Roman Gods: A Conceptual Approach (Religions in the Graeco-roman World, 167)

The book is concerned with the question of how the concept of "god" in urban Rome can be analyzed along the lines of six constituent concepts, i.e. space, time, personnel, function, iconography and ritual. While older publications tended to focus on the conceptual nature of Roman gods only in those (comparatively rare) instances in which different concepts patently overlapped (as in the case of the deified emperor or hero-worship), this book develops general criteria for an analysis of pagan, Jewish and Christian concepts of gods in ancient Rome (and by extension elsewhere). While the argument of the book is exclusively based on the evidence from the capital up to the age of Constantine, in the concluding section the results are compared to other religious belief systems, thus demonstrating the general applicability of this conceptual approach. Contents 6 Acknowledgements 8 List of Illustrations 10 Introduction 12 Chapter One Constituent Concepts 22 1. Space 22 2. Time 41 3. Personnel 62 4. Function 77 5. Iconography 99 6. Ritual 114 Chapter Two Conceptualization 128 1. Adoption 128 2. Deification 138 3. Differentiation 143 4. Dissolution 153 Chapter Three A Test Case: The Secular Games of 17 B.C 158 1. Celebrations 158 2. Carmen Saeculare 170 Chapter Four Concepts and Society 178 1. The Élite 179 2. The Underprivileged 188 3. Women 192 Chapter Five Conclusions 198 Bibliography 206 Index 222 9789004175037 Drawing exclusively on the evidence from urban Rome up to the age of Constantine, the book analyzes the pagan, Jewish, and Christian concepts of "god" along the lines of space, time, personnel, function, iconography and ritual. Readership: All those interested in ancient religions, including Judaism and Christianity.