The Religion of Senators in the Roman Empire
Power and the Beyond

This book examines political and religious power as practised by the elite of the Roman Empire.

Zsuzsanna Várhelyi (Author)

9781107499935, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 9 April 2015

280 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.38 kg

"It is, in sum mainly on the basis of its strong empirical foundation that this book makes its most important contributions, and it is the reason, ultimately, that historians of the Roman empire and students of Roman religion will want it on their shelves." --BMCR

This book examines the connection between political and religious power in the pagan Roman Empire through a study of senatorial religion. Presenting a new collection of historical, epigraphic, prosopographic and material evidence, it argues that as Augustus turned to religion to legitimize his powers, senators in turn also came to negotiate their own power, as well as that of the emperor, partly in religious terms. In Rome, the body of the senate and priesthoods helped to maintain the religious power of the senate; across the Empire senators defined their magisterial powers by following the model of emperors and by relying on the piety of sacrifice and benefactions. The ongoing participation and innovations of senators confirm the deep ability of imperial religion to engage the normative, symbolic and imaginative aspects of religious life among senators.

Introduction
Part I: 1. The new senate of the Empire and religion
2. Religious groups among senators
Part II: 3. The dynamics of senatorial religion in Rome and Italy
4. Representing imperial religion: the provinces
Part III: 5. Towards a 'theology' of Roman religion
6. Innovations and aspirations
Conclusion
Appendices
Bibliography
Index hominum
Index.

Subject Areas: History of religion [HRAX], Religion & politics [HRAM2], Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1]