▁the ▁Od ys sey , ▁in ▁his ▁A ene id , ▁he ▁has ▁Od ys se us ▁and ▁his ▁men ▁first ▁" ask ▁for ▁the ▁assistance ▁of ▁the ▁great ▁num ina " ▁( mag na ▁prec ati ▁num ina ). ▁Review ing ▁public ▁opinion ▁of ▁August us ▁on ▁the ▁day ▁of ▁his ▁fun eral , ▁the ▁historian ▁T ac it us ▁reports ▁that ▁some ▁thought ▁" no ▁honor ▁was ▁left ▁to ▁the ▁gods " ▁when ▁he ▁" est ab lished ▁the ▁cult ▁of ▁himself " ▁( se ▁... ▁col i ▁vel let ) ▁" with ▁tem ples ▁and ▁the ▁eff ig ies ▁of ▁num ina " ▁( eff ig ie ▁num in um ). ▁Pl iny ▁the ▁younger ▁in ▁a ▁letter ▁to ▁Pat ern us ▁ra ves ▁about ▁the ▁" power ," ▁the ▁" d ign ity ," ▁and ▁" the ▁maj esty ;" ▁in ▁short , ▁the ▁" num en ▁of ▁history ." ▁Lu cre ti us ▁uses ▁the ▁expression ▁num en ▁ment is , ▁or ▁" b idd ing ▁of ▁the ▁mind ," ▁where ▁" b idd ing " ▁is ▁num en , ▁not , ▁however , ▁the ▁divine ▁num en , ▁unless ▁the ▁mind ▁is ▁to ▁be ▁considered ▁divine , ▁but ▁as ▁simply ▁human ▁will . ▁ ▁Since ▁the ▁early ▁ 2 0 th ▁century , ▁num en ▁has ▁sometimes ▁been ▁treated ▁in ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁religion ▁as ▁a ▁pre - anim istic ▁phase ; ▁that ▁is , ▁a ▁belief ▁system ▁inherited ▁from ▁an ▁earlier ▁time . ▁Num en ▁is