The matter of the gods : religion and the Roman Empire / Clifford Ando.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ando, Clifford, 1969-

Series:

Joan Palevsky imprint in classical literature.

Transformation of the classical heritage ; 44.

The Joan Palevsky imprint in classical literature

The transformation of the classical heritage ; 44

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rome--Religion.

Rome.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (267 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley : University of California Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

What did the Romans know about their gods? Why did they perform the rituals of their religion, and what motivated them to change those rituals? To these questions Clifford Ando proposes simple answers: In contrast to ancient Christians, who had faith, Romans had knowledge, and their knowledge was empirical in orientation. In other words, the Romans acquired knowledge of the gods through observation of the world, and their rituals were maintained or modified in light of what they learned. After a preface and opening chapters that lay out this argument about knowledge and place it in context, The Matter of the Gods pursues a variety of themes essential to the study of religion in history.

Contents:

Religion, law, and knowledge in classical rome

Idols and their critics

Interpretatio Romana

Religion and Ius Publicum

A religion for the empire

Religion and imperialism at Rome

The palladium and the Pentateuch.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-220) and indexes.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9786612762253

9781282762251

1282762257

9780520933651

0520933656

OCLC:

773565038