Roman religion (Abrittus)

The Roman relilgion is polytheistic and over 2,700 years old. Viewed historically, only few of its elements have survived and are still practiced to a certain degree by inhabitants of the Roman Empire.

It was the official state religion of the Roman Kingdom, the First Roman Republic and the Roman Empire under the Principate. Since the establishment of the Second Roman Republic, it has lost its political monopoly. Its cult has slowly been secularised, syncretised with other cults and marginalised.

Situation around PoD
In the middle of the 3rd century AD, Roman state cult experienced a deep crisis. Politically, a quick succession of baracks emperors often no longer consulted the augurs or cared for interpretations of the libri sibyllinae. Spiritually, monotheistic and mystical religions from the East gained ground among both the lower classes and the educated. The Roman cult itself, which had always had a propensity for syncretism, began to be mantled by monistic tendencies (present both in the cult of the emperor(s) and in cults of Mithras, Sol Invictus etc.). Stoicist philosophy had also contributed to a distanced relationship of the intellectual elites from Rome`s traditional cult.

Difficulties of adaptation in the early Second Republic
In the revolution of 259-263, the Roman cult played a minor role. Most flamines and sacerdotes opposed it and did not participate in the drafting of the constitution, which would reduce their role from state priests to one cult among many others.

The harispices and augurs were hit hardest by the constitutional changes. The last emperors of the Principate had not cared much for what they had to say, but at least officially, their role had still been important. Under the new constitution, they no longer had any official function. While this was true of the Vestal virgins, the flamines of the lupercalia and the sacerdotes in the temples of Jupiter, Juno, Ceres etc., too, all these still were still viewed with a certain respect by most non-Christian, non-Jewish Romans, whereas the official prophets had been widely criticised before. Although prophecies would still remain popular (with more and less prophecy-inclined fashions alternating) for several centuries, the prophets now had to offer their service to "customers" and depended on fashions. Increasingly, not only Christians and Jews would denounce their prophecies, but also Celtic / empiricist philosophers would challenge the validity of their predictions. Like their Celtic counterparts - bards and vates - in the 6th century, Roman prophets began to combine their prophetic activities with other occupations (personal counselling, political philosophy, music, literature and arts, later even journalism). Unlike their Celtic counterparts, though, they had lost much support among the social elites and never managed to redefine their roles so as to uphold a dignified identity of divination within their new roles. Roman prophets either became entirely absorbed in their new professions, especially as philosophers, - this was the socially more prestigious choice -, or they maintained their focus on prophesying and had to diversify, which especially during less prophecy-inclined decades meant low income and low social esteem (some prophets sunk as low as to sell their advice at fairs and move around with other showmen.

Other branches of the state cult, their temples and personnel were maintained by wealthy patrician families and closely linked to reactionary groups who wanted to overthrow the new republic. After several coups and conspiracies failed, they began to accomodate towards the turn of the 3rd anf 4th centuries and sought to gain influence on the Aedils and parliamentary majorities in order to secure public financing. Those priests and temples, which were not run by patricians (e.g. the cult of Ceres, Liber and Libera), began to form associations which collected donations from believers (donations were, thus, no longer solely for the gods, but also for those who officially served them).

Private Roman cult was largely unaffected by these upheavals since at first the Aedils made sure that all rituals, which were required to maintain private cult, would continue. After some provincial Conventa fell under Christian majorities in the East and Christian provincial proaedils discontinued these traditions, followers of Roman traditions like ritual cleansings in February, other lustrations or ritual meals continued their rituals by themselves, often spontaneously nominating people with sufficient social, cultural and religious charisma to take over the required public roles.

In absolute numbers, Roman cult would even gain millions of practitioners with the revolution of 259-263, since former slaves were now free to participate as equals and often did.

Syncretist tendencies increased after the de-officialisation of the Roman cult. In ceremonies of lustration, the Christian practice of baptism became popular since the 4th century. During the same time, breaking a loaf of bread and sharing wine from one goblet like the Christians became common in public "meals with the gods" - but of course a large part of the bread was left "for the gods" or "the spirits of the elder", along with the best parts of sacrificed lambs and chickens, which were roast entirely, with the rest being shared by the festive community. Praying to the sun, like the followers of Mithras, also became popular.

With the spread of Celtic empiricist philosophy and increased scientific education, Roman polytheism and the "do ut des" nature of many rituals came under increasing intellectual challenge.

/// to be continued ///