Roman Religion Summary

The patriarch’s power extended not only to his immediate family and children but also slaves and clients who depended on the patron for labor because their small holdings were insufficient for subsistence. He was vested with substantial authority and was believed to possess genius, a protective spirit that brought shelter to the household along with the sprits of ancestors. This veneration of ancestors and respect for patronage was a conservative force that reinforced established power distributions. Custom and religion consolidated the feeling of obligation the client felt towards his protective patron. The poor were disposed to be compliant in their position which furthered the rift between the poor plebian and the rich patrician class,

as the aristocrats raked in greater and greater religious and political advantage.
Although the plebeians managed to acquire some political recognition through peaceful measures like the strategic abandonment of Rome for nearby hills until their demands were met, the resulting small reforms were still quite conservative. The codification of the Law in the Twelve Tables in 451 BC for example, gained them little advantage. Even when the Struggle of the Orders eventually concluded with the introduction of the Hortensian Law that theoretically put the Republic on a more democratic footing, the Roman populous seldom took advantage of this opportunity. The Romans never quite seized the idea of popular sovereignty, there was too much precedent to respect established authority and do your designated part in the fixed order.
Roman religion had another negative outcome for the citizens.

It plagued their lives with pervasive superstition and a fear of wronging the gods. The repetitious and meticulous rituals they felt indebted to perform start to even resemble in symptomology obsessive compulsive disorder, which is analogously characterized by intense perfectionism and series of configurated actions. There were also many taboos, elements of magic, spells, anthropomorphism, and polytheism submerged beneath the surface of surface of their practical eclectic religion. Their affinity for and magic could grow a bit excessive, and the state did what it could to curb overblown superstition when it wasn’t exploiting it to preserve sociopolitical stability in the state. The Twelve Tables explicitly bared cursing a neighbor’s land, as it was a common practice to hide incanted curse tablets to descend evil upon those disliked. To them the world was magical, and they could take part in its mystery, increasing their luck with charms, amulets, and

rituals.
Beyond the negative extremes, there was also a lot to be gained with their beliefs and practices. It gave them purpose and resolution that if they upheld their part of the bargain the gods would bestow favor and protection. This gave them a sense of psychological security; divinities were always behind the scene ready to come to their aid. An important feature for maintaining calm in a dangerous world. The sense of religious community unified and disposed a firmness that allowed them to maintain a state able to withstand abrading forces.
The Roman people derived great joy from the many religious festivals for the various gods.
They offered a break from work and opportunity for fun, feasting, and freedom.

In this early time many of the festivals revolved around agriculture, but as the population became urbanized towards the end of the republic the meanings behind ritual were forgotten, but the valued celebrations remained. One such popular festival was Saturnalia, which marked the winter solstice. It entailed sacrifices to the god Saturn, a spirit of goodwill among the people, partying, exchanging of gifts, and the lighting of candles. Social constraints were relaxed for the duration and even slaves could attend the dining table. This gaiety balanced the strict formalism of the religious rites. But, like the policy of bread and circuses of the later Republic, this religious entertainment could also serve the political aim of keeping the people under control. The appeasing spectacle of Gladiatorial games even had its origin in the bloody games of an Etruscan funerary

celebration.
It is evident that for the individual and early pagan family of Rome religion was a way to get what they immediately needed, food and safety. Their belief system did indeed offer a sense of security in their concept of pax deorum as well as opportunity for celebration. They were also united in their beliefs against the dissolution of a functioning state. However, the sense of obligation to authority that this belief system reinforced, forestalled democracy by keeping the poor within their ordained positions. Although, their approach to religion was utilitarian it was crude and could become maladaptive.
The state cult was essentially just an extension of the private cult of the family to the level of the state. Rome adopted and transformed familial rituals and deities for the purposes of requesting benevolence and protection from the gods for the state. Whereas the paterfamilias played the critical role of religious authority for the family, a hierarchy of officials and priests emerged to take up the role of establishing pax deorum for the benefit of the whole state. Originally, the king headed religious functions, but following the formation of the Republic only the religious part of his duties were retained in the office of the rex sacrorum, the king of sacred rites. The pontifex maximus acquired even greater authority at the head of the college of priests called pontifices who increased in number from 3 to 15 as the republic grew. Pontifices were the religious authority of Rome knowledgeable in the sacred law. They established obligations to the gods and supervised the correct way to fulfill them. It was their job to promote Roman security by ensuring proper observance of rites.
This college of the pontifices also included the flamines. They were priests who each attended to a specific deity like Janus, Jupiter, and Mars all of which served as protectors of the community in some capacity. The other major college was that of the augurs who determined divine approval for a specified action through the interpretation of signs in the flight of certain birds and other readings in the sky. Etruscan haruspices read entrails of sacrificed animals for more portends, and along with the pontifices they interpreted potential signs of divine anger in occurrences like a volcanic eruption. Everything was attuned to the preservation of Rome.
There were also many other official religious positions, with more being added to suit arising needs. In Rome, religion and politics were inexplicably intertwined. The priests were largely pulled from the best of the aristocratic senatorial class and many often held both the secular office of a magistrate and a sacred office of priesthood. Priesthood mostly didn’t require fulltime service and could be held for a lifetime, unlike military or civil positions which ran out quickly. This put power into the hands of the few and kept it there, which although useful for those who held power, could end poorly for those who didn’t. Certain readings from the augurs could influence governmental decision, which creates a suspiciously convenient mechanism for those possessing the power to make the interpretations. This elaborate religious organization demonstrates the legal and utilitarian character of religion at the state level.