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Brenda

Basic Knowledge About Non-roman & Roman Religions

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I'm having a hard time linking up all these religions and cults as i have a poor basic understanding of Roman and non Roman religions. Could someone breifly explain to me the link between Paganism and the Roman religions?

 

I am learning about non-roman religions and cults that were practiced During the First Centry AD.(and how they differ from Roman religions), and i'm quite confused about what non-roman Religions and cults to base my studies on. Any suggestions? I thought Mithraism and Isis...

 

Thanks :D

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What exactly is it you want to know? Roman paganism included cults of many foreign (though to some degree Romanized) deities. Isis, Mithras, Dionysus, Jupiter Dolchenus, etc.

 

A great book is "Cults of the Roman Empire" by Robert Turcan.

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Sorry that post was confusing. I have a question about MIthraism in Rome - The 7 ranks./levels to immortality, did that apply to all people who followed? Why do some articles refer to the "members in a mihtraeum..."? Were they not the regular followers?

 

Thanks

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As I understand it, Mithraism was a mystery religion that was based on initiation.

 

Like modern freemasonry, a member had to pass through certain symbolic rites before entering each successive grade or level of the faith.

 

I assume that in any temple there was only one individual who held the rank of Pater (Father) in that temple at one time. or at least, if there were more than one, only one presided.

 

I assume that the other grades had specific rolesin rituals and ceremonials and possessd certain secret knowledge known only to them and those above.

 

I don't think you could just turn up for a Mithraic service in the temple either. You had to be a mmeber of a candidate for initiation to take part. It was, of course, a male only community.

 

In a legionannary fortress or a place like Houseteads on The Wall (where we know there were Mithraic temples) it would be interesting to know whether rank in the religeon went with military rank - ie the Prefect was Pater, and if not, how that read across into daily contacts.

 

Maybe we'll never know.

 

Phil

Edited by phil25

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Sorry that post was confusing. I have a question about MIthraism in Rome - The 7 ranks./levels to immortality, did that apply to all people who followed? Why do some articles refer to the "members in a mihtraeum..."? Were they not the regular followers?

 

Thanks

 

 

A discussion on Mithraism has been pinned to the top of the forum.

 

 

Mithraism seems to have had doctrinal and procedural variances in different times and places. The 7 tiered initiatory grade seems to have been pretty widespread, though.

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