Overview
The traditional Roman religion was a polytheistic religion, centered around the worship of a multitude of gods, each of whom fulfilled a particular function (e.g., harvest, childbirth, war, women's crafts, the Roman sewage system, etc.). The Romans believed that the success of their city was entirely due to pax deorum: peace with the gods, which meant that as long as the Romans honored their gods and sacrificed to them regularly, their city and empire would prosper. Roman religion had many similarities with the Greeks. In fact, the Romans got many of their gods and goddesses from the Greeks. A new monotheistic religion, however, began to challenge the traditional Roman religion in the mid-first century CE and beyond -- Christianity.>
Tasks:
In this Unit we are going to role play. It is important to put yourself into the historical perspective of the role in question. To do this, be sure you have done your reading and research using the sources included below. When you’re ready, please answer the following prompts:
- Please choose one of the rituals or festivals the Romans used to worship their gods. Role play as a Roman citizen discuss your favorite festival and how/why it had a meaningful impact on your life as a member of Roman society.
- Next, portray the role of a Christian in the Greco-Roman world circa 2nd century CE, and provide the group with a personal perspective on the appeal of monotheism over polytheism. Reflect on how your morality, code of ethics, and social roles might have been impacted by your new faith.
Sources:
- Select websites on the Roman gods and Roman religious practices:
- List of the gods with some explanation: https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/rome-history/top-10-ancient-roman-gods/
- Description of several Roman religious rituals: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/Halsall/ancient/romrelig3.asp
- Select sources on the perspectives of Roman authorities about early Christians:
- Pliny and Trajan's letter exchange: https://faculty.georgetown.edu/jod/texts/pliny.html
- Ritual cannibalism charge against Christians: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/Halsall/ancient/christian-cannibals.asp
- Select sources (excerpts of the New Testament) on early Christian beliefs:
- 1 Corinthians (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1COR+1&version=NIV)
- Selection from Acts: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2017%3A16-34&version=NIV
- Selection from 1 Peter: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%204%3A1-11&version=NIV
- Selection from Galatians: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=GAL+3%3A27-29&version=NIV
Expectations and Criteria for Success:
- Your discussion post should answer all the questions above with specific examples and details from the assigned sources.
- Posts should be a minimum of 250 words.