What is the origin of the phrase, "Iuppiter iratus ergo nefas" (meaning, "Jupiter, you're angry therefore you're wrong")?
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ANSWERS: 3
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I can't be sure, but I found reference to Horace Sermones I i.20 It could be that it is a Horace quote.
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It actually means "Jupiter is angry, therefore it is unlawful/morally wrong"... it is Jupiter who is angry in this sentence, not anybody else, and it is 'wrong' in the moral sense as opposed to factual matters or right and wrong; moreover, it is not a person who is being described as unlawful, it is some understood 'thing' that is presumably being discussed in the wider context of this passage but is not explicitly mentioned in the phrase quoted. I'll have a rummage round my ancient library when I get a chance and hopefully can help out with a point of origin.
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Mikhel'son Morits Il'ich (1825-1908) in his "Russian thought and language" book attributes this phrase (in its Russian translation it is a very popular proverb used by many writers and politicians) to Lucian (ΛουκιανÏŒς á½ ΣαμοσατεÏς). The phrase was said by Prometheus and the full version is: "Jupiter, you seize on a lightning instead of answer, therefore you are wrong". However, Mikhel'son gives no reference to a particular Lucian work, so this is not a sufficient evidence of the origin of the phrase. Perhaps this is a phrase from some completely forgotten play of modern time.
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