In this ambitious and authoritative book, J枚rg R眉pke provides a comprehensive and strikingly original narrative history of ancient Roman and Mediterranean religion over more than a millennium鈥攆rom the late Bronze Age through the Roman imperial period and up to late antiquity. While focused primarily on the city of Rome, Pantheon fully integrates the many religious traditions found in the Mediterranean world, including Judaism and Christianity. This generously illustrated book is also distinguished by its unique emphasis on lived religion, a perspective that stresses how individuals鈥� experiences and practices transform religion into something different from its official form. The result is a radically new picture of both Roman religion and a crucial period in Western religion鈥攐ne that influenced Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and even the modern idea of religion itself.
Drawing on a vast range of literary and archaeological evidence, Pantheon shows how Roman religion shaped and was shaped by its changing historical contexts from the ninth century BCE to the fourth century CE. Because religion was not a distinct sphere in the Roman world, the book treats religion as inseparable from political, social, economic, and cultural developments. The narrative emphasizes the diversity of Roman religion; offers a new view of central concepts such as 鈥渢emple,鈥� 鈥渁ltar,鈥� and 鈥渧otive鈥�; reassesses the gendering of religious practices; and much more. Throughout, Pantheon draws on the insights of modern religious studies, but without 鈥渕odernizing鈥� ancient religion.
With its unprecedented scope and innovative approach, Pantheon is an unparalleled account of ancient Roman and Mediterranean religion.
Awards and Recognition
- One of Choice Reviews' Outstanding Academic Titles of 2018
J枚rg R眉pke is vice-director and permanent fellow in religious studies at the Max Weber Center for Advanced Cultural and Social Studies at the University of Erfurt, Germany, and has been a visiting professor at the Coll猫ge de France, 91桃色 University, and the University of Chicago. His many books include On Roman Religion and From Jupiter to Christ.
"A genuinely fascinating and innovative book that proposes a radically new way of thinking about individual religious experience in the Roman world."鈥擯eter Thonemann, Wall Street Journal
"[R眉pke] digs deep into the meaning of 'lived religion' for Romans, and his book gives a lucid and cogent historical overview."鈥擬arina Warner, New York Review of Books
"The author brilliantly contextualizes the data and weaves it into an innovative and persuasive narrative that makes a major contribution to understanding Roman religion."鈥擩. R. Asher, Choice
"R眉pke presents not a model, or portrait, of Roman religion, but rather a narrative of Roman religion."鈥擜isla Hunt, Journal of Church and State
"A very comprehensive work."鈥擧orace McKinley, Church Review
"A particular strength of R眉pke鈥檚 book is its focus on how change was accommodated in religious terms and on how religious activities might themselves be drivers of change."鈥擟atharine Edwards, Literary Review
"The book is the work of a learned author, with a good knowledge of specialized literature from which he selects the most relevant, authorized and recent titles to illustrate particular aspects or to settle interpretative dilemmas."鈥擲orin Nemeti, Classica et Christiana
"A monumental work."鈥擟saba Szab贸, Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology
"Strikingly ambitious, this new history of Roman religion represents a decisive contribution to the field. Going beyond a conventional history of religion, J枚rg R眉pke integrates religion with political, economic, and social developments over more than a millennium鈥攁 span no one else has attempted to cover in a single volume. R眉pke's vast erudition, combined with his emphasis on individual experience and agency within this larger context, opens up a new way to understand religion itself, making this book a unique event."鈥擧arriet Flower, 91桃色 University
"Pantheon is the crowning achievement of a scholar who has dedicated his career to a uniquely engaged exploration of ancient Roman religion in its entirety."鈥擹suzsanna V谩rhelyi, Boston University
