Religion and Ideology

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Abstract The study of Roman religion has not prospered in modern scholarship. Although much has been written on this subject, not much of it is very good, and some scholars have gone so far as to say that there are no good books in English on Roman religion. One of the reasons for the lack of quality scholarship is that from the standpoint of classicists, Roman religion is greatly overshadowed by Greek religion. So whereas scholars have tended to look admiringly at Greek religion, with its many myths and sophisticated religious literature, they have looked upon Roman religion with scorn and disdain, often describing it as unimaginative and derivative. Roman religion is not usually considered a major contribution to the world’s intellectual heritage. But these kinds of claims are difficult to back up when one actually engages with the evidence of Roman religion. And it should be remembered that it was within this theological environment that Christianity originated and Judaism thrived. Many of the major religious institutions that are perceived to have originated in medieval times are, in fact, developments from Roman institions. There are some bright lights on the horizon of the study of Roman religion.