Church and state in rome

As most of the civilizations studied so far in Western Civilization – the Romans were a religious people. From the rise of the Roman Empire to the fall of its institutions, there was always a backdrop of religious involvement in the affairs of the state and people. Polytheism seems to reign throughout the majority of the Empire. Although the book states very little about the religious affairs of the people, one can conclude that this society was totally influenced by their beliefs that the gods had a hand in all the affairs of the State and of the people.

When looking at how long the Roman Empire lasted one has to ask how. How did the Romans rise to become such a great empire? How did the Empire last? Was it luck? Was it that the whole region of the Mediterranean was weak and susceptible to being overtaken? The answer to these questions after studying the religion of the Roman Empire is most definitely not. The Romans believed that the “Gods” were with them. How could they loose a battle or not gain the upper hand on in a land dispute with the power of the gods fueling the winds for them.

Having the blessing of the gods did not come easy though. The Romans went through a great deal of trouble to please the many gods

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(Can you imagine a general going to the tent of a bunch of psychics to get his battle plan approved. The family believed that the gods controlled their fate. Slightly different was the families focus on which god or goddess was to be worshipped.

It can be assumed that if no decisions of the state was made without first consulting the augurs. One can assume there were many situations such as this although not as extreme for which the historian or student cam marvel at the faith of the people had in their beliefs. An example of how they counseled with the gods is the way they went about saying a prayer to the god of Mars. These people seemingly had the most authority and power in the affairs of the Empire. The family had smaller things to worry about such as the state of their homes, how there storehouse would hold up to the famine taking place in the land, etc. Pontiffs were set to insure that the rituals of the state set forth to please the gods were performed correctly. (Who was the god of vegetation and the god of war. They go on to say the army should retreat and head back for their own safe territory. Families were like a state within a state.

Approximate Word count = 822
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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