Αὔγουστος
Augustus
Translated by Catharine Roth6 Aug 2001Vetting: high14 revisions
Translation
[Augustus] the Caesar, cousin of Julius Caesar;1 from whom also the month of August is named. Things that are honorable and great and illustrious are called "august." For in his reign the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, assumed flesh from the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary.
The Augusteion was named because on the fifth of the month of October the presidents of regions and priests of the cult of the emperor [sebastophoroi] used to hold a procession in the Augusteion, which is in the fishmarket, for the honor of Tiberius; they called such a place thus from Augustus. But also Constantine the Great set up a monument to his mother in the courtyard of the laurel, from which he named the place Augusteion.2
Augusteion, which is called fishmarket: see also under Justinian.3
When Augustus Caesar died, Tiberius and Drusus took the lead in the mourning, completely avoiding touching the body: for this was not permitted to monarchs. But the Vestals4 kept the will which he had made.
Augustus Caesar made a sacrifice and asked the Pythia5 who would rule after him; and she said, "A Hebrew child, ruling over the immortal gods, bids me leave this house and to go again to the bard. For the rest, go away in silence from our altars." And going out from the prophetic shrine Augustus set up an altar on the Capitol, on which he inscribed in Roman letters: "This altar belongs to the first-born god."6
The Augusteion was named because on the fifth of the month of October the presidents of regions and priests of the cult of the emperor [sebastophoroi] used to hold a procession in the Augusteion, which is in the fishmarket, for the honor of Tiberius; they called such a place thus from Augustus. But also Constantine the Great set up a monument to his mother in the courtyard of the laurel, from which he named the place Augusteion.2
Augusteion, which is called fishmarket: see also under Justinian.3
When Augustus Caesar died, Tiberius and Drusus took the lead in the mourning, completely avoiding touching the body: for this was not permitted to monarchs. But the Vestals4 kept the will which he had made.
Augustus Caesar made a sacrifice and asked the Pythia5 who would rule after him; and she said, "A Hebrew child, ruling over the immortal gods, bids me leave this house and to go again to the bard. For the rest, go away in silence from our altars." And going out from the prophetic shrine Augustus set up an altar on the Capitol, on which he inscribed in Roman letters: "This altar belongs to the first-born god."6
Greek original · Adler’s text
Αὔγουστος ὁ Καῖσαρ, ἀνεψιὸς Ἰουλίου Καίσαρος· ἀφ' οὗ καὶ ὁ μὴν Αὔγουστος ἐπικέκληται. αὔγουστα δὲ λέγονται τὰ τίμια καὶ μεγάλα καὶ ἐπίσημα. ἐπ' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, ὁ θεὸς καὶ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, τὴν σάρκα ἀνείληφεν ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας θεοτόκου καὶ ἀειπαρθένου Μαριάς. ὅτι Αὐγουστεῖον ἐκλήθη, διότι τῇ εʹ τοῦ Ὀκτωβρίου μηνὸς οἱ ῥεγεωνάρχαι καὶ σεβαστοφόροι ἐχόρευον ἐν τῷ Αὐγουστείῳ, οἷον ἐν τῷ ὀψοπωλίῳ, εἰς τιμὴν Τιβερίου· τὸν δὲ τοιοῦτον τόπον οὕτως ἐκάλεσαν ἀπὸ τοῦ Αὔγουστος. ἔστησε δὲ καὶ ὁ μέγας Κωνσταντῖνος εἰς τὸ ἄσκεπον τῆς δάφνης στήλην τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μητρὸς, ἐξ ἧς ὠνόμασε τὸν τόπον Αὐγουστεῖον. Αὐγουστεῖον, ὅπερ λέγεται ὀψοπώλιον καὶ ζήτει ἐν τῷ Ἰουστινιανός. ὅτι Αὐγούστου Καίσαρος ἀποθανόντος, Τιβέριος καὶ Δροῦσος προηγοῦντο τοῦ πένθους τοῦ νεκροῦ παντελῶς μὴ ἁπτόμενοι· οὐ γὰρ ἐξὸν τοῖς μοναρχοῦσιν. τὰς δὲ διαθήκας αἱ Ἑστιάδες εἶχον, ἃς διέθετο. ὅτι Αὔγουστος Καῖσαρ θυσιάσας ἤρετο τὴν Πυθίαν, τίς μετ' αὐτὸν βασιλεύσει· καὶ εἶπε· παῖς Ἑβραῖος κέλεταί με, θεοῖς μακάρεσσιν ἀνάσσων, τόνδε δόμον προλιπεῖν καὶ ἀοιδὸν αὖθις ἱκέσθαι. λοιπὸν ἄπιθι σιγῶν ἐκ βωμῶν ἡμετέρων. καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἐκ τοῦ μαντείου ὁ Αὔγουστος ἔστησεν ἐν τῷ Καπιτωλίῳ βωμὸν, ἐν ᾧ ἐπέγραψε Ῥωμαϊκοῖς γράμμασιν· ὁ βωμὸς οὗτός ἐστι τοῦ πρωτογόνου θεοῦ.
Betacode
*au)/goustos o( *kai=sar, a)neyio\s *)iouli/ou *kai/saros: a)f' ou(= kai\ o( mh\n *au)/goustos e)pike/klhtai. au)/gousta de\ le/gontai ta\ ti/mia kai\ mega/la kai\ e)pi/shma. e)p' au)tou= ga\r o( ku/rios *)ihsou=s *xristo\s, o( qeo\s kai\ swth\r h(mw=n, th\n sa/rka a)nei/lhfen e)k th=s a(gi/as qeoto/kou kai\ a)eiparqe/nou *maria/s. o(/ti *au)goustei=on e)klh/qh, dio/ti th=| e# tou= *)oktwbri/ou mhno\s oi( r(egewna/rxai kai\ sebastofo/roi e)xo/reuon e)n tw=| *au)goustei/w|, oi(=on e)n tw=| o)yopwli/w|, ei)s timh\n *tiberi/ou: to\n de\ toiou=ton to/pon ou(/tws e)ka/lesan a)po\ tou= *au)/goustos. e)/sthse de\ kai\ o( me/gas *kwnstanti=nos ei)s to\ a)/skepon th=s da/fnhs sth/lhn th=s e(autou= mhtro\s, e)c h(=s w)no/mase to\n to/pon *au)goustei=on. *au)goustei=on, o(/per le/getai o)yopw/lion kai\ zh/tei e)n tw=| *)ioustiniano/s. o(/ti *au)gou/stou *kai/saros a)poqano/ntos, *tibe/rios kai\ *drou=sos prohgou=nto tou= pe/nqous tou= nekrou= pantelw=s mh\ a(pto/menoi: ou) ga\r e)co\n toi=s monarxou=sin. ta\s de\ diaqh/kas ai( *(estia/des ei)=xon, a(\s die/qeto. o(/ti *au)/goustos *kai=sar qusia/sas h)/reto th\n *puqi/an, ti/s met' au)to\n basileu/sei: kai\ ei)=pe: pai=s *(ebrai=os ke/letai/ me, qeoi=s maka/ressin a)na/sswn, to/nde do/mon prolipei=n kai\ a)oido\n au)=qis i(ke/sqai. loipo\n a)/piqi sigw=n e)k bwmw=n h(mete/rwn. kai\ e)celqw\n e)k tou= mantei/ou o( *au)/goustos e)/sthsen e)n tw=| *kapitwli/w| bwmo\n, e)n w(=| e)pe/graye *(rwmai+koi=s gra/mmasin: o( bwmo\s ou(=to/s e)sti tou= prwtogo/nou qeou=.
Notes (6)
- De Imperatoribus Romanis article by Garrett Fagan at web address 1. See already alpha 4412, and again kappa 1197.↩
- 1More precisely, great-nephew of Julius Caesar; cf. Cedrenus (ed. Bekker) 300.22-24. ↩
- 2Or "from whom;" cf. Preger, Scriptores originum Constantinopolitanarum 158.4-10 (= ps.-Codinus, Patria Constantinopoleos 2.15). ↩
- 3iota 446. ↩
- 4See generally epsilon 3213. ↩
- 5See generally pi 3127. ↩
- 6cf. John Malalas (ed. Dindorf) 231.15 - 232.5; Cedrenus (ed. Bekker) 320.17-22; now Malalas Chronographia X.5 Thurn (176). Anthony Ossa-Richardson points out that the Suda's
a)oido\n "bard" does not seem to make sense. According to Adler, the 1549 Basel edition printeda)i/dhn ("Hades"); Malalas hasa)/i+dos ("[house] of Hades") and Cedrenuso(do/n "road." The Chronicon of Simeon Logothetes also readso(do/n ; cf. Thurn (176 note 90). Ifa)oido\n was the transmitted text, it could have been emended to "Hades" or "road"; in any case, the oracle's message is metrically deficient.
References
M. A. Bonnetty, "Sur une prophétie de la Pythie de Delphes," Annales de philosophie chrétienne new series 14 (1837) 62-71 (available at Google books)
J. Thurn, ed., Ioannis Malalae Chronographia, (Berlin 2000)
J. Thurn, ed., Ioannis Malalae Chronographia, (Berlin 2000)
External resources
- Web address 1 roman-emperors.sites.luc.edu
Linked from4 entries
- α4412Αὔγουστος ΚαῖσαρAugustus CaesarAlso called Sebastos and Octavianus, [wrote] On his own life and deeds [in] 13 books, and a tragedy of Ajax and Achilles. "Augustus, in accordance with his own decree, counts individually all the inhabitants of Roman…
- δ1112ΔικτάτωρdictatorWhen Malius, who was Latin in origin and had great influence among his compatriots, raised up the race of the Latins in full force and brought together a great mercenary unit in order to avenge his relatives who had…
- χ263Χειροτονίαvote, show of hands[Meaning] selection, ratification of everyone/everything. "Therefore, since the vote was proclaiming them, they were announced as 'Augustuses'."
- χ505ΧρησμόςoracleLook under Tyrtaios, and look under aneile ["responded"], and look under Thoulis, and look under Augustus Caesar. Also look under Scipio for the fulfillment of such an oracle. Look under Daphidas for an amazing oracle.…
Neighbouring entries
Revision history14 revisions · last 25 Apr 2026
- augmented n.6, added to bibliography — Ronald Allen
- tweaks — Catharine Roth
- tweaked translation — Catharine Roth
- expanded note — Catharine Roth
- cosmetics — Catharine Roth
- cosmetics — Catharine Roth
- Revised — David Whitehead
- tweaks and cosmetics — David Whitehead
- added bibliography, courtesy of A O-R — Catharine Roth
- expanded note 6, with input from Anthony Ossa-Richardson — Catharine Roth
- augmented notes — Catharine Roth
- more keywords — David Whitehead
- explanatory addition to tr — David Whitehead
- added note and keywords; cosmetics — David Whitehead
- Translated — Catharine Roth