Sol Invictus
03-13-2009, 05:55 AM
M. Moravius Piscinus Horatianus cultoribus Deorum, Quiritibus et omnibus salutem plurimam dicit: Iubeo bono animo esse.
Hodie est ante diem VII Kalendas Februarias; haec dies comitialis est:
The Gestures of Prayer
"To sit by a pregnant woman, or by a person to whom any remedy is being administered, with the fingers of one hand inserted between those of the other, acts as a magic spell; a discovery that was made, it is said, when Alcmena was delivered of Hercules. If the fingers are thus joined, clasping one or both knees, or if the ham of one leg is first put upon the knee of the other, and then changed about, the omen is of still worse signification. Hence it is, that in councils held by generals and persons in authority, our ancestors forbade these postures, as being an impediment to all business. They have given a similar prohibition also with reference to sacrifices and the offering of public vows." ~ C. Plinius Secunda, Historia Naturalis 28.12 (59)
Praying with folded hands, the fingers interlocked, as some Christians might do today, is expressly forbidden in Roman ritual. The reason, given by Pliny above, is that crossing the fingers negates the prayers and vows by casting a magic spell of inhibition over the ritual. Rather, as other Christians sometimes do, the Romans prayed to the celestial Gods with their "eyes raised to heaven and right hand star-ward stretched ( Virgil Aen. 12.195)." This gesture of the opened palm, fingers together, and stretched slightly backward (manus supina) is mentioned time and again by Roman authors in different periods. In the Late Republic, Catullus spoke of how "those worshipers of goddesses stretch out their smooth, gentle limbs in prayerful vows (66.9-10)." During the Principate, like Vergil, Livy told how "(Marcus Curtius), his hand now outstretched towards the Gods in Heaven, now to the Manes in the widening chasm, devoted himself (7.6.1)." And within a hundred years afterward there were Silius Italicus, Valerius Flaccus, and Papirius Statius he saying how a Roman would pray while "raising the palms of his hands heavenward (Val. Flacc. Argo. 1.79)."
If, on the other hand, one was praying to a terrestial God he would again use the right hand held manus supina, but rather than gesture towards the stars he would direct his palm towards the abode of the God. Thus, if praying to Silvanus he might face the palm of his hand towards a nearby forest. If praying to Neptunus, his palm would face towards a nearby body of water. Even if praying to a celestial God, one might direct the palm of his right hand towards His terrestrial abode, such as a temple or even toward an altar to which the God had been invoked.
We know from other examples that gesture played an important part in Roman prayer. When a pontifex instructed Decius Mus on how to perform a devotio, the special gestures to be used for the rite were no less important than the words that had to be spoken.:
"The Pontifex ordered him to take the toga praetexta and with the head covered, a hand protruding from beneath the toga touching the chin, standing with his feet over a spear said the following: 'Janus, Jupiter, Father Mars, Quirinus, Bellona, Lares, divine Novensiles and Indigetes, you gods to whom belongs the power over us and over our foes, and you, too, Divine Manes, I pray to you, I venerate you, I pray that by your grace and favor that you will bless the Roman People, the Quirites, with power and victory, and visit the enemies of the Roman People, the Quirites, with fear and dread and death. In like manner as I have uttered this prayer so do I now on behalf of the Roman Republic of the Quirites, on behalf of the army, the legions, the auxiliaries of the Roman People, the Quirites, I devote the legions and auxiliaries of the enemy, together with myself to the Divine Manes and to Tellus (Livy 8.9.4-8).'"
Another detail of this the devotio was that as he vowed himself to Tellus at the end of his prayer, Decius Mus would have had to touch the earth with the palms of his hands (Macrobius, Saturnalia 3.9.10- 12)
Praying to the Manes and the infernal Gods is done entirely differently. In the first place, one holds his hand manus prona. That is, the right hand is held over the altar fire, or over the earth, with the palm facing down. When sacrificing to cestial or terrestrial Gods it is proper to serve offerings and pour libations by using the right hand. But when sacrificing to the infernal deities one keeps his right hand manus prona and serves the offerings with his left hand. Libations, too, rather than pour them into a fire so that their vital essence might rise to celestial Gods, for infernal deities libations are poured, using the left hand, into a pit or trench dug into the earth (Stat. Theb.4.502-503). There are other differences as well. The wood used in the ritual fire would have to be one of the arbores felices for any ritual for the celestial Gods, while arbores infelices might be used in some rites for the infernal Gods. And the shape of the altar, and the shape of the altar fire differ between these rites. They are different as standing in the open light of day to pray to the Gods above as to stand in the dark of night while praying to infernal deities.
Other gestures were used in ritual. One was to complete an offering by moving with a certain twist at the waist. An adoratio, where the right hand was kissed and then touched to the altar, was specifically part of a parentatio rite. A sacrum publica is completed by turning around and making a gesture of liberalitas. The proper gesture, at the proper moment, was very much a part of any Roman ritual. Gestures were as important to prayer as the words that were spoken.
Retrieved from Nova Roma (http://www.novaroma.org/nr/Gestures_in_roman_prayer)
Hodie est ante diem VII Kalendas Februarias; haec dies comitialis est:
The Gestures of Prayer
"To sit by a pregnant woman, or by a person to whom any remedy is being administered, with the fingers of one hand inserted between those of the other, acts as a magic spell; a discovery that was made, it is said, when Alcmena was delivered of Hercules. If the fingers are thus joined, clasping one or both knees, or if the ham of one leg is first put upon the knee of the other, and then changed about, the omen is of still worse signification. Hence it is, that in councils held by generals and persons in authority, our ancestors forbade these postures, as being an impediment to all business. They have given a similar prohibition also with reference to sacrifices and the offering of public vows." ~ C. Plinius Secunda, Historia Naturalis 28.12 (59)
Praying with folded hands, the fingers interlocked, as some Christians might do today, is expressly forbidden in Roman ritual. The reason, given by Pliny above, is that crossing the fingers negates the prayers and vows by casting a magic spell of inhibition over the ritual. Rather, as other Christians sometimes do, the Romans prayed to the celestial Gods with their "eyes raised to heaven and right hand star-ward stretched ( Virgil Aen. 12.195)." This gesture of the opened palm, fingers together, and stretched slightly backward (manus supina) is mentioned time and again by Roman authors in different periods. In the Late Republic, Catullus spoke of how "those worshipers of goddesses stretch out their smooth, gentle limbs in prayerful vows (66.9-10)." During the Principate, like Vergil, Livy told how "(Marcus Curtius), his hand now outstretched towards the Gods in Heaven, now to the Manes in the widening chasm, devoted himself (7.6.1)." And within a hundred years afterward there were Silius Italicus, Valerius Flaccus, and Papirius Statius he saying how a Roman would pray while "raising the palms of his hands heavenward (Val. Flacc. Argo. 1.79)."
If, on the other hand, one was praying to a terrestial God he would again use the right hand held manus supina, but rather than gesture towards the stars he would direct his palm towards the abode of the God. Thus, if praying to Silvanus he might face the palm of his hand towards a nearby forest. If praying to Neptunus, his palm would face towards a nearby body of water. Even if praying to a celestial God, one might direct the palm of his right hand towards His terrestrial abode, such as a temple or even toward an altar to which the God had been invoked.
We know from other examples that gesture played an important part in Roman prayer. When a pontifex instructed Decius Mus on how to perform a devotio, the special gestures to be used for the rite were no less important than the words that had to be spoken.:
"The Pontifex ordered him to take the toga praetexta and with the head covered, a hand protruding from beneath the toga touching the chin, standing with his feet over a spear said the following: 'Janus, Jupiter, Father Mars, Quirinus, Bellona, Lares, divine Novensiles and Indigetes, you gods to whom belongs the power over us and over our foes, and you, too, Divine Manes, I pray to you, I venerate you, I pray that by your grace and favor that you will bless the Roman People, the Quirites, with power and victory, and visit the enemies of the Roman People, the Quirites, with fear and dread and death. In like manner as I have uttered this prayer so do I now on behalf of the Roman Republic of the Quirites, on behalf of the army, the legions, the auxiliaries of the Roman People, the Quirites, I devote the legions and auxiliaries of the enemy, together with myself to the Divine Manes and to Tellus (Livy 8.9.4-8).'"
Another detail of this the devotio was that as he vowed himself to Tellus at the end of his prayer, Decius Mus would have had to touch the earth with the palms of his hands (Macrobius, Saturnalia 3.9.10- 12)
Praying to the Manes and the infernal Gods is done entirely differently. In the first place, one holds his hand manus prona. That is, the right hand is held over the altar fire, or over the earth, with the palm facing down. When sacrificing to cestial or terrestrial Gods it is proper to serve offerings and pour libations by using the right hand. But when sacrificing to the infernal deities one keeps his right hand manus prona and serves the offerings with his left hand. Libations, too, rather than pour them into a fire so that their vital essence might rise to celestial Gods, for infernal deities libations are poured, using the left hand, into a pit or trench dug into the earth (Stat. Theb.4.502-503). There are other differences as well. The wood used in the ritual fire would have to be one of the arbores felices for any ritual for the celestial Gods, while arbores infelices might be used in some rites for the infernal Gods. And the shape of the altar, and the shape of the altar fire differ between these rites. They are different as standing in the open light of day to pray to the Gods above as to stand in the dark of night while praying to infernal deities.
Other gestures were used in ritual. One was to complete an offering by moving with a certain twist at the waist. An adoratio, where the right hand was kissed and then touched to the altar, was specifically part of a parentatio rite. A sacrum publica is completed by turning around and making a gesture of liberalitas. The proper gesture, at the proper moment, was very much a part of any Roman ritual. Gestures were as important to prayer as the words that were spoken.
Retrieved from Nova Roma (http://www.novaroma.org/nr/Gestures_in_roman_prayer)