Pagan Rome and Christianity - Essay Example

Name: Professor: Course: Date of Submission: Pagan Rome and Christianity The Pagan religious practices of Rome greatly influenced early Christianity in which because some of the crucial rituals were closely related. Even into the current, some of the pagan Rome norms appear to have evolved with the modern Christianity especially in Catholicism. Paganism involved the belief in numerous gods inclined towards natural objects like the sun, sea, and the earth among other features such as trees and streams (Davy 2007). Romans believed that all their life activities were reigned upon by the gods, which made them apportion significant time trying to appease their them. They offered sacrifices and worshiped the gods in time of troubles as well as traditional ceremonies like great harvests in order to show that their lives and fate was entirely dependent on the wishes of the gods. Some rituals were mandatory, and the pagans committed themselves towards ensuring that they were observed to avoid the wrath of the gods. The importance vested in such rituals led to the emergence of the priesthood to preside over specific rituals and ensure compliance with certain traditions (DiZerega 2001). Some of the rituals such as the use of incense or perfume in their places of worship remain canonical practices in the catholic churches today. Most of the pagan Roman influences can be easily identified in the Catholic Church of modern Christianity, which has endeavored to conserve the church traditions. The Catholic Church has retained some of the rituals thought to have originated from the pagan religion. The global religious realm has seen the emergence of the ‘Reconstructionist’ of the Roman paganism committed to revive the practices of the pre-Christian religion of Rome (Bromiley 1995). This religious group focuses on re-creation of the religion as it was practiced from the founding of Rome to the beginning of the Christian Roman Empire, but also take inspiration from the Etruscan culture. This paper explores the pagan Rome religious practice and their influence on early Christianity. The Pagan Rome Religion The pagan Rome religion was characterized by the worship of many gods, and other unique rituals and traditions meant to appease the gods. The most commonly worship gods in the paganism religion were mainly associated with natural elements, which influence the livelihood of people such as the sun, sky, the sea, some unique tree species, streams and geographical features (Davy 2007). The Roman people strongly believed that the gods they worshiped controlled the different natural elements that directly affected their lives in one way or another. The strong belief in these gods saw the people dedicate significant time and resources as they sought to ensure that their souls were at peace with the different gods. The belief in such gods saw establishment of strict rituals that had to be conducted to appease the gods as well as asking for their interventions when the nature seemed to be unfavorable to their survivorship. The rituals were conducted by specialized individuals in the society, a phenomenon that led to the introduction of priesthood in the pagan religious practices (Ferguson 2003). The religion involved a strong belief in spirits in which every phenomenon was linked with the spirits world, which influenced the occurrence of good or evil in the society. In this case, it was the duty of the society, particularly the members of the priesthood family to ensure that the spirits were happy through worship and sacrifices. Religious compliance with the established rituals associated with the different gods and offering of appropriate sacrifices was perceived as a sure way of pleasing the gods in order for them to act in best interest of the society. Certain rituals and sacrifices were observed during bad experiences and during better times to persuade the gods to help and thank them respectively. Every god worshiped in the pagan Rome had a specific role to play in promoting harmonious living in the society; and different gods were worshiped for specific needs. For example, Ceres, the goddess of agriculture was worshiped when the Romans were faced with drought or quest for increased crop yield, while Vesta goddess was regarded as the caretaker of the Roman family life. Every homestead dedicated a small shrine for worshipping the spirit to provide the family members with good health (Davy 2007). Most of the goddesses worshiped by the pre-Christianity Romans were adopted from the Greeks although the manner and reference to the gods differed significantly. The pagan Rome religion was not based on a particular central belief but entailed practice of wide ranging rituals, traditions, superstitions and taboos thought to influence the natural forces surrounding the life of human kind. The pre-Christianity Romans tied their lives around the belief in numerous gods that influenced the different aspects of life rather than the belief in a single supernatural god that controls every aspect of life as in the case of Christianity (Johnston 2007). The focus in this religion revolved around sustenance of a contractual relationship between the people and the different gods, which highly depended on the ability of the people to please the gods. The pagan Rome religious practices were blended from different tribes across Europe including adoption of goddesses and gods from diverse religions. The Etruscans or Latin tribes particularly influenced the pagan Rome religious practices and rituals as well as the names of the gods. Prayer and Sacrifices The religious practices in paganism greatly emphasized on sacrifices more than prayers owing to the many gods’ names that had to be mentioned in the prayers. Prayers in this religion involved recognition of the different gods and their sexes in order to associate with their specific roles in the society. The types of prayers held differed based on the purpose of the prayer in which some prayers sought to trigger bad luck upon their enemies as well as praying for the good of the society (Benko 1986). Sacrifices in the religion not only involved killing of animals but also offering of animal products such as cheese, milk and plant materials including wine. Nevertheless, bloody sacrifices were the most frequently offered offerings. Each god had a specific animal for the sacrifices, which were believed to please them. For instance, gods like the Junas got a ram, Mars required a pig, ox or sheep, and Jupiter required sacrificial heifer (Davy 2007). Certain rituals were observed during the sacrifices in which animal head was sprinkled with wine and sacred bread placed on it before the throat was eventually cut. Selected organs from the sacrificed animal were extracted and burnt in the altar for specified religious norms. The sacrificial process was conducted under the supervision of a priest to ensure that all rituals and traditions were observed. During the prayer process, the priest wore a mask to prevent his eyes from encountering the evils in the surroundings or even played some flute music aimed at keeping evil spirits far from the sacrificial place. In many cases, a pig was sacrificed to appease the gods after becoming unhappy with any sacrifice. Owing to the value of human life in the pagan Rome society, human sacrifices were rarely offered to appease gods, although few incidences of salve sacrifices were reported in some parts of Rome especially those greatly influenced by the Greek culture. Influence of the Pagan Rome Religious Practices on Early Christianity Although, the two religious groups emerged to rive one another, early Christianity borrowed various practices from the pagan Rome religious traditions. Constantine, who was crucial to the spread and acceptance of Christianity among the Romans, launched direct open attacks on the pagans including prohibition of the pagan sacrificial practices and temples. The early Church focused on eliminating cults and practices deemed to be evil while at the same time promoting adoption of the religious acts that in their view were acceptable to the entire society and their god. The early church established its moral standards based on what the church perceived as evil from the pagan religion (Ferguson 2003). Of particular focus was the stand against sexual licentiousness that was entertained by the pagans. Mithras, one of the greatest early Christianity religious cult rival in the Roman Empire had some teachings that greatly influenced some of the practices in Christianity. The Mithras cult was perhaps one of the most widespread religious mysteries that particularly prohibited women participation. According to Bromiley (1995), Mithras was recognized as the chief agent of the supreme god of light known as Ormuzd, which struggled against the god of darkness thereby setting the standards of morality. This particular cult had extensive impact on early Christianity in which Sunday, the first day of the week, was the holy day of Mithras and December 25 was the birthday of Mithras (Bromiley, 1995). The days had significant connection with the early Christian calendar in which Sunday was still recognized as a holy day among Christians and December 25 as the birth of Jesus. The coincidence in the days remains one of the indisputable influences of the cult on early Christianity. The Mithras cult also involved activities and rituals such as confirmation, baptism and the Eucharistic supper, which became routine in early Christianity. The cult further practiced priesthood with similar features to that of the early and the modern Christianity. Priests in the cult were particularly separated from the rest of the followers using criteria such as consecration, and the factual attribute of having special knowledge. In addition, followers were grouped into different grades by ceremonial initiation, a practice that was also embraced in the early Christianity. Practices in the Catholic denomination can easily be identified with the practices in this cult especially the practice of priesthood and grading of worshippers. The various pagan cults fueled the intolerance experience between early Christianity and paganism across the globe. The different pagan cults and practices coexisted with a great deal of tolerance burden. Judaism and Christianity declined to recognize the numerous pagan gods leading to the irreconcilable differences between the two religions. Such differences continue to be experienced even in the modern Christianity around the globe. Influence on the Prayer and Sacrifice Practices on Early Christianity As Christianity took a center stage in the Roman religion, several practices and traditions were transferred into early Christianity. This was particularly evinced in the early Catholic Church that had many of its practices adopted from the disintegrated pagan Rome cults. The priesthood practice extensively applied in the early Christianity particularly resulted from the paganism in which the sacrifices and prayers were presided over by specific priests (Rhodes 2012). The Catholic Church has continued to observe the priesthood culture even in the modern Christianity. In denominations opposed to the catholic traditions, church leaders known as pastors and bishops have taken up the roles of priests. The act of some chosen people in the society leading people through prayers can be traced back to the pagan Roman times in which priests prayed on behalf of the people. The priests were expected to be blameless in the society in order to be able to successfully play the intercessory role between the society and the different gods. Rituals such as spraying of perfume in the temples and incense performed at the entry points of the temple or the place of worship was adopted from the pagan rituals. Pagan Romans burned incense and perfumed their temples and other places of worship to appease the spirits (Rhodes 2012). The belief in spirits in early Christianity can also be traced in the pagan Rome cults in which the people believed that spirits were in control of all aspects of human life. Although, the pagan gods were not recognized in early Christianity as such, the proceedings of the Christianity prayers featured some of the powers associated with different gods. The supernatural god in Christianity amassed all the powers recognized with the different pagan gods. Early Christians worshiped supreme god for all the needs that the different pagan gods associated with power of resolving. In the same manner, paganism prohibited the worship of other gods other than the pagan idols, and early Christianity strongly stood against the worship of other gods other than the supreme God (Benko 1986). Early Christianity viewed the different pagan gods and rituals as cults and strongly fought their existence in the Roman Empire. Constantine particularly waged a serious war against paganism and destroyed the temples and the organization in a move to end its religious practices. Features of the Paganism Common in Early Christianity Constantine advocated for Christianity in the view that it would unite the numerous beliefs through Christianization of all the pagan beliefs. Through the Christianization of the pagan beliefs, the cult of Isis the mother goddess was absorbed into the Christianity as the Mary the mother of Jesus (Rhodes 2012). Mary was seen as the replacement of the mother-goddess practiced in the pagan religion and continues to be practiced in the Catholic Church. In this case, the existence of the mother of God in early Christianity and as practiced in the Catholic Church can be traced back in the pagan rituals and traditions. The worship and sacrifices conducted in the temples was also adopted from the pagan religious traditions and practices; and it has continued to be practiced in Christianity although variations in the architecture and locations may vary significantly. The henotheist practice in the pagan Rome religion was absorbed in early Christianity but the pantheon gods were replaced with the concept of saints still recognized in the modern Catholic Church. Some powers associated with different gods including the gods of love, wisdom, peace and strength were all vested on supreme God worshiped by all Christians (Davy 2007). The recognition of many gods with different cities in the pagan Rome was reflected in the early Christianity through assignment of different saints as patrons for different cities in the Catholic Church. The practice of papacy in the early church can be compared with the administration of the Roman emperor. Constantine assigned bishops as the heads of churches, a practice that remains evident in the running of the contemporary church affairs. The papacy practice depicted the exercise of Roman emperor power being centered at one point, a phenomenon that saw the subsequent popes assume the title of Pontificus Maximus upon the collapse of the Roman Empire. The bishop of Rome became the ruler of all Roman Christian churches, depicting the influence of the Roman culture on the administration of church affairs. Although, the Catholic Church denies the foundation of the early Christianity on paganism, some of the practices lie outside the Holy Scripture, which serves as the guideline for Christianity. Therefore, these practices can visibly be explained through the concept of Christianization of pagan beliefs and traditions. In order to promote acceptance of Christianity among the Romans and particularly the pagans, pioneers of Christianity attempted to Christianize some of the pagan traditions as well as eliminating the pronounced difference (Bromiley, 1995). In this context, many pagans converted into Christianity due to the common practices between the two religions. However, the conversion involved direct conflicts between the two religions as each struggled to control the Roman Empire. By eliminating the distinctive differences between the two religions, Christianity became attractive for most Romans leading to the extensive acceptance of the religion among the Romans. Conclusion Indeed, pagan Rome greatly influenced the practices of early Christianity following the concept of Christianization that sought to absorb some of the religious practices in paganism into Christianity. Some of the Catholic Church practices strongly resemble the traditions, rituals and practices of the pagan religions. Paganism entailed the belief in numerous gods associated with nature that were believed to control the natural forces that affect human life. Different gods were associated with different powers and were worshiped for different needs in the society. For example, Ceres, the goddess of agriculture was worshipped when the Romans were faced by drought or quest for increased crop yield while Vesta goddess was regarded as the caretaker of the Roman family life. Each homestead dedicated a small shrine for worshipping the spirit to provide the family members with good health. Although, the two religions had outstanding differences including the existence of many gods, some of the religious practices emerged to be similar. Prayer and sacrificial process particularly indicated significant resemblance. Notable is that the practice of priesthood, worshiping in temples, the belief in spirits and the strong stand against human sacrifice in the pagan religion were absorbed into Christianity. In addition, the Mithras cult greatly influenced practices in Christianity including the setting of Sunday as the holy day and the recognition of Mary as the Mother of God. Finally, although the Catholic Church denies the root of its practices in paganism the resemblance of some of the practices and ritual suggested a strong relationship between the two religions. References Benko, S 1986, Pagan Rome and the early Christians, Indiana University Press, Indiana. Bromiley, G 1995, The international standard bible encyclopedia, volume 4, Cambridge :Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. Davy, B 2007, Introduction to Pagan studies, Rowman Altamira, Lanham. DiZerega, G 2001, Pagans and Christians: the personal spiritual experience, Llewellyn Worldwide. St. Paul, MN. Ferguson, E 2003, Backgrounds of early Christianity, Cambridge :Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. Johnston, S 2007, Ancient religions, Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Rhodes, R 2012, What is the origin of the Catholic Church? 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