Religion and Authority in Roman Carthage From Augustus to Constantine

Zusatztext Well documented with literacy and archaeological evidence ... The author significantly increases our understanding of religion in the Roman empire with this monograph. Klappentext This book examines the organization of religion in the Roman empire from Augustus to Constantine. Although there have been illuminating particular studies of the relationship between religious activity and socio-political authority in the empire, there has been no large-scale attempt to assess it as a whole. Taking as his focus the situation in Carthage, the greatest city of the western provinces, J. B. Rives argues that traditional religion, predicated on the structure of a city-state, could not serve to integrate individuals into an empire. In upholding traditional religion, the government abandoned the sort of political control of religious behaviour characteristic of the Roman Republic, and allowed people to determine their own religious identities. The importance of Christianity was thus that it provided the model for a new type of religious control suited to the needs of the increasingly homogeneous Roman empire. Zusammenfassung This book examines the organization of religion in the Roman empire from Augustus to Constantine. Although there have been illuminating particular studies of the relationship between religious activity and socio-political authority in the empire, there has been no large-scale attempt to assess it as a whole. Taking as his focus the situation in Carthage, the greatest city of the western provinces, J.B. Rives argues that the traditional religion, predicated on the structure of a city-state, could not serve to integrate individuals into an empire. In upholding traditional religion, the government abandoned the sort of political control of religious behaviour characteristic of the Roman Republic, and allowed poeple to determine their own religious identities. The importance of Christianity was thus suited to the needs of the increasingly homogeneous Roman empire....

Product details

• Authors: J. B. Rives, J. B. (Assistant Professor of Classics and Rives, J. B. (Assistant Professor of Classics and History Rives, J.b. Rives, Rives J. B.
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 23.02.1995
• EAN: 9780198140832
• ISBN: 978-0-19-814083-2
• No. of pages: 348
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > General, dictionaries; European History, HISTORY / Ancient / Rome, RELIGION / Spirituality, RELIGION / Judaism / General, HISTORY / Europe / General, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, RELIGION / Christianity / History, RELIGION / Judaism / History, RELIGION / Christianity / General, RELIGION / Ancient, Christianity, Spirituality & religious experience, History of Religion, Judaism, Ancient Rome, Social and cultural history, Ancient History, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Spirituality and religious experience, Ancient religions & mythologies, The Early Church, Ancient religions and Mythologies