Rituals and Power


Book Description

Simon Price attempts to discover why the Roman Emperor was treated like a god.




Rituals and Power


Book Description




Rituals and Power


Book Description




The Imperial Cult and the Development of Church Order


Book Description

Using a contra-cultural model of social interaction, this book examines the interaction between Pagan and early Christian constructions of social order focussing on the Imperial Cult as it developed, together with shared metaphysical assumptions, "pari passu" with Church Order.




Imperial Cult


Book Description

As political power in Rome became centered on the emperor and his family, a system of honors and titles developed as one way to negotiate this new power dynamic. Classified under the modern collective heading ‘imperial cult’ (or emperor worship or ruler cult), this system of worship comprises religious rituals as well as political, economic, and social aspects. In this article, Gwynaeth McIntyre surveys the range of ancient literary sources and modern scholarly debates on how individuals became gods in the Roman world. Beginning with the development of exceptional honors granted to Julius Caesar and his deification, she traces the development of honors, symbols, and religious rituals associated with the worship of imperial family members. She uses case studies to illustrate how cult practices, temples, and priesthoods were established, highlighting the careful negotiation required between the emperor, imperial family, Senate, and populace in order to make mortals into gods.







True to Her Word


Book Description

This book is a comprehensive study of faithful maidenhood in late imperial China from the vantage points of state policy, local history, scholarly debate, and the faithful maiden’s own subjective point of view.




Imperial Cult and Imperial Representation in Roman Cyprus


Book Description

Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean, came under Roman domination during the late Republican Civil War. Due to its position outside of the political and strategic centres of the Empire, Roman Cyprus was something of a terra incognita among ancient historians. This book investigates communication between this "quiescent" province and the Roman emperor through the exploration of fascinating epigraphic evidence concerning the imperial cult and imperial representation on the island (dedications, statues, oaths, priests, calendars etc.). The central themes of the book are the religious status of the emperor embedded in the Cypriot religious milieu, political relationships between Cyprus and the Empire and their influences on the imperial cult performed on the island, and the part played by imperial representation in the life cycle of the Cypriots. The appendix catalogues the relevant inscriptions, with translations and other related information.




Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John


Book Description

After more than a century of debate about the significance of imperial cults for the interpretation of Revelation, this is the first study to examine both the archaeological evidence and the Biblical text in depth. Friesen argues that a detailed analysis of imperial cults as they were practiced in the first century CE in the region where John was active allows us to understand John's criticism of his society's dominant values. He demonstrates the importance of imperial cults for society at the time when Revelation was written, and shows the ways in which John refuted imperial cosmology through his use of vision, myth, and eschatological expectation.




The Cult of Imperial Honor in British India


Book Description

What was imperial honor and how did it sustain the British Raj? If "No man may harm me with impunity" was an ancient theme of the European aristocracy, British imperialists of almost all classes in India possessed a similar vision of themselves as overlords belonging to an honorable race, so that ideals of honor condoned and sanctified their rituals, connecting them with status, power, and authority. Honor, most broadly, legitimated imperial rule, since imperialists ostensibly kept India safe from outside threats. Yet at the individual level, honor kept the "white herd" together, providing the protocols and etiquette for the imperialist, who had to conform to the strict notions of proper and improper behavior in a society that was always obsessed with maintaining its dominance over India and Indians.Examining imperial society through the prism of honor therefore opens up a new methodology for the study of British India.