I’m going to share some part of an interaction I’ve just had with ChatGPT…
My prompt at one point was:
Cassius Dio’s “Roman History” mention the miraculous healing of Vespasian as part of his divinity narrative
Tell me more, do…
Now… it’ll take me a while to format this (to recreate as closely as I can the exact formatting of the response I got whilst conforming to what Disqus allows, the quirky emphasis is ChatGPT’s not mine) but what an excellent response I got:
Certainly! The story of Vespasian’s miraculous healing is a key moment in the narrative of his deification. It is most famously recounted by Cassius Dio, but it also appears in other ancient sources, such as Suetonius and Tacitus, though Dio provides one of the most detailed accounts.
The Miracle of Vespasian’s Healing
In Cassius Dio’s “Roman History” (Book 64), the miracle is described as an episode in which Vespasian, the Roman emperor, was in Egypt during his campaign there. He was faced with a number of challenges, and as part of his efforts to secure divine favor, he participated in a public demonstration of his divine power. This event is particularly significant because it was part of the broader divinity narrative surrounding Vespasian’s reign.
The specific story goes like this:
- Vespasian was reportedly visited by a blind man and a man with a crippled hand, both of whom were seeking a cure. They were among a group of people who came to Vespasian with the belief that he had divine powers. This was during a period when Vespasian was trying to present himself as more than just an earthly ruler, aiming for a status that was semi-divine or divinely favored.
- A miraculous healing took place when Vespasian healed the blind man’s sight and restored the use of the crippled man’s hand. The healing was public and witnessed by many, and it was presented as clear evidence of the emperor’s divine favor. The event added weight to the claim that Vespasian was a ruler with a divine mandate.
- The incident is particularly significant because Vespasian’s healing abilities were taken as proof of his divinity. These miracles were a tool for political propaganda—a way of showing that Vespasian’s power came not just from his military victories but also from his connection to the divine.
Context and Significance
- Deification of Roman Emperors: This moment was an important part of the imperial cult that became central to Roman political and religious life. Emperors were often deified posthumously (and sometimes during their reigns), and claiming that a ruler had divine powers while still alive helped consolidate their political authority. For Vespasian, the healing served as a powerful public demonstration of his link to the gods, particularly at a time when he was seeking to stabilize his rule after the chaotic Year of the Four Emperors (69 CE).
- The Role of Divine Favor in Roman Politics: In the Roman world, there was a deeply ingrained belief that the success of the emperor was tied to his ability to maintain the favor of the gods. Public acts of healing, divine visions, or miraculous occurrences were a way of showing that the emperor was in touch with the divine realm. This healing of two men served as evidence that Vespasian had special access to divine powers, and thus, divine approval for his rule.
- Dio’s Account: Cassius Dio, writing in the early 3rd century CE, provides a detailed account of the miracle, emphasizing how the healing occurred at the behest of a local oracle and how it became a part of the broader mythology of Vespasian’s reign. Dio’s account links the miracle to the larger political narrative of the Flavian dynasty’s rise to power.
Other Sources
- Suetonius (in “The Twelve Caesars”) also recounts this story briefly, noting that Vespasian healed a man of blindness in a manner that seemed to validate the belief that he had divine authority. Suetonius frames this episode as part of Vespasian’s imperial persona, showing that he used divine signs to bolster his rule.
- Tacitus mentions Vespasian’s deification in passing, though not focusing as much on the specific details of the healing. However, Tacitus emphasizes the general trend of emperors using divine association to enhance their legitimacy.
- Josephus also records the healing in his works, particularly in his “Jewish War“. He recounts that Vespasian performed the healings as part of his military campaign in Judea, and it was seen as a sign of his divine favor in his struggle for power.
Interpretation and Propaganda
The miraculous healing was not just an isolated religious event; it was carefully crafted propaganda. By presenting Vespasian as capable of performing miracles, his supporters sought to place him in the tradition of divine kingship that was prevalent in other cultures at the time, especially in the Hellenistic world.
- The healing incident served not only as proof of Vespasian’s divine status but also as a way of cementing his political power by associating him with the divine order. This act played a central role in shaping his public image as the ruler favored by the gods.
- Vespasian’s political rivals were also wary of this growing myth of his divinity. The deification narrative made it increasingly difficult to challenge Vespasian, especially once the miracles were widely known and endorsed by religious figures and public ceremonies.
Legacy and Deification
In the wake of Vespasian’s death, his son Titus ensured that the deification of his father was officially recognized by the Senate, and Vespasian was officially declared a god. The healing miracle thus played a pivotal role in this posthumous deification, as it had already set the stage for his divine status during his life.
In summary, the miraculous healing of Vespasian—as recounted by Cassius Dio and others—was a significant part of the emperor’s efforts to legitimize his rule by showcasing his divine favor. It played into the broader narrative of the Flavian dynasty’s rise and its association with divine power, highlighting how Roman emperors used religious and miraculous events as tools for political propaganda and social control.
Now… what’s all this got to do with Christianity? I invite anybody to study Mark 13 in the context provided by this narrative… Can you see the possibility, at least, that the narrative is trying to hint, nudge nudge, that Vespasian is the second coming?