James B. Rives is an Associate Professor at York University, Toronto,
and has written numerous books and articles on classical religion. What
did the various pre-Christian religions of the Roman Empire have in
common, and how did they differ from the monotheistic faiths that
define modern religion in the West? These are the two questions that
Rives answers with aplomb in his Religion
of the Roman Empire.
Rives seeks to explore Greco-Roman polytheism. Greek and Roman
religious traditions had their differences, particularly in the manner
of sacrifice and organization of priesthoods, but otherwise in scope
and purpose their religions were very similar. Their gods were
identified with each other early on, and the Romans simply imported
many Greek deities directly where equivalent gods did not already
exist. Therefore it makes sense to treat Greek and Roman religion
together in one continuum.
Rives also briefly explores the religious systems of other groups in
the empire. While the religious traditions of the Celts and
Carthaginians (to use just two examples) had differing gods and
practices from the Greeks and the Roman, their polytheistic systems
nonetheless shared broadly in certain assumptions and functions.
Indeed, the various pre-Christian faiths held enough in common with
each other that they were able, with a few exceptions, to co-exist
peacefully, with the figure of the Roman emperor serving as a
theoretical rallying point.
The only faith, besides the Christians themselves, who could not
operate under the mannerisms of polytheism was the exclusively
monotheistic faith of the Judeans. But even there, as Rives points out,
the Judeans held something in common with their immediate neighbors in
the Levant. Other peoples also participated in mandated circumcision
and proscriptions against consumption of pork. Many peoples in the area
of Syria were also keen in elevating one deity above the rest as a
supreme deity; the Judeans were merely exceptional in denying the
validity of other deities.
Judeans aside, the classical world was defined by polytheism, but
defining polytheism as such is no easy task. There was no central or
inerrant scripture to provide a common theological framework for
adherents, nor was there a central body interested in imposing
doctrinal orthodoxy or moralism. Instead there was a series of cultic
practices that differed from culture to culture, along with some
loosely held beliefs.
Rives offers the viewer some interesting ways of looking polytheism. He
divides polytheistic reality into several layers - cult, myth, art and
philosophy - and looks at each one in turn. He explores how polytheism
was experienced by individuals, households, private organizations and
city-states. He documents the mobility of both worshipers and deities
themselves under the aegis of the Pax Romana. Rives showcases some of
the off color religious options in the classical world, such as
esoteric mystical sects and freelance magicians. Finally, he looks at
sources of authority in the classical world and how they imposed
themselves (or not, as the case may be) on society.
Rives correctly assesses that polytheism was, by and large, a social
and cultural experience, rather than an individual experience. Religion
was something experienced by families, tribes or city-states and was
integral to daily life, not separate from it. The religious authorities
in the classical world were also, by and large, the same socio-economic
elite who directed civil matters (exceptions, such as the Druids with
their authority stemming from mastery of arcane lore, were treated with
suspicion). Religion was therefore participating in communal life, and
placating those powers thought to preside over communal life. While
there were cults with different presumptions, they always operated
either parallel to the civic cults or on the fringes, never quite
replacing civic religion. The scope and practice of religion in the
classical world was therefore entirely different from what modern
Westerners experience today.
Rives writes for a general audience and is a delight to read. Those
with little exposure to classical religion should be able to easily
follow this clearly written and highly organized work. He offers no
pre-conceptions about either polytheism or monotheism and writes with
complete academic objectivity, something all too often rare in
religious commentary. Aiding the work is an extended bibliography,
glossary, maps, illustrations and topical inserts. This work is highly
recommended for this wishing to acquaint themselves with classical
religion.
