The phrase "iuppiter iratus ergo nefas" is a proverb in Latin language that translates literally to "Jupiter is angry, therefore [he is] wrong." This proverb is not actually found in this form in any classical Latin texts. Despite that, it gained popularity, especially in Russia, where it appeared in the works of famous authors like Dostoevsky, Chekhov, and Pasternak as well as politicians like Lenin (also used by Russian-born Rosa Luxemburg). The maxim challenges an agitated person in a dispute, suggesting that their excess of emotions is caused by the lack of rational arguments.
Origins The origins of the adage are unclear, as the proverb cannot be found in the classical texts. Some authors attribute it to a satire by Lucian of Samosata, where Zeus, unable to convince Prometheus in a heated discussion, threatens him with a lightning bolt. Prometheus retorts, "You are using the thunderbolt instead of a reply, so you are wrong". However, this interpretation for Russian language can only be traced to Moritz Michelson (1904), who is short on the details, including the name of Lucian's work. Russian linguists Aschukin & Aschukina (1966) therefore suggest that the expression might have originated in some forgotten play of modern times.
Michelson also compares the proverb to "Never anger / Made good guard for itself" (Anthony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare) and ("You're getting angry, you're wrong") that F. Antoine (1899) associates with .
In France, d'Holbach (1770) also suggested Lucian as a source for . In his version, Jupiter is arguing with Menippus: ("are you taking your thunderbolt? You're wrong then"). Few decades earlier, both Voltaire and Diderot were using the form "" ("You grab your thunder instead of answering," Menippus said to Jupiter; "so you are wrong"). Joseph-Victor Leclerc (1839) refers to Lucian, too, but suggests Prometheus as the Zeus' opponent. Konstantin Dushenko argues that the Russian expression had been borrowed from French in the second half of the 19th century.
Frederick the Great in 1764 used the variant ("You get angry, you insult your neighbor; therefore you are wrong"). The commentator (most likely, ) referred to Lucian's Zeus Cross-Examined, chapter 15, where Cyniscus (a Cynic philosopher) supposedly says to Jupiter: ("You take your thunderbolt, therefore you are wrong"). The dialogue in the chapter 15 is actually Zeus saying, "why do I sit here listening to all this, with my thunder-bolt beneath my arm?" () and Cyniscus responding, "Nay, smite, if the thunder-bolt is my destiny" ().
Dushenko suggests that the expression originated in another Lucian's work, "Tragic Zeus", where Zeus is angry with humans for doubting the existence of the gods and threatens to strike them with a thunderbolt, prompting a response from Hera, "A truce to your passion, Zeus".
In Russian Due to Russian version of the proverb () being well-known, it is frequently abbreviated to "" ("Jove, you are angry") or even to "" ("whoever is angry..."). These shortened references, coupled with near-total absence of the equivalents in other cultures, create significant problems for the translators:
Michelson (1904) provides many more Russian variants in the works by Turgenev, Nikolai Leskov, Ivan Goncharov.
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