caelicola

The compound term caelicola is first attested, in its plural form, in Ennius’ Annales (445), where it refers to the dii superi . This meaning recurs in many poetic contexts, primarily epic, until the early Imperial age. Apuleius is the first known author to use the word in prose ( Socr. 6 p. 15,14; Plat. 1,11 p. 101,10; 1,12 p. 102,4). In Late Antiquity, caelicola retains its original mythological sense, while in some Christian authors it acquires the additional meaning of angeli (Paul. Nol. carm. 18,14; Comm. apol. 1012; Drac. laud. Dei 2,483). In a letter by Augustine ( epist. 44,13) and in legal compilations ( Cod. Theod. 16,5,43; 16,8; 16,8,19; Cod. Iust. 1,9; 1,9,12), the plural Caelicolae identifies a syncretistic sect active in North Africa during the fourth and fifth centuries.