Reflections around "Deorum iniurias dis curae " (Tap. Ann. 1. 73): how can we interpret this sententia?

Abstract

The study of the sententia "Deorum iniurias dis curae" of the Annals 1. 73, variously interpreted by specialists of Tacitus, dresses in a big importance in the understanding not only of political, philosophic and religious thought of Tacitus, but also its writing of the history the influence of the rhetoric of which is not to be any more demonstrated. At the same time as it returns on eternal question of the nature of the motives which, in the Tacitus’s Annals, justifies it resorts systematic by Tiberius of the lex maiestatis, the present article opens some tracks of the refletions on the main questions that some people settle on and around this sententia. One of these tracks consists in presenting this formula as an invitation or a kind of call to order of the historian towards the emperor not to confuse the ius, the right human being, and the fas, the divine justice, in other words to avoid the confusion between the ius humanum and the religio. In another context, this sententia can be considered warning on the way the imperial cult is exerced in Rome.

http://dx.doi.org/10.14195/2183-1718_66_10