Augustus (plural augusti), /ɔːˈgʌstəs/; Classical Latin: [awˈgʊstʊs], Latin for “majestic,” “the increaser,” or “venerable”), was an ancient Roman title given as both name and title to Gaius Octavius (often referred to simply as Augustus), Rome’s first Emperor. On his death, it became an official title of his successor, and was so used by Roman emperors thereafter. The feminine form Augusta was used for Roman empresses and other females of the Imperial family. The masculine and feminine forms originated in the time of the Roman Republic, in connection with things considered divine or sacred in traditional Roman religion. Their use as titles for major and minor Roman deities of the Empire associated the Imperial system and Imperial family with traditional Roman virtues and the divine will, and may be considered a feature of the Roman Imperial cult.
In Rome’s Greek-speaking provinces, “Augustus” was translated as sebastos (σεβαστός, “venerable”), or hellenised as augoustos (αὔγουστος). After the fall of the Roman Empire, Augustus was sometimes used as a name for men of aristocratic birth, especially in the lands of the Holy Roman Empire. It remains a given name for males.
Some thirty years before its first association with Caesar’s heir, Augustus was an obscure honorific with religious associations. One early context (58 BC), associates it with provincial Lares (Roman household gods). In poetry and prose it was the “elevation” or “augmentation” of what is already sacred or religious. Some Roman sources connected it to augury, and Rome was said to have been founded with the “august augury” of Romulus.
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Author: Wikipedia
Keywords: Honorific, Augustus, Augustus Caesar, Agustus, Caesar, Cesar, Caesar Augustus
Bible reference(s): Luke 2:1, Acts 25:21, Acts 25:25
Source: This article uses material from the Wikipedia article “Augustus (honorific),” which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
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