The Tiburtine Sibyl or Albunea was a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
sibyl
The sibyls (, singular ) were prophetesses or oracles in Ancient Greece.
The sibyls prophesied at holy sites.
A sibyl at Delphi has been dated to as early as the eleventh century BC by PausaniasPausanias 10.12.1 when he described local traditi ...
, whose seat was the ancient
Etruscan __NOTOC__
Etruscan may refer to:
Ancient civilization
*The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy
*Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization
**Etruscan architecture
**Etruscan art
**Etruscan cities
** Etrusca ...
town of
Tibur
Tivoli ( , ; la, Tibur) is a town and in Lazio, central Italy, north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills. The city offers a wide view over the Roman Campagna.
History
Gaius Julius Solinu ...
(modern
Tivoli).
The mythic meeting of
Cæsar Augustus with the Sibyl, of whom he inquired whether he should be worshiped as a god, was often depicted by artists from the
late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the Periodization, period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Eur ...
onwards. In the versions known to the later Middle Ages, for example the account in the ''
Golden Legend
The ''Golden Legend'' (Latin: ''Legenda aurea'' or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in late medieval Europe. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary ...
'', Augustus asked the Sibyl whether he should be worshipped as a god, as the
Roman Senate
The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...
had ordered. She replied by showing him a vision of a young woman with a baby boy, high in the sky, while a voice from the heavens said "This is the virgin who shall conceive the saviour of the world", who would eclipse all the Roman gods. The episode was regarded as a prefiguration of the
Biblical Magi
The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the G ...
's visit to the new-born Jesus and connected Ancient and Christian Rome, implying foreknowledge of the coming of Christ by the greatest of Roman emperors.
Whether the sibyl in question was the
Etruscan Sibyl
The Tiburtine Sibyl or Albunea was a Ancient Rome, Roman sibyl, whose seat was the ancient Etruscan civilization, Etruscan town of Tibur (modern Tivoli, Italy, Tivoli).
The mythic meeting of Cæsar Augustus with the Sibyl, of whom he inquired ...
of Tibur or the
Greek Sibyl of
Cumæ is not always clear. The Christian author
Lactantius
Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius (c. 250 – c. 325) was an early Christian author who became an advisor to Roman emperor, Constantine I, guiding his Christian religious policy in its initial stages of emergence, and a tutor to his son Cr ...
identified the sibyl in question as the Tiburtine sibyl. He gave a circumstantial account of the pagan sibyls that is useful mostly as a guide to their identifications, as seen by 4th-century Christians:
The prophecy of the Tiburtine Sibyl
![Jesus-College-MS-111 00277 139r (cropped) Proffwydoliaeth Sibli Ddoeth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Jesus-College-MS-111_00277_139r_%28cropped%29_Proffwydoliaeth_Sibli_Ddoeth.jpg)
An apocalyptic pseudo-prophecy exists among the
Sibylline Oracles, which was attributed to the Tiburtine Sibyl. Its earliest version may date from the fourth century, but in the form that it survives today it was written in the early eleventh century, and has been influenced by the
Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius
Written in Syriac in the late seventh century, the ''Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius'' shaped and influenced Christian eschatological thinking in the Middle Ages.Griffith (2008), p. 34.Debié (2005) p. 228.Alexander (1985) p. 13.Jackson (2001) p. ...
. Its first version in Latin dates from the tenth century and may have come from Lombardy, though it was quickly picked up (and rewritten) by the
Salian dynasty
The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty (german: Salier) was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125).
After the death of the la ...
and the
Hohenstaufen
The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynasty ...
s. It proved a useful rhetorical tool, valuable for many a ruler; the lists it contained of emperors and kings were revised to fit the circumstances, and hundreds of versions remain from the Middle Ages.
Its conclusion purports to prophesy the advent in the world's ninth age of a
final Emperor
Last Roman Emperor, also called Last World Emperor or Emperor of the Last Days, is a figure of medieval European legend, which developed as an aspect of Christian eschatology. The legend predicts that in the end times, a last emperor would appear o ...
vanquishing the foes of Christianity (heavily dependent on the Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius):
This Emperor's reign is characterized by great wealth, victory over the foes of Christianity, an end of paganism and the conversion of the Jews. The Emperor having vanquished
Gog and Magog
Gog and Magog (; he, גּוֹג וּמָגוֹג, ''Gōg ū-Māgōg'') appear in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran as individuals, tribes, or lands. In Ezekiel 38, Gog is an individual and Magog is his land; in Genesis 10, Magog is a man and epo ...
,
In doing so, he will give way to the
Antichrist
In Christian eschatology, the Antichrist refers to people prophesied by the Bible to oppose Jesus Christ and substitute themselves in Christ's place before the Second Coming. The term Antichrist (including one plural form) 1 John ; . 2 John . ...
:
The prophecy relates that Antichrist would be opposed by the
Two Witnesses
In the Book of Revelation, the two witnesses (, ''duo martyron'') are two prophets who are mentioned in Revelation 11:1-14. Christian eschatology interprets this as two people, two groups of people, or two concepts. Some believe they are Enoch and ...
from the
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...
, identified with
Elijah
Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) was, according to the Books of ...
and
Enoch
Enoch () ''Henṓkh''; ar, أَخْنُوخ ', Qur'ān.html"_;"title="ommonly_in_Qur'ān">ommonly_in_Qur'ānic_literature__'_is_a_biblical_figure_and_Patriarchs_(Bible).html" "title="Qur'ānic_literature.html" ;"title="Qur'ān.html" ;"title="o ...
; after having killed the witnesses and started a final persecution of the Christians,
Frescoes at the Villa d'Este
Ippolito II d'Este
Ippolito (II) d'Este (25 August 1509 – 2 December 1572) was an Italian cardinal and statesman. He was a member of the House of Este, and nephew of the other Ippolito d'Este, also a cardinal. He is perhaps best known for his despoliation of the ...
rebuilt the
Villa d'Este
The Villa d'Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains. It is now an Italian state museum, and is listed as a UNESCO World Herita ...
at Tibur, the modern
Tivoli, from 1550 onward, and commissioned elaborate fresco murals in the Villa that celebrate the Tiburtine Sibyl, as prophesying the birth of Christ to the classical world.
Gallery
Image:Sibilla Tiburtina Chiesa S Giovanni Evangelista Tivoli.jpg, Fresco in the Church of St. John the Evangelist at Tivoli, 1483
File:Antonio da Trento - The Tiburtine sibyl and the Emperor Augustus.jpg, ''The Tiburtine sibyl and the Emperor Augustus'', a 16th-century chiaroscuro woodcut by Antonio da Trento
Antonio da Trento (1508–1550) was an Italian engraver.
Da Trento was born in Trento. He specialized in chiaroscuro woodcuts, especially of religious themes and scenes. Da Trento probably first learned wood engraving from Ugo da Carpi. He was ...
File:Scorel Emperor Augustus and the Sibyl of Tibur.jpg, ''Emperor Augustus and the Sibyl of Tibur'', 1520s painting by circle of Jan van Scorel
Jan van Scorel (1 August 1495 – 6 December 1562) was a Dutch painter, who played a leading role in introducing aspects of Italian Renaissance painting into Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting. He was one of the early painters of the Ro ...
, National Museum
A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...
in Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
File:TiburtineSibylMontfoort.jpg, Engraving of the Tiburtine Sibyl by Philip Galle
Philip (or Philips) Galle (1537 – March 1612) was a Dutch publisher, best known for publishing old master prints, which he also produced as designer and engraver. He is especially known for his reproductive engravings of paintings.
Life
Gall ...
, after a design by Antony van Blokland, Antwerp, 1575.
File:Antoine Caron - Augustus and the Sibyl - WGA4276.jpg, ''Augustus and the Sibyl'', by Antoine Caron
Antoine Caron (1521–1599) was a French master glassmaker, illustrator, Northern Mannerist painter and a product of the School of Fontainebleau.
He is one of the few French painters of his time who had a pronounced artistic personality. His wo ...
, Louvre Museum
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
File:Sibilla Tiburtina Cappella Marciac Roma curavit Roberto Borgia 2011.jpg, ''The Tiburtine Sibyl'', Chapel Marciac, Church of Santissima Trinità dei Monti, Rome, sixteenth century. The work is of an anonymous artist.
File:Santa Maria degli Scalzi (Venice) - Tiburtine Sibyl.jpg, Statue of the Tiburtine Sibyl in Church of the Scalzi
File:Micah and the Tiburtine Sibyl.jpg, ''Micah and the Tiburtine Sibyl'' by Pinturicchio
Pinturicchio, or Pintoricchio (, ; born Bernardino di Betto; 1454–1513), also known as Benetto di Biagio or Sordicchio, was an Italian painter during the Renaissance. He acquired his nickname (meaning "little painter") because of his smal ...
File:Wolfgang Katzheimer - Kaiser Augustus und die tiburtinische Sibylle - L 2561 - Bavarian State Painting Collections.jpg, ''Augustus and the Tiburtine Sibyl'' by Wolfgang Katzheimer
See also
*
Arabic Sibylline prophecy
The Arabic Sibylline prophecy is a set of Christian Apocalyptic literature, apocalyptic texts based on the tradition of the Tiburtine Sibyl. The original version of the prophecy was probably composed in the late 8th century by Melkites in Bilad al ...
*
Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius
Written in Syriac in the late seventh century, the ''Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius'' shaped and influenced Christian eschatological thinking in the Middle Ages.Griffith (2008), p. 34.Debié (2005) p. 228.Alexander (1985) p. 13.Jackson (2001) p. ...
*
Temple of the Sibyl
The Temple of the Sibyl (in Polish, ''Świątynia Sybilli'') is a colonnaded round monopteral temple-like structure at Puławy, Poland, built at the turn of the 19th century as a museum by Izabela Czartoryska.
History
The "Temple of the Siby ...
Notes
References
*Hall, James, ''Hall's Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art'', 1996 (2nd edn.), John Murray,
*Murray, Peter and Linda, revised Tom Devonshire Jones, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Art & Architecture'', 2014, Oxford University Press, , 0199695105
*Reyniers, Jeroen, 'The Iconography of Emperor Augustus with the Tiburtine Sibyl in the Low Countries. An Overview', in: M. Cavalieri, D. Engels, P. Assenmaker, M. Cavagna (ed.), Augustus Through the Ages: Receptions, Readings and Appropriations of the Historical Figure of the First Roman Emperor, Collection Latomus, Brussels, 2021.
*Fischer, Jens, 'Folia ventis turbata – Sibyllinische Orakel und der Gott Apollon zwischen später Republik und augusteischem Principat (Studien zur Alten Geschichte 33)', Göttingen 2022
External links
The Pseudo-Tiburtine prophecy dated ''ca'' 380, with additions (e-text)
Review of the book ''Nel segno della Sibilla Tiburtina''
{{Authority control
Ancient Roman religion
Sibyls
Cultural depictions of Augustus