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12
MariaDzielska
examinedbyscholarsformingtheso-calledCToruńSchool)(i.e.,DanutaMusiałor
PrzemysławWojciechowski),foundedbyMariaJaczynowska,adistinguishedRo-
manreligionresearcher
9
.
TecultoftheemperorwasincludedamongcultpracticesintheEmpireperiod.
Tishappenedin422,whenGaiusJuliusCaesarOctavianusperformedthedeification
ofGaiusJuliusCaesar(divusIulius)intheSenate,thusbecomingdivifliushimself
(since27BCImperatorCaesardivifliusAugustus).Inthisway,successiveemperors
receivedposthumousapotheosis.Withtime,emperorsreceiveddivineworshipto-
getherwiththeirfamily(domusdivina)alreadyduringtheirlifetime,thecultbecom-
ingthebasisofwhatMariaJaczynowskacallstheCreligionofloyalty)10.Imperialcult
nowconstitutedanewbasisforthebondunitingtherulerwiththeinhabitantsofthe
provincesandtheorganisationoftheEmpire,andtheprayersandsacrificesofered
fortheemperorrelatedtotheprosperity,peaceandsecurityoftheentirestate.Te
problemofthedevelopmentoftheimperialcultinRomeitselfandintheprovinces
ofEastandWestanditsvariousformsuntilthetimesofConstantinetheGreathas
alsobeenwidelydebated,justlikeallcultsandreligiousinstitutionsoftheEmpire.
Sincethepublicationofground-breakingworksontheconceptandsignificanceof
theimperialcultintheEmpirebySimonPrice,ahistorianandareligiousscholar
fromtheUniversityofOxford,ithasbeenemphasisedthattheimperialcultmerely
createdassociationsbetweentheemperorandthegodsyetdidnotreplacethetradi-
tionalcult.Teritualsassociatedwiththecultwereincludedinthecurrentsystem
asoneofitselementsandhadaverydiversecharacterintheprovincesoftheEmpire,
dependingonlocaltraditions11.Ithasalsobeennotedthattherewasnouniversal
imperialcultnorwasitobligatoryforallinhabitantsoftheEmpire.Itwasprofessed
bytherepresentativesoftheimperial,provincialandmunicipalauthorities,andthe
emperor(diviflius),whofulfilledthefunctionofthehighpriestsincethetimeof
OctavianAugustus(pontifexMaximus),becamethehighestreligiousauthorityin
thestate12.Inthisway,endowedwithcharismaanddivinehonours,emperorstook
overthesupervisionoftheentirereligiouscultinthestateanddecided,inplaceof
thesenate,ofcialsorpriests,aboutreligiousmattersandactivityoftheirsubjects
inthisfield.Nowonder,then,thattheChristianswereconvincedthatbythisclose
unionbetweenreligionandpoliticstheyweresubjectedtotheterribletyrannyfrom
9
D.Musiał,Sodaliciumsacrilegi.PitagorejczycywRzymiewokresierepubliki:faktyimity,Toruń1998;
DionizoswRzymie,Kraków2009andthestudyinfootnote5;P
.Wojciechowski,CzcicieleHerkulesawRzy-
mie.Studiumepigrafczno-antroponomastyczne(I-IVw.n.e.),Toruń2005.
10M.Jaczynowska,Religieświatarzymskiego,p129;thedevelopmentofthecesareancultpp138-157.
11
S.Price,BetweenManandGod:SacrifceintheRomanImperialCult,“JournalofRomanStud-
ies”70(1980),pp28-43;especially:RitualsandPower.TeRomanImperialCultinAsiaMinor,Cam-
bridge1986.
12
Forthestateofresearchontheimperialcult,seeL.Olszewski,<Religia)i<kultcesarski)wstarożytnym
Rzymie-zżyciapojęć),(in:)Społeczeństwoireligiawświecieantycznym.Materiałyzogólnopolskiejkonfe-
rencjinaukowej(Toruń,20-22września2007r.),Toruń2010,pp361-377.
