Religion in the Roman Empire

Holtzer, Ben. Religion in the Roman Empire. Part of the Life in the Roman Empire series. 2017. 80p. ISBN 978-1-5026-2263-1. Available at 292.07 HOL on the library shelves.

Life in the Roman Empire could be hard, but the Romans believed that deities and spirits surrounded and protected them from Fate and from their enemies. The Roman pantheon of gods and goddesses was varied and incorporated the worship of deities as far away as Egypt and the Middle East into a homegrown version of the Greek gods. Along with the major gods and goddesses, worshipped throughout the Empire under different names, the Romans believed that each man and woman had their own guardian spirit, while their houses and cities did too. As a result a series of elaborate rituals arose to celebrate and appease these spirits to gain their blessings.

As the Empire expanded, more deities were added to the well-known deities such as Jupiter and Venus. Women were an integral part of worship, and often had their own religious duties to perform. The Vestal virgins kept Rome’s eternal flame going. The wives of Emperors were worshipped as deities and, while alive, held sumptuous services to the gods. For the Romans, religion was a fact of life, neither questioned nor doubted.

The rise of the monotheistic religion of Christianity at first went unnoticed in the halls of power, but as Christians gained in popularity their demands that only God be worshipped drew the ire of Emperors. Christians were martyred and executed, but in the end Constantine converted to Christianity and eventually all Roman gods were banned. For hundred of years afterwards Roman deities continued to be worshiped, but as the Empire fell and was replaced by competing kingdoms, Christianity triumphed and the gods disappeared. Their names remain, however, both in the days of the week and in the months of the year.

Other titles in this series include The Countryside in the Roman Empire, The City in the Roman Empire, and Patricians in the Roman Empire.