A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

NUMENIUS. NUMENIUS. 12 13
when the land was threatened with a pestilence, Eusebius, and from them we may with tolerable
which disappeared as soon as Numa ordained the accuracy learn the peculiar tendency of this new
ceremonies of the Salii. Numa was not a theme of Platonico-Pythagorean philosophy, and its approxisong, like Romulus; indeed he enjoined that, mation to the doctrines of Plato. Numenius is
among all the Camenae, the highest honours should almost invariably designated as a Pythagorean, but
be paid to Tacita. Yet a story was handed down, his object was to trace the doctrines of Plato up to
that, when he was entertaining his guests, the Pythagoras, and at the same time to show that
plain food in the earthenware dishes were turned they were not at variance with the dogmas and
on the appearance of Egeria into a banquet fit for mysteries of the Brahmins, Jews, Magi and Egypgods, in vessels of gold, in order that her divinity tians. (See the Fragm. of the 1st book lIspl
might be made manifest to the incredulous. The Trdyaovo, ap. Etuseb. Praep. Evang. ix. 7.) Nutemple of Janus, his work, continued always shut: meninus called Plato " the Atticising Moses,"
peace was spread over Italy; until Numa, like the probably on the supposition of some historical
darlings of the gods in the golden age, fell asleep, connexion between them. (Clem. Alex. Strom. i.
full of days. Egeria melted away in tears into a 342; Euseb. Praep. Evang..xi. 10. p. 527; Suid.
fountain." s. v.) In several of his works, therefore, he had
The sacred books of Numa, in which he pre- based his remarks on passages from the books
scribed all the religious rites and ceremonies, were of Moses, and he- had explained one passage about
said to have been buried near him in a separate the life of our Saviour, though without mentioning
tomb, and to have been discovered by accident, five him in a figurative sense. (Orig. adv. Cels. iv.
hundred years afterwards, by one Terentius, in the p. 198, &c. Spenc.; comp. i. p. 13; Porphyr. De
consulship of Cornelius and Baebius, B. c. 181. Antr. Nymph. p. 111, &c.) He had also endeaBy Terentius they were carried to the city-praetor voured to inquire into the hidden meaning of the
Petilius, and were found to consist of twelve or Egyptian, perhaps also of Greek mythology. (See
seven books, in Latin, on ecclesiastical law (de his explanation of Serapis ap. Orig. Ibid. v. p. 258;
jure pontificm), and the same number of books Fr. Ec' -'ov 7repl T 7rrapa hAd'crwvm dcroPiwv,
in Greek on philosophy: the latter were burnt at ap. Euseb. Praep. Ev. xiii. 5.) His intention was
the command of the senate, but the former. were to restore the philosophy of Plato, the genuine
carefully preserved. The story of the discovery Pythagorean and mediator between Socrates and
of these books is evidently a forgery; and the Pythagoras (neither of whom he prefers to the
books, which were ascribed to Nurna, and which other) in its original purity, cleared from the
were extant at a later time, were evidently nothing Aristotelian and Zenonian or Stoic doctrines, and
more than ancient works containing an account of purified from the unsatisfactory and' perverse
the ceremonial of the Roman religion. (Plut. explanations, which he said were found even in
Numa; Liv. i. 18-21; Cic. de Rep. ii. 13-15; Speusippus and Xenocrates, and which, through
Dionys. ii. 58 —66; Plin. H. N. xiii. 14. s. 27; the influence of Arcesilas and Carneades, i. e. in
Val. Max. i. 1. ~ 12; August. de Civ. Dei, vii. the second and third Academy, had led to a bot34.) tomless scepticism. (See especially Euseb. Praep..
It would be idle to inquire into the historical Ev. xiv. 5.) His work on the apostacy of the
reality of Numa. Whether such a person ever Academy from Plato (IIepl sass'rcz'A=KasiLaiCCKvY
existed or not, we cannot look upon the second 7pds IlAa'rova a-dre'aaeos), to judge from its
king of Rome as a real historical personage. His rather numerous fragments (ap. Euseb. Praep. Ev.
name represents the rule of law and order, and to xiv. 5-9), contained a minute and wearisome
him are ascribed all those ecclesiastical institutions account of the outward circumstances of those
which formed the basis of the ceremonial religion men, and was full of fabulous tales about their
of the Romans. Some modern writers connect his lives, without entering into the' nature of their
name with the word v'6/os, ".law" (Hartung, Die scepticism. His books Iepll rd-yaOoO seem to have
Religion der Rime;r vol. i. p. 216), but this is been of a better kind; in them he had minutely
mere fancy. It would be impossible to enter explained, mainly in opposition to the Stoics,
into a history of the various institutions of this that existence could neither be found in the eleking, without discussing the whole ecclesiastical ments because they were in a perpetual state of
system of the Romans, a subject which would be change and transition, nor in matter because it is
foreign to this work. We would only remark, vague, inconstant, lifeless, and in itself not an
that the universal tradition of the Sabine origin of object of our knowledge; and that, on the contrary,
Numa intimates that the Romans must have de- existence, in order to resist the annihilation and
rived a great portion of their religious system from decay of matter, must itself rather be incorporeal
the Sabines, rather than from the Etruscans, as is and removed from all mutability (Frag. ap.:Euseb.
commonly believed. Praep. Ev. xv. 17), in eternal presence, without
NUME'NIUS (NovJsAlmos), of Apameia in being subject to the variation of time, simple and
Syria, a Pythagoreo-Platonic philosopher, who imperturbable- in its nature by its own will as well
was highly esteemed by Plotinus and his school, as by influence from without. (Ib. xi. 10.) True
as well as by Origen. (Porphyr. Vit. Plot. 2, 17; existence, according to him, is identical with the
Suid. s. vv.'npr'y&vqs, Nov umjVos.) He and Cronins, first god existing in and by himself, that is, with
a man of a kindred mind and a contemporary, who good ( cidya~dsv), and is defined as spirit (voUs,
is often spoken of along with him (Porphyr. De ib. xi. 18, ix. 22). But as the first (absolute)
Anzts. Nympl. p. 121 ed. Holsten.), probably belong- god existing in himself and being undisturbed in
to the age of the Antonines. He is mentioned not his motion, could not be creative (b8ylovp'ylcdr),
only by Porphyrius, but also by Clemens of Alex- he thought that we must assume a second god,
andria and Origen. Statements and fragments of who keeps matter together, directs his energy to it
his apparently very numerous works have been and to intelligible essences, and imparts his spirit
preserved by Origen, Theodoret, and especially by to all creatures; his mind is directed to the first