Finished reading Plutarch’s “Numa Pompilius,” who was buried with his books.
While Lycurgus received “divine blessing” over his reforms at the close of his life, Numa Pompilius subdued the perversions of early Rome by utilizing divine authority from his awkward start. Plutarch writes how, as Pontifex Maximus (the chief priest) he “sacrificed often and used processions and religious dances, in which most commonly he officiated in person . . . At times, also, he filled their imaginations with religious terrors, professing that strange apparitions had been seen, and dreadful voices heard; thus subduing and humbling their minds by a sense of supernatural fears.”
As the interpreter of divine law, Numa Pompilius established several orders of priests and priestesses given to lifetime service, outlawed fathers selling their children as slaves, established a calendar of 365 days, rearranging the months into near approximation as we know them (October means “eighth month,” and December, means “tenth month”, in case you were wondering). The temple of Janus (god of war, from whom we derive “January”) had two gates that were opened during wartime, and closed during peace, remained closed during the 43 years of Numa Pompilius’ reign. “For during the whole reign of Numa, there was neither war, nor sedition, nor innovation in the state, nor any envy or ill-will to his person, nor plot or conspiracy from views of ambition.”
He died of old age, perhaps in his 80’s, and was buried with his books because it was thought that the written page carried the thoughts and purpose of the writer and it would be irreverent to bury his body, leaving the writings without life.
