Transcript The Imperial Cult

The Imperial Cult 2
Religion and the Emperor
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Religious position of Roman emperor was dominant and pervasive in the
city of Rome
Cult consisted of a variety of rituals developed over time which associated
the emperor with gods or linked him with religious institutions and
ceremonies;
became integrated within religious framework of city
Under Augustus his Lares and Genius moved into the public sphere and
were worshipped; but no full emperor cult
However, there is little difference between worship of the genius of
Augustus (his spirit) and the man.
Practices established by Augustus provided basic religious framework for
subsequent Imperial period: Emperors and Imperial family received divine
honours by vote of senate after death, only when merited
One senior senator is said to have been paid a million sesterces for
declaring on oath to the senate that he had actually seen Augustus
ascending to heaven.
The deification of Claudius or the
Pumpkinification of Claudius
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The scene is set in the senate on Mount Olympus where
the gods debate about granting divine status to
Claudius. A satirical take on debates about deification of
emperors that took place in the Roman senate.
Seneca(?), Pumpkinification of
Claudius 9
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“It finally dawned on Jupiter that so long as strangers
were loitering in the senate house the senators were not
allowed to express opinions or take part in debate.
‘Conscript fathers’ he said, ‘I gave you permission to ask
questions, but all you have done is to create mayhem. I
require you to obey the rules of the senate house. What
impression will this man (whatever he is) have formed of
us?’ So Claudius was sent out and the first called to give
his opinion was Father Janus. He was the consul
designate, down to hold the office for the afternoon of
the following first of July, and a fellow who, so long as
it’s up his own street, always looks ‘backwards and
forwards at the same time.’ He lived in the Forum and
had much to say with an eloquence that the shorthandwriter could not keep up with. I’m therefore missing out,
Seneca, continued
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So as not to put his speech into other words. He had a
lot to say about the greatness of the gods and about
how the honour should not be handed out to every Tom,
Dick and Harry. ‘There was a time,’ he said, ‘when it was
a great thing to be made a god; but you have turned it
into a Bean Farce. To avoid seeming to give my views ad
hominem, rather than on the issue, my proposal is that
from this day onwards nobody should be made a god
from those who consume the fruits of the earth or whom
the fruitful earth sustains. Anyone who, contrary to this
decree of the senate, is made, spoken about or
represented as a god shall be delivered up to the spooks
and lashed with whips among the new gladiators at the
next public spectacle.
Religious Life in the
Provinces
Roman Religious Authority outside
Rome
Legal writers claim that a sharp distinction
existed between religious law applied at
home and in the provinces
 In Rome and Italy ruling of priests was
authoritative, not in provinces
 Provincials often complied, but only out of
convenience or courtesy
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Gaius, Institutes II.1-11
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The first division of things is into two classes; for some are subject
to divine law (ius) some to human law. Within divine law some
things are sacred, some religious. Things sacred are those
consecrated to the gods above; things religious are those devoted
to the gods below. Nothing can become sacred except by the
authority of the Roman People which can result either through the
passing of a law or through a decree of the senate. On the other
hand, things can become religious by our own act of will when we
bury the dead in our own ground, provided that the particular burial
is our own business. On soil of the provinces, however, since
individuals can only have possession or usufruct but not full
dominion, which belongs only to the people of Rome or to the
emperor, the ground can never become properly religious but only
quasi-religious. In the same way in the provinces, ground that has
not been consecrated by authority of the Roman People is not
properly sacred but quasi-sacred.
Pliny, Letters X.68 to the emperor Trajan , 100 CE (when
Pliny, the Younger was governor of Pontus Bithynia
To Trajan:
“Certain people have requested that I should give
permission, following the precedent of earlier
proconsuls, for them to move the mortal remains of their
family members, either because of damage (to the
tombs) caused by the passage of time or because of
river floods or other similar accidents. I thought it best
to ask your advice as pontifex maximus on the best
practice, for I am aware that in our city it is the custom
to consult the college of pontifices in cases such as
these.”
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pontifices in Rome, beginning with Augustus, the
emperor was always the pontifex maximus)
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Pliny, Letters X.69
Trajan to Pliny
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“ It is hard to impose on provincials the
obligation of consulting the pontifices if
they wish to transfer the remains of their
relations from one place to another for
nay good reason.”
The Imperial Cult
in the Provinces
Provincial Assemblies
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Each member city in a province sent representatives to an annual
assembly
In some Provinces assemblies were established before reign of
Augustus to handle variety of business
From Augustus on primary focus of all provincial assemblies was
worship of the emperor
General Pattern: Met at a provincial temple of the emperor; elected
a chief priest; celebrated a festival in honour of emperor
Most provinces had one temple, some, including Asia had several
Hosting the provincial cult added to prestige of local cities: i.e. three
major cities Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum competed for imperial
permission to construct more temples.
Nature and Purpose of the Imperial Cult in
Provincial Assemblies
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In less Romanized Regions of Empire worship of living emperor;
originally restricted to non-citizens.
In more Romanized Regions - cult of the deified emperor (after
death) established instead
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Over time, most provincial cults honoured the ‘emperors’ in general
(living and dead).
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Provided opportunities for members of the local elite to express
their loyalty and closeness to the centre of power – Rome and the
Emperor
Imperial Cult associations outside
Provincial Assemblies
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Provincials of all ranks eager to display loyalty and closeness to
emperor
present in cities throughout the empire with shrines, public priests,
included a regular schedule of ceremonies
i.e. (Inscriptions from Narbo in France) on birthdays and other
important dates, representatives of the populace including freedmen
offered animal sacrifices to the emperor’s numen (divine power) and
provided people with wine and incense for individual offerings (ILS
112).
Civic Cults did not require permission from emperor, but an official
endorsement meant prestige for community
Also voluntary associations focused on the emperor
Wealthy freedmen had opportunity to participate in cult as
Augustales (formal rank associated with worship of emperor)
A gild of physicians in Ephesus described themselves as “those who
sacrifice to ancestor Asklepios and the emperors”.
Festival Regulation,
Gytheum (near Sparta) Greece,
c. 15 CE
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“The agoranomos shall celebrate the first day for the
god Caesar Augustus, son of the god (Caesar), our
Savior and Deliverer; the second day for the emperor
[Ti]berius Caesar Augustus, father of the fatherland; the
third day for Julia Augusta, the Fortune of our nation
and city; the fourth day (of Victory) for Germanicus
Caesar; the fifth day (of Aphrodite) for Drusus Caesar;
and the sixth day for Titus Quinctious Flaminius (the
commander who had freed the Greeks from king Philip of Macedonia
two centuries earlier and who received these honours since.)
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The agoronomos shall be responsible for the good order
of the contestants. He shall render accounts to the city
for all payments to the performers and for the
administration of the sacred monies at the first assembly
meeting after the contest …(SEG XI.923.7-40)
Barbarian reaction?
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I cannot resist inserting a minor incident even into this narrative of great
events. Our camp was on the nearer bank of the river (Elbe)..on the far
bank there was a glittering array of the enemy’s troops, but hastily
retreating (at every movement of our ships). But one of the barbarians, a
senior man in years, very tall, high-ranking as shown by his dress,
embarked in a canoe – a hollowed out log, as is their custom – and steered
his own course to the middle of the river. Then he asked if he could have
permission to land in security on our bank, and to look at Caesar (Tiberius).
Permission was granted, so he beached his canoe and gazed at Caesar for a
long time without speaking. Then he spoke: ‘Our young men are crazy:
they worship your divine power when you are absent (i.e. the provincial
imperial cult), but when you arrive they would rather go in terror of your
arms than put themselves under your protection. But I, Caesar, by your
kind permission, have seen the gods of whom I used once only to hear; nor
have I ever hoped for or experienced a happier day in my life.’ He was
given permission to touch Caesar’s hand, and then he went back to his
boat, and carried on ceaselessly gazing back at Caesar until he reached his
own side’s bank of the river. (Velleius Paterculus, History of Rome II.107)
Sacrifice ‘to’ or ‘on behalf’ of the
Emperor
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“Isidorus (leader of the Greek, anti-Jewish delegation to Gaius in 38 CE) ,
that bitter sycophant, realizing that Gaius (Caligula) enjoyed being offered
titles beyond human nature, said: ‘you are going to hate these Jews here,
my lord, and their fellow-countrymen more than ever when you hear about
their ill-will and impiety towards you. For when all humanity was offering
sacrifices of gratitude for your recovery, these were the only ones who
could not bear to perform sacrifice. By “these” I mean to include all the
other Jews as well.’ At that we all shouted out together, ‘Lord Gaius, we are
being slandered; we did sacrifice – we sacrificed whole hecatombs. And we
did not just sprinkle blood on the altars (as some people do) and then take
the meat home for feasting and celebrations, but put the whole offering
into the sacred flame to be burned up (it was standard Greek/Roman
practice to eat the meat at end of the ritual). We have already done this not
just once but three times: the first time was on your accession as emperor
(37 CE); the second was on your recovery from that dreadful illness that
the whole world suffered with you (37 CE) ; the third was in expectation of
your triumph in Germany (39 CE). It may be true, Gaius replied, that you
did sacrifice but you sacrificed to somebody else, even if it was on my
behalf. So where’s the merit in that? You did not sacrifice to me.
Immediately we heard that, following on his previous remark, we were
seized by a violent trembling, such that it was beyond all concealment.”
(Philo, Embassy to Gaius 355-7)