Roman Gods - Early Pantheism Roman gods originated in the ancient "village" of Rome as the faceless and formless deities that supported farmers in their efforts with the land. The large number of Roman gods can most likely be explained by the pantheistic belief of "numen," which holds that gods and spirits inhabit places, objects and living things. The early Romans believed that everything in nature was inhabited by numina.
Even though the early Romans placed little importance on the personalities of their gods, they did care about their functions. The early Romans integrated their worship of gods into all aspects of their personal and public lives. Nothing better exhibits the extent of this worship in every day life as in the household cult of the Dii Familiaris. In this system, every family had a guardian spirit known as the Lar Familiaris. This spirit was honored at all family functions, including sacrifices at funerals. The creative force that engenders an individual and allows him or her to grow, learn and act morally was known as the Genius for men and the Luna for women. This spirit stayed with an individual until death. The worship of Roman gods in Dii Familiaris went as far as to assign a protector spirit to different areas of the house. For instance, Forculus protects the door, Limentinus the threshold, Cardea the hinges, and Vesta the hearth.
Roman Gods - Later Expansion Roman gods began taking on the forms that we would recognize today during the dynasty of the Etruscan kings that ruled the city of Rome in the 6th century BC. During this period, the Romans adapted a group of three Etruscan gods as the focus of state worship. These gods were worshiped at the grand temple on the Capitoline Hill, and, as such, became known as the Capitoline triad. The triad consisted of Jupiter (Zeus), Juno (Hera), and Minerva (Athena). Once the rule of the Etruscan dynasty ended in 509 BC, Rome became a republic. The Roman Republic was ruled by two chief magistrates, each of whom was elected to a one-year term. During this period, the Capitoline temple became the focus of public worship.
As Rome's power grew and its sphere of influence expanded, the Roman Empire encountered the older and richer religious beliefs of the Greeks. The Romans also came into contact with the beliefs of other eastern Mediterranean Sea cultures. As a result, Romans began to adopt various foreign gods and religious customs. In many cases, gods and heroes from foreign cultures were given temples in Rome. The acceptance of Greek gods had the biggest influence on Roman religion. The earliest Greek gods adopted by the Romans were Castor and Polydeuces in 484 BC. Later in the 5th century BC, the Greek god Apollo was introduced. Apollo would eventually symbolize Roman virtue and austerity. Other Roman gods that took on Greek characteristics included Diana (Artemis), Mercury (Hermes), Neptune (Poseidon), Venus (Aphrodite), and Vulcan (Hephaestus).
As Rome continued to expand its political and geographic influence, Rome continued to assimilate a wider variety of religious beliefs and customs. In some cases, the assimilation of a foreign god was done to fit a particular role in Rome's expansion. This was the case for the goddess Cybele, whose worship was the direct result of the threat that Hannibal posed towards Rome. Even though Hannibal was eventually defeated, the worship of Cybele continued. The Romans also began to assimilate the belief in savior-gods from so called "mystery" religions. One of these was the Persian religion of Mithrasism. The Persian god Mithra (god of light and wisdom) offered salvation through the belief in an immortal soul. These religions became popular since they offered a greater sense of community than strict pantheism.
Roman Gods - Divine Emperors The nature of Roman gods expanded again as the Roman Empire came into contact with the belief of divine kingship. At first, the Romans rejected the idea that a human ruler should be worshiped as a god. In 44 BC, Julius Caesar permitted a statue of himself with the inscription, "The unvanquished god," and declared himself dictator for life. That same year, Julius Caesar was killed by citizens who wanted to see Rome return to its earlier republican ideas. Caesar's heir, Octavian (Augustus), made himself the first emperor of Rome. However, he avoided any claim to being divine. In fact, the notion that the emperor was divine was ridiculed throughout much of the 1st century AD.
However, as the government of the Roman Empire became more autocratic and gave rulers almost unlimited power, emperors eventually accepted divine honors. This belief in the emperor's divine authority eventually led to the requirement of a sacrifice to the emperor as a sign of loyalty. The requirement of a sacrifice to the emperor became a significant source of conflict with early Christians. Christians refused to worship the emperor as god, and therefore, would not sacrifice to him. This led to persecution of the Christians by the Roman political authorities that enforced the practice. The period of worshiping Roman emperors as gods continued until the 4th century AD, when Emperor Constantine the Great became the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. In 392 AD, Emperor Theodosius I banned the practice of pagan religions in Rome altogether.
Explore More Now!
What is your response?
Yes, today I am deciding to follow Jesus
Yes, I am already a follower of Jesus
I still have questions
Read more here:
Roman Gods And Pantheism - AllAboutHistory.org
- PANTHEISM: Nature, universe, science and religion - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Pantheism - New World Encyclopedia - Info:Main Page - New ... - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Is your spiritual home right here on Earth? | World Pantheism - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- The Higher Pantheism - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Does pantheism relate to free will? - Video - February 12th, 2015 [February 12th, 2015]
- Pantheism Master (Original Mix) - Video - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Pantheism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Pantheism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - February 15th, 2015 [February 15th, 2015]
- Never losing dignity - February 19th, 2015 [February 19th, 2015]
- How to Pronounce Pantheism - Video - March 5th, 2015 [March 5th, 2015]
- Pantheism explained - Video - March 8th, 2015 [March 8th, 2015]
- Wk 40 Katey on Pantheism and Souls - Video - March 31st, 2015 [March 31st, 2015]
- Metaphysics of Pantheism - Famous Pantheist Quotes - April 8th, 2015 [April 8th, 2015]
- What is pantheism? - Bible Questions Answered - April 8th, 2015 [April 8th, 2015]
- The Presence of God The Holy Spirit and Pantheism - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Pantheism - RationalWiki - December 18th, 2016 [December 18th, 2016]
- Pantheism | Neo-Paganism.com - December 22nd, 2016 [December 22nd, 2016]
- Monism - Wikipedia - January 12th, 2017 [January 12th, 2017]
- Pantheism Beliefs Explained - About.com Religion ... - January 21st, 2017 [January 21st, 2017]
- Our fight to the death with nature is not one we can win - The Age - The Age - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Pantheism - Norse Mythology for Smart People - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- How Alexis de Tocqueville can help us stay sane - The Washington ... - Washington Post - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Veljo Tormis obituary - The Guardian - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Educational Reformer Hirsch Promotes Knowledge Against Its ... - National Review - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- 'Evilution:' The Secret Luciferian, Spiritual Origin To One of The Biggest Hoaxes in History Evolution - The Christian Truther - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- Poet Robinson Jeffers to be topic at OLLI meeting - Chico Enterprise-Record - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Our Lady of Fatima and the Battle With Freemasonry, Part 1 - Church Militant - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- What Is Wrong With Yoga? - Catholic Church - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- 4 books tell stories of Ky. drug world - Glasgow Daily Times - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Hinduism vs Hindutva: The search for an ideology in times of cow ... - Hindustan Times - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Demystifying the Beliefs of Pantheism - thoughtco.com - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Adventists appeal court ruling on Kellogg Sabbath accommodation case - Adventist News Network - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- 'Sgt. Pepper's' Turns 50: The Newsweek Review of The Beatles' Masterpiece - Newsweek - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Seven Things Evil Is Not: What the Death of My Son Taught Me - ChristianityToday.com - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- How Scotland inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula - The Scotsman - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- My Turn: Respecting Mother - Concord Monitor - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Who were the authors of the so-called Gnostic gospels, and what did they believe? - Aleteia EN - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- This Former MTV Icon Found Inner Peace Through Islam - HuffPost - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Views | Pantheism.com - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- New Names for Old Gods - Patheos (blog) - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- The Universe Is the Mind of God - The Costa Rican Times - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- On religion: Being aware of our connectivity to God and each other - The Intelligencer - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- A Modern Day Inquisition: Rabbi Joseph Dweck - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Hinman's ABEAN Argument Part 3: More Objections - Patheos (blog) - July 7th, 2017 [July 7th, 2017]
- 20 Options on God (Find Yours Here) - Patheos (blog) - July 8th, 2017 [July 8th, 2017]
- Nelsons Leads Tanglewood Resurrection - The Boston Musical ... - The Boston Musical Intelligencer - July 8th, 2017 [July 8th, 2017]
- Hindu-Americans Don't Vote Republican - The American Conservative - July 10th, 2017 [July 10th, 2017]
- Through the Viewfinder: Pamela Ryder with Peter Markus - Brooklyn Rail - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- A Critical Look At A New Sefer: Alternative Medicine in Halachah - Yeshiva World News - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- Why Dina Nath Batra wants Tagore, Urdu, Mughals removed from school books - DailyO - July 25th, 2017 [July 25th, 2017]
- 'Heretics!' Illustrates the Contentiousness Surrounding Philosophy - PopMatters - August 1st, 2017 [August 1st, 2017]
- Is Your Christian Worldview Cohesive? - Cape May County Herald - August 2nd, 2017 [August 2nd, 2017]
- Senryu pries open 'The Jaws of Life' to explore death on latest release - Maryville Daily Times - August 3rd, 2017 [August 3rd, 2017]
- Star Wars' religious imagery is more than just coincidence - Catholic Herald Online (blog) - August 5th, 2017 [August 5th, 2017]
- This World as Philosophically Necessary - Patheos (blog) - August 10th, 2017 [August 10th, 2017]
- Staying power: a poet's place in God's agenda - National Catholic Reporter - August 10th, 2017 [August 10th, 2017]
- Gratitude So Burdensome? - First Things - August 11th, 2017 [August 11th, 2017]
- Unitarian Universalism and Pantheism World Pantheism - August 13th, 2017 [August 13th, 2017]
- Pantheism - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- Pantheism - History - AllAboutHistory.org - August 22nd, 2017 [August 22nd, 2017]
- Dennis Andrew from Poole says 'I am Druid' - Somerset Live - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- Spinozism - Wikipedia - August 25th, 2017 [August 25th, 2017]
- World Pantheist Movement - Official Site - January 26th, 2018 [January 26th, 2018]
- World Pantheism - The online community for scientific pantheists - February 4th, 2018 [February 4th, 2018]
- Pantheism. I believe that the universe created itself ... - February 6th, 2018 [February 6th, 2018]
- Lesson 10: Pantheism and New-Age Mysticism | Free Sunday ... - July 15th, 2018 [July 15th, 2018]
- Naturalistic pantheism - Wikipedia - July 27th, 2018 [July 27th, 2018]
- Pantheism | Inters.org - September 2nd, 2018 [September 2nd, 2018]
- Pantheism | Encyclopedia.com - September 7th, 2018 [September 7th, 2018]
- Pantheism - New World Encyclopedia - October 6th, 2018 [October 6th, 2018]
- AN INTRODUCTION TO PANTHEISM - Personal/Professional - October 6th, 2018 [October 6th, 2018]
- About | Pantheism.com - November 5th, 2018 [November 5th, 2018]
- What is pantheism? | CARM.org - November 5th, 2018 [November 5th, 2018]
- Pantheism | Philosophy Talk - December 16th, 2018 [December 16th, 2018]
- Pantheism - Pantheism and panentheism in ancient and ... - December 19th, 2018 [December 19th, 2018]
- Against Pantheism Undivided Looking - Wall - January 7th, 2019 [January 7th, 2019]
- Pantheism | Britannica.com - April 16th, 2019 [April 16th, 2019]
- Lay Faithful to Gather in Rome to Pray for the Church on Eve of Amazon Synod - National Catholic Register - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- Cdl. Burke: Revolution Is the Goal - Church Militant - October 1st, 2019 [October 1st, 2019]
- EXCLUSIVE: Catholic priest defends burning Pachamama effigy as within law of God - Lifesite - November 13th, 2019 [November 13th, 2019]