XVIII. TO THUNDRING JOVE. The FUMIGATION from STORAX. O Father Jove, who shak'st with fiery light The world deep-sounding from thy lofty height: From thee, proceeds th' ætherial lightning's blaze, Flashing around intolerable rays. Thy sacred thunders shake the blest abodes, 5 The shining regions of th' immortal Gods: Thy pow'r divine, the flaming lightning shrouds, With dark investiture, in fluid clouds. 'Tis thine to brandish thunders strong and dire, To scatter storms, and dreadful darts of fire; 10 With roaring flames involving all around, And bolts of thunder of tremendous sound. Thy rapid dart can raise the hair upright, And shake the heart of man with wild afright. Sudden, unconquer'd, holy, thund'ring God, 15 'With noise unbounded, flying all abroad; With all-devouring force, entire and strong, Horrid, untam'd, thou roll'st the flames along. Rapid, ætherial bolt, descending fire, The earth all-parent, trembles at thy ire; 20 The sea all-shining; and each beast that hears The sound terrific, with dread horror fears: When Nature's face is bright with flashing fire, And in the heavens resound thy thunders dire. p. 145 Thy thunders white, the azure garments tear, And burst the veil of all surrounding air. O Jove, all-blessed, may thy wrath severe, Hurl'd in the bosom of the deep appear, And on the tops of mountains be reveal'd, For thy strong arm is not from us conceal'd. 30 Propitious to these sacred rites incline, And crown my wishes with a life divine: Add royal health, and gentle peace beside, With equal reason, for my constant guide.
Themes
◆Anthropomorphismtheology
Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.
The deity is described with human attributes such as 'Father', 'strong arm', 'wrath', and the ability to feel 'ire'.
Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.
Zeus is portrayed as actively ordering the cosmos ('shak'st... the world') and providing 'reason' as a guide.
The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.
The supplicant requests a 'life divine', implying a desire for transformation or participation in the divine nature.
Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.
The text prescribes specific ritual actions ('FUMIGATION from STORAX', 'sacred rites') to engage the god directly.