Two years after his death, the Roman Senate declared Caesar a god. This gave Roman biographers the unusual task of recounting the life of a man who was, by official proclamation, a divine being. By the time the biographer Suetonius writes his Life of the Deified Julius, the Roman people has worshiped Caesar as a god for more than 150 years. Please read through Divus Julius, and pick out a line that shows especially well why the Roman people might have accepted Caesar as divine or a line that shows that regarding Caesar as a god was more than a little strange. Explain your choice.
Monday, October 6, 2025
Caesar the God (extra credit)
Two years after his death, the Roman Senate declared Caesar a god. This gave Roman biographers the unusual task of recounting the life of a man who was, by official proclamation, a divine being. By the time the biographer Suetonius writes his Life of the Deified Julius, the Roman people has worshiped Caesar as a god for more than 150 years. Please read through Divus Julius, and pick out a line that shows especially well why the Roman people might have accepted Caesar as divine or a line that shows that regarding Caesar as a god was more than a little strange. Explain your choice.
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"While crossing to Rhodes [74 BC], after the winter season had already begun, he was taken by pirates near the island of Pharmacussa and remained in their custody for nearly forty days in a state of intense vexation, attended only by a single physician and two body-servants; for he had sent off his travelling companions and the rest of his attendants at the outset, to raise money for his ransom. Once he was set on shore on payment of fifty talents, he did not delay then and there to launch a fleet and pursue the departing pirates, and the moment they were in his power to inflict on them the punishment which he had often threatened when joking with them."
ReplyDeleteNot a singular line, but it provides the context and reason as to why they may have believed Caesar to be a divine being. We read in these sentences that he was unwell while in extremely unfavorable conditions - caught by pirates and being attended to by only a singular physician and some attendants. The lack of personnel was due to him sending away his own men, no doubt placing himself in danger. But why sent away his men?
Because he was sending them to retrieve his ransom!
It is almost as if he foretold that he would be captured.
And, upon his release, it is said that he immediately chased after the pirates in order to follow through on his threats.
So not only was he alone, facing the enemy for 40 days, but he was able to immediately become well enough to attack that same enemy!
This is no doubt the work of the divine, as no human would be able to last 40 days under such dire circumstances, nor would they magically become well enough to fight so quickly.