Commentary Par VI 82-91

'Tiberius Claudius Nero, stepson and adopted son and successor of Augustus; Roman emperor, A.D. 14-37' (Tiberius).  There is apparently a certain tongue-in-cheek quality to Dante's words in support of his selection of the third emperor in his most unusual pantheon.  Julius is a bit problematic, given even Dante's own slurs on his character (see C.Purg.IX.133-138 and C.Purg.XXVI.77-78), but we understand that, for Dante and his time, he was the first emperor, and thus a necessary presiding presence.  About Augustus no one ever could (and no one ever has wanted to) complain.  But Tiberius (not to mention Titus!) has caused more than a little discomfort.  And the protagonist does indeed marvel at these words (in [Par VII 19-24]).  But see Mon.II.xi.5: 'Thus if Christ had not suffered under an authorised judge, that penalty would not have been a punishment.  And no judge could be authorised unless he had jurisdiction over the whole of mankind, since the whole of mankind was punished in that flesh of Christ "who bore our sorrows," as the prophet says.  And Tiberius Caesar, whose representative Pilate was, would not have had jurisdiction over the whole of mankind unless the Roman empire had existed by right' (tr. P. Shaw).

Benvenuto (DDP Benvenuto.Par.VI.79-81) made clear his amazement at Dante's having included Tiberius among the great emperors, referring to him as 'the worst sort of successor' to Augustus.  (And see Benvenuto's own list of seven emperors, dropping Tiberius and Titus in favor of Trajan and Constantine and adding Theodosius, in the Outline of this canto.)  It is possible that Dante's 'final list' is indeed seven, since it eventually includes Henry VII or his successor (see C.Par.XXX.133-138) as the seventh emperor in the line adumbrated here.  See Hollander and Rossi (Holl.1986.1), pp. 62 and 78n.