What was ancient Rome's attitude towards other religions?

Answer 1

Contrary to what is claimed above, the conquered peoples were not required by the Romans to worship the Roman gods. There was one occasion when a Roman emperor (Decius) required non-Romans in the empire to offer a sacrifice to the Roman gods to show loyalty to the Roman state and the emperor. However, this did not amount to requiring the conquered peoples (who by then had already been given Roman citizenship) to worship the Roman gods. It was just one single act to show loyalty. The emperor Diocletian ordered the Christians to offer a sacrifice to the Roman gods as part of his persecution of the Christians. These were the only two instances of such a requirement and both were short lived.

That the early religion of the Romans was animistic is just that, speculation. There is not actual evidence for this. Moreover, this hypothesis is also related to the pre-Romans days; that is, to the days before the foundation of the Roman city-state. There were already anthropomorphic (human-like) deities in the very early days of the Roman city-state. There was the Luparcaila, the festival of the god Lupercus, whose origins are thought to be pre-Roman. There were Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus, the three gods of the Archaic Triad (Rome's first trinity of deities, which was later replaced by the

Capitoline Triad). It is thought that Quirinus was a Sabine god. The foundation of the Roman city-state was said to have involved a fusion between Latins and Sabines. The former lived on five of what were to become the seven hills of Rome and the latter lived on the other two. The second king of Rome was from Sabina, the land of the Sabines, which was not far from Rome. He was the founder of archaic Roman state religion and probably the adoption of Quirinus was due to him. He also founded three major priesthoods, one for each of these gods, and fifteen minor priesthoods for the lesser archaic Roman gods.

The above background made the Romans culturally and religiously malleable. They were very open towards other peoples' religions and cultures. They even adopted foreign deities. The last king of Rome (Tarquinius Superbus) was said to have bought the books on the Sybillines (Greek oracular priestesses) from Cumae, a Greek city in Italy, 125 miles to the south of Rome, in the 7th century BC. The Romans consulted these books at times of crisis. During the Second Punic War (218-201 BC), based on a consultation of the Sibylline Books, they adopted Cybele, an Greek goddess of Anatolian origin (they called her Magna Mater, Great Mother). Between the 5th and 5th and 2nd centuries BC they adopted four other Greek deities (Castor and Pollux, Apollo and Aesculapius) and retained their Greek names. They adopted a number of divinities and cults from the Etruscans, form Italic peoples and from other Latin cities. An example of this is Ceres, who was a goddess of agricultural fertility which was originally worshiped by the Sabellians and Oscans (Italic peoples). The Romans also practiced 'evocatio', which was the calling for the favour of the tutelary (guardian, patron) divinity of a city they were about to conquer and then they adopted it into Roman religion. For example, Fortuna Pimigeinia was the name of a goddess who was originally the tutelary goddess of the Etruscan city of Veii (probably Uni), whose favour they'evoked,' and whom they adopted when they conquered this city. This religious malleability helped the Romans to integrate their Italian allies into the Roman world. When the Roman conquered Egypt, they adopted Isis and Osiris, two Egyptian divinities. It was also common for the Romans to associate their divinities (or aspects of them) with the divinities of conquered peoples, thus creating an amalgamation between Roman cults and cults of the conquered peoples and creating elements of religious amalgamation between the themselves and the conquered peoples. This occurred especially in the Celtic areas of the Roman Empire.

Answer 2

The ancient Romans were very tolerant towards other religions and many times found that the foreign gods were the same as their own. They allowed other religions to practice as long as they did not promote treason or decadence.

The ancient Romans were very tolerant towards other religions and many times found that the foreign gods were the same as their own. They allowed other religions to practice as long as they did not promote treason or decadence.

The ancient Romans were very tolerant towards other religions and many times found that the foreign gods were the same as their own. They allowed other religions to practice as long as they did not promote treason or decadence.

The ancient Romans were very tolerant towards other religions and many times found that the foreign gods were the same as their own. They allowed other religions to practice as long as they did not promote treason or decadence.

The ancient Romans were very tolerant towards other religions and many times found that the foreign gods were the same as their own. They allowed other religions to practice as long as they did not promote treason or decadence.

The ancient Romans were very tolerant towards other religions and many times found that the foreign gods were the same as their own. They allowed other religions to practice as long as they did not promote treason or decadence.

The ancient Romans were very tolerant towards other religions and many times found that the foreign gods were the same as their own. They allowed other religions to practice as long as they did not promote treason or decadence.

The ancient Romans were very tolerant towards other religions and many times found that the foreign gods were the same as their own. They allowed other religions to practice as long as they did not promote treason or decadence.

The ancient Romans were very tolerant towards other religions and many times found that the foreign gods were the same as their own. They allowed other religions to practice as long as they did not promote treason or decadence.

Answer 3

As a whole, the ancient Romans considered the other religions or other gods compatible with their own. They found the similarities, as most of the ancient gods had the same qualities as the Roman gods.

As a whole, the ancient Romans considered the other religions or other gods compatible with their own. They found the similarities, as most of the ancient gods had the same qualities as the Roman gods.

As a whole, the ancient Romans considered the other religions or other gods compatible with their own. They found the similarities, as most of the ancient gods had the same qualities as the Roman gods.

As a whole, the ancient Romans considered the other religions or other gods compatible with their own. They found the similarities, as most of the ancient gods had the same qualities as the Roman gods.

As a whole, the ancient Romans considered the other religions or other gods compatible with their own. They found the similarities, as most of the ancient gods had the same qualities as the Roman gods.

As a whole, the ancient Romans considered the other religions or other gods compatible with their own. They found the similarities, as most of the ancient gods had the same qualities as the Roman gods.

As a whole, the ancient Romans considered the other religions or other gods compatible with their own. They found the similarities, as most of the ancient gods had the same qualities as the Roman gods.

As a whole, the ancient Romans considered the other religions or other gods compatible with their own. They found the similarities, as most of the ancient gods had the same qualities as the Roman gods.

As a whole, the ancient Romans considered the other religions or other gods compatible with their own. They found the similarities, as most of the ancient gods had the same qualities as the Roman gods.

Answer 4

The Romans were tolerant of other religions as long as the beliefs did not preach treason of decadence. For the most part the Romans fond similarities between their gods and others' gods and incorporated them into the Roman pantheon. They even imported other religions such as the cuts of Isis, Mithras and Cybele.

The Romans were tolerant of other religions as long as the beliefs did not preach treason of decadence. For the most part the Romans fond similarities between their gods and others' gods and incorporated them into the Roman pantheon. They even imported other religions such as the cuts of Isis, Mithras and Cybele.

The Romans were tolerant of other religions as long as the beliefs did not preach treason of decadence. For the most part the Romans fond similarities between their gods and others' gods and incorporated them into the Roman pantheon. They even imported other religions such as the cuts of Isis, Mithras and Cybele.

The Romans were tolerant of other religions as long as the beliefs did not preach treason of decadence. For the most part the Romans fond similarities between their gods and others' gods and incorporated them into the Roman pantheon. They even imported other religions such as the cuts of Isis, Mithras and Cybele.

The Romans were tolerant of other religions as long as the beliefs did not preach treason of decadence. For the most part the Romans fond similarities between their gods and others' gods and incorporated them into the Roman pantheon. They even imported other religions such as the cuts of Isis, Mithras and Cybele.

The Romans were tolerant of other religions as long as the beliefs did not preach treason of decadence. For the most part the Romans fond similarities between their gods and others' gods and incorporated them into the Roman pantheon. They even imported other religions such as the cuts of Isis, Mithras and Cybele.

The Romans were tolerant of other religions as long as the beliefs did not preach treason of decadence. For the most part the Romans fond similarities between their gods and others' gods and incorporated them into the Roman pantheon. They even imported other religions such as the cuts of Isis, Mithras and Cybele.

The Romans were tolerant of other religions as long as the beliefs did not preach treason of decadence. For the most part the Romans fond similarities between their gods and others' gods and incorporated them into the Roman pantheon. They even imported other religions such as the cuts of Isis, Mithras and Cybele.

The Romans were tolerant of other religions as long as the beliefs did not preach treason of decadence. For the most part the Romans fond similarities between their gods and others' gods and incorporated them into the Roman pantheon. They even imported other religions such as the cuts of Isis, Mithras and Cybele.

Answer 5

The Romans respected and tolerated the religions of the conquered peoples. They also repsected and tolerated their customs. They allowed them to continue to worship their religions, follow their customs and use their customary laws at the local level. They also let the local ruling classes run most of the local affairs. The role of the provincial governors of the provinces (conquered territories) was restricted to defence and maintenance of the legions stationed in the provinces, tax collection, public works and the arbitration of disputes the locals could not resolve by themselves. This policy had two advantages: it reduced the administrative load of the provincial governors and it facilitated the integration of the locals into the ideology and the economy of the empire. A less tolerant policy would have led to too many rebellions and would have threatened the stability of the empire

Answer 6

The Romans were tolerant of other religions as long as the beliefs did not preach treason of decadence. For the most part the Romans fond similarities between their gods and others' gods and incorporated them into the Roman pantheon. They even imported other religions such as the cuts of Isis, Mithras and Cybele.

Answer 7

The ancient Romans were very tolerant towards other religions and many times found that the foreign gods were the same as their own. They allowed other religions to practice as long as they did not promote treason or decadence.

Answer 8

As a whole, the ancient Romans considered the other religions or other gods compatible with their own. They found the similarities, as most of the ancient gods had the same qualities as the Roman gods.

Answer 9

The earliest Roman beliefs were animistic, but the Romans gradually began to adopt the formal gods of their near neighbours, the Etruscans, and then the gods of the Greeks.
As Rome began to expand and develop its empire, conquered races were required to worship the Roman gods, but could also worship their own gods. In some cases, the Romans adopted an important god of a conquered race as another god of their own.

Jews refused to worship the Roman gods. This decision was tolerated by the Romans out of respect for the perceived antiquity of Judaism. As a Jewish sect, the early Christians seem to have been provided the same tolerance. At this stage, the Romans did not distinguish between mainstream Jews and Christians. The Jewish uprisings of the late 60s and 130 CE resulted in punitive Roman responses, but these was not based on religious issues.

In the mid-first century, Nero is said to have blamed either the Jews or the Christians for the Great Fire of Rome. There is no certain evidence of a period of significant persecution of Christians by the Romans around the end of the first century, although a later Christian tradition says that this was a period of persecution.. Mistreatment or persecution continued sporadically during the second and third centuries, usually depending on the person of the Emperor.

As Judaism, Christianity and Mithraism began to proselytise aggressively throughout the Roman empire, significant numbers of Roman subjects actually began to adopt one of these exotic religions.

From the end of the fourth century, Christianity became the state religion by imperial decree. From this time, the relative tolerance of previous centuries disappeared. Judaism was still tolerated, but conversion to Christianity was otherwise enforced.

Answer 10

The Romans were perfectly willing to allow people to practice any religion that they liked, as long as they did not oppose Roman rule.