Roman Religions :: essays research papers

The ancient roman printd theologyed many gods, godesses and spirits, each of whom was responsible for a distinct part of life. Juno was the goddess of woman Jupiter, the king of the gods was also the god of the sky mercury was the god of merchants Wulcan the god of fire Mars the god of war Minerva the goddess of experience Venus the goddess of fertility and love. The ancient papisticals adopted gods and goddesses from other cultures as well. Bacchusor or Dionysus, the Greek god of wine Cybelle, the Turkish goddess of motherhood and Isis from the Egyptian pantheon who was relate with reincarnation. Emperors and empresses were sometimes worshiped after their deaths.Emperors showed their devotion to their favored deities by building temples to them. Roman citizens left offerings such as food, milk, wine, money, jewels or statues at temple alters and engaged in ceremonies and animal sacrifices to win the gods approval.The Romans were generally accepting of other concourses re ligions but persecuted the Christians because, among other things, they displeased the gods by refusing to patricipate in such animal sacrifices and unjust ceremonies. Christianity finally because the official religion during the 4th coke in Rome.The Romans built large temples for these many gods. They were often built in places that people believed were special to their gods. The Acropolis, in Greece is one of these places.In ancient Greece, the Greeksk alson believed in many gods and goddesses. The gods be taked much like ordinary people, but they had great wisdon. They were wiser, more(prenominal) cunning, and more powerful. The gods not only controlled nature, but they also controlled peoples fate. There were 12 main gods of the Greek belief, known as the Olympians. somewhat of the most famous included Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, and Apollo.When you walked into a Greek or Roman temple, you would find a statue of a god or goddess at the pole of a long, dark board. A row of colum ns ran down the center of the room along both sides. A worshiper of the time might have visited the temple to thank the god for a favor and leave them a gift.The inside of the temple wasnt a gathering place for worship like churches and sacred buildings of today. Worship services were held outside on an alter. The temple protects the statur of the god from the weather and anyone who would come along and harm it.