in Fishwick D 1990 Ovid Fasti Translated by Frazer James George Loeb Classical Library Volume Cambridge MA Harvard University Press London William Heinemann Ltd 1931 Rose Herbert Jennings October 1935 Nvmen inest Animism in Greek and Roman Religion Harvard Theological Review 28 4 237 257 doi 10 1017 s0017816000023026 S2CID 162391992 Kevin McGeough The Romans new perspectives 2004 179 Numinous Forces and Other scholarly Inventions Scholars may have to content themselves with nodes of meanings for the Italic gods rather than hard and fast definitions observes Charles Robert Phillips III in A Note on Vergil s Aeneid 5 744 Hermes 104 2 1976 247 249 p 248 with recent bibliography Gerhard Radke s classification of the forms and significances of these multifarious names in Die Gotter Altitaliens Munster 1965 was criticized as unwarranted precision in the review by A Drummond in The Classical Review New Series 21 2 June 1971 239 241 the coupling and uncoupling of Latin and Italic cognomina of the gods creating the appearance of a multitude of deities were classically dissected in Jesse Benedictus Carter De Deorum Romanorum Cognominibus Quaestiones Selectae Leipzig 1898 Gottfried Kreuz Pseudo Hilary 2006 Pseudo Hilarius Metrum in Genesin Carmen de Evangelio Einleitung Text und Kommentar Verlag der Osterreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften ISBN 978 3 7001 3790 0 Retrieved 9 April 2012 Pavlovskis Zoja December 1989 The Pastoral World of Hilarius in Genesin The Classical Journal 85 2 121 132 Further reading EditFishwick Duncan 1990 The Imperial Cult in the Latin West Brill Rudolf Otto October 2004 The Idea of the Holy An Inquiry Into the Non Rational Factor in the Idea of the Divine 1926 Kessinger Publishing ISBN 978 1 4179 7875 5 Retrieved 9 April 2012 External links EditRoman religion Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Numen amp oldid 1175394308, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
