Janus

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Janus is mentioned in the Paradiso in the context of the celebration of the Augustan peace. The verse evoked recalls that his delubrum was shut, an event that underscores the duration of the peace established under Augustus. This closure, the notes emphasize, was exceptional since the doors of Janus's temple remained open during conflicts: their sealing signaled the absence of wars. Dante links this circumstance to the birth of Christ, which took place precisely in that period of peace, considering it a fundamental moment in Roman history. However, in the poetic text the prominence given to the closure of the delubrum is reduced compared to his other works, because the poet intends to focus attention on the redemptive death of Christ, the central event of history according to his theological perspective.