Editing Janus (section)

====Quirinus====
''Quirinus'' is a debated epithet. According to some scholars, mostly Francophone, it looks to be strictly related to the ideas of the passage of the Roman people from war back to peace, from the condition of ''miles'', soldier, to that of ''quiris'', citizen occupied in peaceful business, as the rites of the ''Porta Belli'' imply. This is in fact the usual sense of the word ''quirites'' in Latin.<ref>G . Dumézil ''La religion romaine archaïque '' Paris 1966 above p. 246-271; R. Schilling "Janus. Le dieu introducteur. Le dieu des passages" in ''Melanges d'archeologie et d'histoire'' '''72''' 1960 p.119-120 citing G. Wissowa ''Religion und Kultus der Römer'' Munich 1912 p. 109; Paulus p. 43 L: "Romani a Quirino Quirites dicuntur"; Festus p. 304L: "... Quirites dicti, post foedus a Romulo et Tatio percussum, communionem et societatem populi factam indicant"." ... are named Quirites after the community and society created because of the treaty made by Tatius and Romulus".</ref> Other scholars, mainly Germanophone, think it is related on the contrary to the martial character of the god Quirinus, an interpretation supported by numerous ancient sources: Lydus,<ref>Lydus above: "πρόμαχος".</ref> Cedrenus,<ref>Cedrenus, above.</ref> Macrobius,<ref>Macrobius above I 9, 16: "Quirinus quasi bellorum potentem, ab hasta quam Sabini ''curin'' vocant".</ref> Ovid,<ref>Ovid above II 475–478.</ref> Plutarch<ref>Plutarch ''Romulus'' XXIX 1; ''Quaestiones Romanae'' XXVII 285 cd.</ref> and Paul the Daecon.<ref>Paulus 43, 1 L.</ref><ref>L. Deubner ''Mitteilungen des deutschen archaeologisches Institut'' Berlin '''36–37''' 1921–1922 p. 14 ff.; W. F. Otto ''Pauly Real Enzyklopaedie der Altertumswissenschaften'' Supplem. III col. 1182.</ref>

Schilling and Capdeville counter that it is his function of presiding over the return to peace that gave Janus this epithet, as confirmed by his association on 30 March with [[Pax (mythology)|Pax]], [[Concordia (mythology)|Concordia]] and [[Salus]],<ref>Ovid above III 881–882; J.- C. Richard "Pax, Concordia et la religion officielle de Janus à la fin de la République romaine'' in ''MEFR'' '''75''' 1963 p. 303-386.</ref> even though it is true that Janus as god of all beginnings presides also over that of war and is thus often called ''belliger'', bringer of war<ref>[[Lucan]] ''Pharsalia'' I 61-2; [[Statius]] ''Silvae'' II 3, 12.</ref> as well as ''pacificus''. This use is also discussed by Dumézil in various works concerning the armed nature of the ''Mars qui praeest paci'', the armed quality of the gods of the third function and the arms of the third function.<ref>G. Dumézil "Remarques sur les armes des dieux de la troisième fonction chez divers peuples indo-européens" in ''Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni''  '''28''' 1957 p. 1-10.</ref>

Koch on the other hand sees the epithet Janus Quirinus as a reflection of the god's patronage over the two months beginning and ending the year, after their addition by king Numa in his reform of the calendar. This interpretation too would befit the liminal nature of Janus.<ref>C. Koch "Bemerkungen zum römischen Quirinuskult" in ''Zeitschrift für Religions and Geistesgeschichte'' 1953 p.1-25.</ref>
The compound term ''Ianus Quirinus'' was particularly in vogue at the time of Augustus, its peaceful interpretation complying particularly well with the Augustan ideology of the ''Pax Romana''.<ref>Res Gestae Divi Augusti XIII; [[Suetonius]] ''Augustus'' XXII 5; [[Horace|Horatius]] ''Odes'' IV 15, 4–9.</ref>

The compound ''Ianus Quirinus'' is to be found also in the rite of the [[spolia opima]], a ''lex regia'' ascribed to Numa, which prescribed that the third rank spoils of a king or chief killed in battle, those conquered by a common soldier, be consecrated to ''Ianus Quirinus''.<ref>Only Festus s. v. p. 204, 13 L, among the three sources relating this rite has the expression ''Ianui Quirino''; Plutarch ''Marcellus'' VIII 9 and Servius (and Virgil himself) ''Aeneis'' VI 859 have only Quirinus. This has led to disputes among scholars on the value of the expression and its antiquity as [[Verrius Flaccus]] may have forged it.</ref> Schilling believes the reference of this rite to Ianus Quirinus to embody the original prophetic interpretation, which ascribes to this deity the last and conclusive spoils of Roman history.<ref>R. Schilling above p.128, citing Festus s. v. spolia opima p. 204 L.</ref>