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TeReligiousPanoramaoftheRomanEmpire
13
theemperors.Tatincreasedtheirsenseofforeignnessinastatewhereonehadto
praytotheemperorastoadivinebeingorsubmitanoathontheemperor)sgenius.
TesituationwasparticularlyharshforthemintheeasternprovincesoftheEmpire,
wherethedivineworshipoftherulerhadearly,Hellenisticorigin.Andatthesame
time,theChristians,CrenderingtoCaesarthingsthatwereCaesar)s)13,prayedforthe
emperors,aswereadintheQuintusTertullian)Apology(c.155-240),forClengthof
daysandaquietreign,awell-establishedfamily,astoutarmy,afaithfulsenate,an
honestpeople,andapeacefulworldC,alwaysremembering,asTertullianstresses,that
theemperorCisthereforegreat,becauseheisbutlessthanheaven)
,andthepowerhe
hasismerelyfromGod,andthatGodisabovehim14.
Tetraditionalreligion,referredtoasorthopraxisinthesubjectliteraturetowhich
Ihereinrefer15,i.e.,sober,meticulousobservanceofsacrificialrituals,deprivedofin-
tenseafectionforgod,asawayofcommunicatingwithgodandarequisitecondition
ofobtaininghisfavour(doutdes)wasindeedCacollectionofright-beliefpractices)not,
asintheChristiansense,aliving,trustingfaith,burstingwithloveforGod
16
.Andyet,
theRomansknewthatwithsuchunderstoodpiety(pietas),theydidnotdisturbGod)s
peaceintheuniverse(paxdeorum),andthegodsrequitedthembyperpetuatingthe
grandnessandpoweroftheirstate.Inhishistoricalwork,Zosimos,ahistorianactive
intheChristianEmpire(circa425-518),wrotewithgreatdramatismthataslongas
theprinciplesofstatereligionhadbeenobserved,theriteshadbeenperformedin
accordancewiththelocaltradition,theRomanEmpirehadbeenguardedandthe
entireworldhadbeenundertheirrule17.However,whenweremovetheveilandtake
acloserlookatthedatafurnishedbyoursources,itturnsoutthatbesidespractising
religionandsacrificialrites,towhichthepaganswouldalwaysremainfaithfuland
whicharousedisgustandfearamongChristians,whatweessentiallyseeiszealous
devotees,fulloftrustandadmirationforgods,experiencingpersonalcontactswith
themand,withthedevelopmentofreligiousthinking,increasinglyapproachingthe
conceptoftheonlydivinity,risingabovethemultitudeofbeings.ItwasAristotlewho
hadmuchearliercomparedafriendlylove-philia-toparentsandgodsasafeeling
forsuperiorspassingtheknowledgeandgood18.Healsospoke,however,likeameta-
physician,thatCitismadnesstoprofessloveforZeus)
,bearinginmindthegod)stran-
13Mk12,13-17.
14PismaOjcówKościołaXX,trans.byJ.Sajdak,Poznań1947,pp132-133;Englishtranslation:Te
ApologyofTertullian,tr.andannotatedbyW
.Reeve;andTeMeditationsoftheEmperorMarcusAurelius
Antoninus,tr.byJ.Collier.pp.xvi.270.LondonandSydney1889,p91-93.Internetaccess:5May2018
http://www.tertullian.org/articles/reeve_apology.htm
15J.B.Rives,Religion,p49;aferhimA.Gillmeister,D.Musiał,op.cit.,p23.
16Tistermhasbeenintroducedbyawell-knownreligiousscholarP
.Veyne(in:)Imperiumgrecko-
rzymskie,Kęty2008,pp442-443.
17NowaHistoria2,V5i2,VII1,trans.byH.Cichocka,annotatedandwithanintroductionandbib-
liographybyE.Wipszycka,Warszawa1993.
18EtykaNikomachejskaVIII,1162a4.
