Pax deum. The lexical and formular expressions of divine benevolence in Republican Italy ; Pax deum. Les expressions lexicales et formulaires de la bienveillance divine dans l’Italie républicaine

The thesis adresses the question of divine benevolence in the religions of Ancient Italy through three successive lexical groups: pax in a religious context (in Latin literature and epigraphy), pase and pacer (in Sabellic epigraphy), propitius and propitiare (in Latin literature and epigraphy). These are studied from an etymological, semantic and pragmatic viewpoint, with the aim of reconstructing some aspects of an implicit theology. We are first and foremost interested in Umbrian and Latin prayer textes (and to a lesser extent Oscan ones, but those are less documented). Indeed, some similar propitiatory formulas can be found in those texts (Latin : uti sies uolens propitius ; Umbrian : futu fons pacer pase tua) ; they are used to claim approval from the god concerning requests that have been made. These types of formulas belong to a broader set of devices surrounding the sacrifice and participating in its efficiency, which are also studied here. Meanwhile, this thesis also contributes to the reevaluation of the place given to the concept of pax deum, which is its starting point. This concept, central in all Roman religion textbooks, is actually rare and elusive in the sources. It should, as for the adjective propitius to which it is linked, be associated to the propitiatory dimension of any sacrificial ritual, and not to the expiatory procedures performed in situations of crisis. ; La thèse aborde la question de la bienveillance divine dans les religions de l’Italie antique à travers trois ensembles lexicaux successifs : pax en contexte religieux (dans la littérature et l’épigraphie latine) ; pase et pacer (dans l’épigraphie sabellique) ; propitius et propitiare (dans la littérature et l’épigraphie latine). Ceux-ci sont étudiés du point de vue étymologique, sémantique et pragmatique, avec pour objectif de reconstituer certains aspects d’une théologie implicite. On s’intéresse en particulier aux textes de prière ombriens et latins (et dans une moindre mesure osques, moins documentés). Des formules ...