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TeReligiousPanoramaoftheRomanEmpire
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AfamousrelieffromthePalazzodeiConservatori,withcapitevelato,showsEm-
perorMarcusAurelius,pontifexmaximus,performingapreliminaryritualact,in
conformitywiththetraditionalRomanrite,beforethepublicsacrifice.Teemperor
isthrowingincense,handedtohimbyahelper,intoahearthstandinginfrontofthe
mainaltar.Afluteplayer,standingnexttothehearth,stagesthesacrificialceremony
byplayingtheflute.Behindhimisavictimarius,half-stripped,carryinganaxewith
whichhewillslaughterthevictim(victima,hostia).Teemperorissurroundedby
immolatorsandcelebrants;behindthemisthepoorox,withhisheadbentdown,
clearlyacceptingthatheistobeoferedtothegodsasasacrifice.Whenwelookat
thisemperorandthehighpriestfromadiferentangle,inthelightofhisspiritual
exercises,wefindthatMark)sreligiouslifeisplayedoutontwolevels.Ontheone
hand,itisacultpractice,andontheother,thecontemplationofthegodsandthe
cosmos.JustlikeAristides,MarcusAureliusbelievesinthetherapeuticpowerof
Asclepios;hejokinglycomparesmoraldissonanceinman,yieldingtoimpulsesand
lowinstincts,toapigthatissacrificed,kicksandscreams.TeMeditationsplainly
showMarcusAurelius)ascendingpathtovirtueandspiritualimperturbabilitybut
alsohisreligious,contemplativeimmersioninthegreatstateofNature,guidedby
worldlyReason,Zeus,Providence,inwhichmanisamicrocosm,markedinhis
reasoningbythereflectionofdivinity.Tisguaranteedandperfectlyharmonious
constructionofthecosmosisgovernedbythedivinelaw,whichMarcusAurelius
praisesasasourceofunity.Hence,hesaysabouthimself:CMycityandcountry,as
IamAntoninus,isRome;but,asIamaman,CistheuniverseC
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.Healsotreatsprayer
assomethingimmanent,arisingfromacompellingneed,notonlyfromtheobliga-
toryformulasoftheritual.HepraystoZeus,remindingtheAthenians)prayer:Crain,
rain,kindJupiter!uponthetilledgroundsandpasturesoftheAthenians)
,andadds,
CWeshouldeithernotprayatall,orpraywithsuchsimplicity)
25
.Atthesametime,
herepeatedlynotesthataprayerisnotonlyabouthelp,sendingsignsormaking
arequest.Aprayerreferstoagod,whosepowerdistributesgifsjustly,andman
doesnotafectthemwithhissacrificesthatareassignedtotheearth:C”Earthloves
therain”;-“AndthemajesticEtherlovestheearth”
.Teuniverse,also,lovestodo
thatwhichisgoingtohappen.Isay,thentotheuniverse;“WhatthoulovestIlove.”
Isnotourcommonphraseaccordingtofact,whenwesay,“suchathinglovesto
teryreligions)oftheRomanEmpire,theirorientaloriginandtheinfluenceonthetransformationofRomans
intobelieversintroducedbyF.Cumont(Lesreligionsorientalesdanslepaganismeromain,Paris1906,andafer
himbyR.Turcan,LescultesorientauxdanslemondeRomain,Paris1992),waspublishedbyW
.Burkert(in:)
Starożytnekultymisteryjne,Bydgoszcz2001,pp35-53.Original:AncientMysteryCults,CambridgeMA1987.
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Rozmyślania(dosiebiesamego)6,44,translatedfromGreekbyK.Łapiński,Warszawa2011.English
translation:TeMeditationsoftheEmperorMarcusAureliusAntoninus,translatedbyFrancisHutcheson
andJamesMoor,editedandwithanIntroductionbyJamesMooreandMichaelSilverthorne,Indianapolis
2008,p80.Henceforth:MA,book6,chapter44.
25MA5,7.
