Religions 14: Religion and Community

Ch. 3: personal experiences of god (‘belief’); read examples (mostly inscriptions) One case study: Dekmia Epikthesis (p. 101), Lower Moesia (near Black Sea): Good Fortune! To Zeus Keraunios the Most Manifest, in accordance with the command of a dream, Dekmia Epikthesis erected [this offering] for herself and her husband Dekmios Sapios and her children and dependents, for the sake of her vow.

Ch. 4: Religion and Community: Dekmia again Ch. 4: Religion and Community: Dekmia again. Not only marks her personal religious experience (dream – votive), but also various roles in the community: Member of the household (extended family, including slaves) Public display to wider community of Nikopolis ad Istrum (modern Bulgaria)

Social hierarchy: men-women, free-slaves, wealth and descent (all represented in Dekmia inscription) Rives discusses three types of community: City Household Voluntary associations

1. City Cf. Bremmer’s chapter on rituals (aspects such as festivals and processions that define community) Case of Ephesus: coins, inscriptions show close connection between city and Artemis (month name, procession) Incident of Paul in Ephesus (read NRSV): Acts 19: 23-41 (note that Rives only quotes a part of this): mix of piety, economical interests and civic pride

Strong attachment between citizens and gods, but their cult places also defined cityscape, e.g. imperial fora in Rome (p. 111) Other binding factor of religion in the city was the calendar (festivals and other public events)

Roman calendar 15 Feb.: Lupercalia: very old, pastoral festival; from lupus = she wolf that suckled Romulus and Remus; took place in Lupercal (cave on Palatine); priests (luperci) sacrifice goats, then dress in goatskins and hit people with thongs (februa, hence February) March: Mars; ritual war dance of Salii 21 April: Parilia; agricultural festival; birthday of the city September: ludi Romani ; procession from Capitol to Circus Maximus (cf. Panathenaic games) Saturnalia: 17 December; temple of Saturn (statue bound whole year, now set loose: lectisternium); then exchanging gifts and switching of masters and slaves (cf. which Athenian festival?)

Temple of Saturn (right) on the Forum Romanum

Civic cult Merging of civic, socio-economic and religious spheres, though merging was not total (civic cults were not part of city administration) and much happened outside of public rituals

2. Household Vesta: offerings at meals, rituals for accepting new family members (birth, marriage, slaves) Lares and Penates (household gods), replaced domestic Zeuses of Greek tradition; Penates: perhaps property; Lares: unclear, role in rites de passage Genius: guardian spirit; in household spirit of the pater familias ancestor cult: flowers and libations

Connection household – city (e. g Connection household – city (e.g. Vestal Virgins, Augustus as pater patriae); no distinction between ‘private’ and ‘public’: e.g. ‘public’ gods were worshipped in the home and magistrates took measures about domestic cults

3. Voluntary associations You choose to join these groups because of your ethnic background, your profession or attachment to a specific deity: Ethnic (e.g. Jewish associations) Professional (e.g. stone masons) Religious/cult associations (e.g. mystery cults, Jesus movement) Diverse; but general features are: fellowship (banquets etc.), mutual support (e.g. funerals) and common worship