Disce tu vindicare templa. Ruoli e rappresentazioni dei sacerdotes publici nella declamazione latina

This contribution analyses the roles and representations of the figure of the sacerdos in Latin declamation, with particular attention to the Declamationes minores and the collection of excerpta attributed to Calpurnius Flaccus. Through the examination of several exemplary cases, the study shows how the priestly figure is constructed according to different and at times antithetical configurations: on the one hand, as a guarantor of religio, interpreter of divine will, and guardian of the balance between men and gods; on the other, as a corrupt or negligent character, incapable of properly fulfilling his officia sacra. The analysis also highlights how Latin declamation constitutes a formative space in which religion becomes an object of rhetorical and ideological elaboration: the scholastici learn not only to speak about priests, but also to assume their voice, reproducing their ethos, language, and civic-religious responsibilities. From this perspective, the representation of the sacerdos contributes to defining the role of declamation in the education of the future Roman ruling class and in the transmission of the values of the mos maiorum.