God in Roman religion

In ancient times, the core structure of Roman Catholicism was based on three gods: Jupiter, the myth of Mars and Quirinus.

Jupiter is a great god from Indo-Europe. He is the god of the sky and the sky, and also the supreme ruler. In ancient times, gods have been worshipped by many different names, and their names point to different attributes. In order to pay tribute to romulus, two ceremonies were established: in the sanctuary of Jupiter Ferretius (the guardian of oath), the shepherd worshipped by a sacred oak tree on Mount capito, which began from an unforgettable ancient time; The other is the worship of Iupiter stator (the god who prevents soldiers from escaping in battle).

Later, in Rome, I saw the establishment of the worship of the greatest Jupiter. His temple was located in Mount capito, and it was also dedicated to Juno and Minerva. It was completed in 509 BC.

Mars is a god of war in mythology, and people pray for him to protect his property from external attacks, including both Roman-ruled territory and private family property. Quirinas is the sacred guardian of the court (the administrative unit in ancient Rome), and also the guardian of the people and civic activities gathered there, as opposed to the soldiers fighting under protection in the myth of God of War. Among the male gods, Liber Pater is the one who ensures the growth of plants and children. Robigs eliminated the terrible disaster and wheat rust; On the other hand, Consus is the god of the cellar where wheat is stored. Silvanus is the god of forest, similar to Fornus, the god of animal husbandry and agriculture. Fons is the god who looks after springs; Neptune is the god of fresh water. He was later influenced by the Hellenistic process and became Poseidon-like Poseidon. The male god in charge of fire is Vulcan, also known as Vulcan and Hercules, because he was assimilated by the Greek god Ephesus in the later period and became an iron smelter among the gods. Among the Roman gods, janus, the only Roman-ancient Italian god, has no equivalent in Greek religion. He is responsible for the entrance and exit, guarding the boundary between the house and the city, and defending its internal space from the dangers all over the outside world. When Roman religion began to express God with human characteristics, he was portrayed as having two faces, which clearly showed his duty to guard two directions with two different faces: entrance and exit.

Among the goddesses, Juno is the god of vitality and the protector of women in all fields of life. For example, in the name of Juno Pronuba, she is the god of marriage, while in the name of Juno Lucina, she is in charge of the birth of children and protects pregnant women. Verona is the god of war; Terrace is the mother of the earth, the mother of human beings, animals, plants and all living things. Ceres was associated with agricultural sacrifices and later merged with Demeter in Greece. Palaez is the god of herd, and he works with rich incarnations-Confucius and hops to protect crops. A god with a double name, Anna Pelina, is the embodiment of the ever-changing year, and is enshrined in the sacred forest near the Tiber River, one kilometer from Flaminia Avenue. The most important moon god in ancient Latin was Di Anna, whose origin was not Rome. She is the goddess Niemi, "Di Anna in the forest", a great god of nature, who is worshipped in the forest near Niemi Lake. As the god of the moon, she makes the light bright at night and protects women and newborn babies. Although the introduction of Di Anna worship is traditionally attributed to King servius tullius, her temple was built on Avanti Mountain, outside the sacred pomoerium, and was usually reserved for foreign gods. Severus Tullius is also responsible for receiving another god, namely Fukumimi Fortuna. According to legend, the king built a large number of altars in Rome to pay tribute to the goddess, the most famous of which was the temple in Foro Boario Square, the sacred wall, next to Mater Matuta (Leona). As a result of Hellenism, Fukumimi Turner later became the goddess in charge of human destiny. An extremely important and powerful goddess is Vesta, the kitchen god and the protector of the family, and later became the main kitchen god of the whole city. In fact, the circular temple of Kitchen God is located in the assembly square, where the flame is passed to the priestesses-these kitchen gods are virgins with strict responsibilities-who guard the flame day and night and let it burn. Inside the temple, there is a most sacred place where a series of sacred objects from the origin of mythical cities are preserved, including the statue of Pallas Athena brought back from Troy by the warrior Aeneas. Only priestesses and high priests (Pontifex Maximus) can enter this place.

As the son of Venus, Aeneas was the founder of Roman legend, and Venus was regarded as the supernatural mother of the Romans. Only from Aphrodite in Greece was she considered as the goddess of love and beauty, and she had the characteristics of these gods. In 135 BC, Emperor Hadrian began to build the largest temple in ancient Rome, dedicated to Venus and the Roman goddess, which was completed in 14 1 year.

However, it should be pointed out that in the oldest times, places of worship should be God's apartments, such as forests, caves and fairies. Traditionally, the original temples in Rome were built at the beginning of the imperial era, which seems to have been confirmed by archaeological research. For example, the architectural components of Songkatao found near Caesar Temple, the assembly square and the main temple and the sacrifices in the sacrificial tombs can prove this point.

Through the contact with foreigners, especially Etruscans and Greeks, the religion in Rome has gradually changed over time.

In the heyday of the 6th century BC, Etruscans extended northward to the Po River valley and occupied Latin areas in the south, from Tacitus dynasty to Campania dynasty.

The Etruscans had a great influence on the appearance of the city, transforming Rome from a rural community into a real city center, surrounded by walls, squares and shrines. In the 6th century BC, Rome was characterized by a large number of temples built according to the Etruscan model, such as the temple dedicated to the three gods on Mount capito. As a typical Etruscan-ancient Italian temple, it stands on a high pedestal and can be reached by a flight of stairs. It has three inner halls, or one inner hall and three wings, except for the back part, which is surrounded by a pillar. Decoration is mainly embodied in Songkhla pottery plates and sculptures.

The influence of Etruscan can also be seen in an important religious level: divination. By observing the signals sent by some gods to people, we can reveal their needs. Etruscans are good at analyzing and explaining the internal organs of animals. They combine knowledge with the observation of omens in order to determine how to perform the necessary religious ceremonies in the best way in exchange for God's kindness and kindness before taking practical actions.

The Greeks began to appear in Italy from 770 BC to 774 BC, when they established the oldest colony in the west in Kumar, Campania. Since then, they have continued to establish colonies in southern Italy, as far south as Sicily, until the whole region has a new name, Magna Graecia (meaning Great Greece). It was in this area that the Romans first came into contact with Greek civilization. Through Etruscan human media and trade, the Romans established the first and closest contact with the Greeks. The real communication between Rome and Greece took place after that.

The Hellenization of Roman religion assimilated the Roman gods in order to achieve consistency with the Greek gods. Although the Roman gods kept their original names and sacred places, they acquired characters, images and myths and legends similar to the Greek gods. This process is not forced, but spontaneous and natural. Moreover, the constant contact with Greek businessmen who came to Rome promoted the development of this process. At the same time, the Romans began to know and respect Greek gods and heroes through a more elegant method, that is, the extremely rich mythological scenes on ships exported by Greece.

In addition, Roman religion expanded further by accepting several Greek gods. One of the most popular is Hercules, who lost his heroic qualities and became a god; Caster and looks, two twin heroes, are collectively called Dioscuri; And Apollo, whose worship began to spread to Rome from the Greek colony Kumar between the end of the 6th century BC and the 5th century BC. At first, the Romans worshipped Apollo as the god of medicine and language in the temple outside the sacred city wall. In 3 1 BC, Augustus defeated Antony and Cleopatra at Cape Aktim. Apollo was considered to have played an important role, so Augustus built a temple for him on Mount Paladin.

From the beginning, there were various priests in Rome. According to legend, its organizational form comes from the King of Numa Pompilius.

The arrangement of religious ceremonies was entrusted to a group of priests. At the top of the hierarchy is Rex Sacrum, who was chosen to undertake the religious activities carried out by the previous emperor. Followed by the priest (Flamen), *** 15 people, the three priests (the priests of Jupiter, Mars myth and Quirinus) and 12 small priests are responsible for the worship of specific gods; 16 the high priest, headed by the supreme priest, supervises the religious worship ceremony; The Virgin of Vesta, headed by the Virgin of Vesta, is a priestess dedicated to Vesta, the kitchen god. There were four at first, and then it increased to six. In addition, soothsayers are responsible for interpreting signs and omens. The Greek influence can be seen in the establishment of a committee of priests, Decemviri, who was responsible for reviewing the book Libri sibillini, that is, collecting prophecies from the female soothsayers in Kumar. It is said that she sold it to the Roman emperor. These books can be used in difficult situations, such as natural or social disasters, or to explain unusual events. Finally, the caterer (Epulos) is responsible for organizing the sacred banquet held during the religious ceremony.

Religion in the private sphere is very important, and it is essentially associated with many gods who guard the family. There is an atrium dedicated to the gods in the house. In the earliest times, there was a fireplace in the atrium, and the kitchen god was the guardian of the fireplace. Subsequently, this part of the area contains a small shrine of lararium, which is used to worship other protectors of houses and families: the family goddess Lari is depicted as images of several young people wearing loose tunics and placed on both sides of the shrine during the process of pouring wine from angular containers. Genius is a kind of male guardian angel in the family, which is manifested as a male image wearing a wide robe and covering his head. Penates is responsible for protecting the wardrobe, which is the place where household items are stored; And Mani is worshipped as the ancestor of the family. All important events in family life-birth, death, marriage-are celebrated with specific religious ceremonies, and all family members will participate. Father (pater familias) is responsible for family ceremonies, and his wife and children can help him by giving him sacrificial utensils, or full-time staff can help him with special ceremonies, such as priests or assistants who are later responsible for slaughtering and sacrificing animals.

As mentioned just now, the Romans were also willing to accept the worship of foreign gods from cities they conquered or destroyed. The Romans believed that they could not win a decisive victory without the permission of the patron saint of the city at war with them. Therefore, the Romans offered sacrifices to these gods, invited them to leave the besieged city, and then transported them to Rome, where they could enjoy lofty glory.

The first oriental god accepted by Rome was Sibly, the goddess of Phrygia. She is the god of mother, the god of mountains and wilderness, in charge of productivity and fertility. In BC 19 1 year, there was a temple dedicated to her in the Paladin Mountain. Belief in the Egyptian goddess Isis is very famous. There is a temple dedicated to her in Pompeii, which is full of colorful and exquisite murals, sacred objects and works of art, suggesting the worship of the goddess. All the decorations are now in the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. There is a famous mural in Herculaneum depicting the worship ceremony of Isis. A priest with a baton led the choir of the meeting. Members lined up in two rows on the steps in front of the temple. With the announcement of the bell on the top of the steps (sistra, a bell-shaped instrument unique in Isis worship), the chief priest came out to show the container containing the holy water of the Nile.

Equally widespread is the worship of the Indo-Iranian god mitra, who is quite famous among soldiers and businessmen. Midoro often appears in the image of slaughtering cattle, which is a symbol of rebirth. Many places of worship in Roman times have been preserved. These places are usually underground or semi-underground, which reminds people of caves, the birthplace of gods that people believe in.

Similarly, some sacrifices depict the hand that makes a blessing, which is a typical worship of Phrygia or Sabazius, the god of Thrace. This is a god of plants, which enjoyed a high reputation in Greece as early as the 6th century BC, and was introduced to the west in Roman times, similar to Zeus or Dionysus.

Augustus the Great attached great importance to reviving the ancient traditions of Roman religion. After he ascended the throne in 27 BC, the worship of his personality influenced the later emperors, thus laying a solid foundation for his belief in him and his family. Therefore, Augustus established the worship of Augustus and appointed a special priest-Augustus to preside over the worship ceremony. In memory of Augustus the Great, a contest was held and a temple was built for him. After his death, he was awarded the honor of God. Augustus' successors continued this tradition, and deification-equating emperors with gods-became more and more frequent. Nero insisted on deifying himself as Apollo, while Commodus chose Hercules.