Customer Reviews

Paganism in the Roman Empire

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Paganism in the Roman Empire is a classic on the subject. The author probes the psyche of the ancients in an attempt to discover their inner motivations, desires, and aspirations as they sought enlightment and religious meaning in the various cults that spread through the Empire. He also tells us what role the traditional religion of the gods played in the lives of Roman citizens. This is an excellent scholarly work that is a must for anyone seeking to understand ancient religion.

Although I am an Odinist, I am fascinated by all heathen beliefs, especially those of the Indo-European people, and anyone who seeks to reconstruct their native faith has my full support.

A while age, I dabbled in Roman Reconstructionist Paganism. During that time, I remember checking out this book in my college library. For the most part, I got what I wanted. This books does a good job in explaining the beliefs of the Romans and how these beliefs affected a diverse group of people, including warriors, politicians, and the working class.

However, I feel much of this book is ruined by the scholarly langauge. It is dry and bland, and it takes from this text all of the fun and joy that accompanies the mythology of the Greco-Roman world.

Overall, I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in reconstructioning the ancient Roman faith.

This book explores what we can know about Roman paganism given the paucity of sources. Conclusions are judicious, measured, yet useful. MacMullen shows us that the decline of paganism was by now means assured. He also questions (and demolishes) the whole idea of a pagan state cult--at least as we understand the idea today. The student of ancient church history will also benefit from a greater understanding of the similarities (and differences) between Christianity and paganism. Recommended.