Class Four
Caesar Augustus and the Roman Religious Life
RECAP
 1st Temple
 2nd Temple
 Maccabean Revolt
 Messianic Hope
Goal Today
 Look at the most influential Caesar in history
 Caesar Augustus
 Basic understanding of the religious atmosphere in
the Greco-Roman world.
In the beginning
 It goes without saying that Augustus had an
incredible influence on Roman society and on
history in general.
 During his reign from 31BC to 14AD, Augustus
brought the “Golden Age” of Roman life.
 What made Augustus so great though?
From Child to Emperor
 Augustus was born in 63 BC as Gaius Octavius, after his
father, but would later change his name to Gaius Julius
Caesar after Julius Caesar’s death.
 He was known more commonly as Octavian until in 27
BC he was granted the designation of Augustus
 Augustus was born to a prosperous family of knights
(equites) from Velitrae, a town southeast of Rome.
 His father, Gaius Octavius, was the first person in his
family to become a senator, even rising to the rank of
praetor (magistrate ranking below a consul and having chiefly judicial
functions)
From Child to Emperor
 However, in 59 BC, Gaius Octavius died and left
Octavian’s mother, Atia, a widow.
 As it would turn out, Atia was the niece of Julius
Caesar, and it was Caesar who would be the one to
launch the future emperor’s public career
 At the age of twelve Octavian gave the funeral
speech of his grandmother Julia. At only the age of
fifteen or sixteen, Octavian was appointed as a
priest
From Child to Emperor
 Octavian would also accompany Caesar, who was
by then dictator, at his Triumph in 46 BC, and then
joined Caesar for a year during his Spanish
campaign.
 Just looking at the young life of Octavian, he
already had an incredible amount of opportunities
to learn and see how to be a great leader.
 Octavian was then sent with his friends Marcus
Agrippa and Marcus Salvidienus Rufus to
Apollonia in Epirus for academic and military
studies
From Child to Emperor
 In 44 BC, while Augustus was still studying in
Apollonia, he learned that Brutus and Cassius had
assassinated Caesar
 It was during the publication of Caesar’s that Augustus
learned he had been posthumously adopted as the
Caesar’s son, and designated as his chief heir.
 Even Caesar saw the potential of young Augustus.
 Following this, Octavian, who was only eighteen at the
time, went against his family’s wishes and set out to
claim his inheritance and seek revenge for his adoptive
father’s death
From Child to Emperor
 Over the next several months, Octavian
consolidated himself as the leader of the friends of
the deceased Caesar
 He also promoted the legacy of Caesar and even
hosted the “Games of the Victory of Caesar,” which
was a way to promote Caesar’s name and gain the
people’s approval.
 He also found ways to woo Caesar’s military
veterans, which ultimately brought tension between
himself and Anthony
Conflict with Anthony
 Over the next fourteen years, Octavian and
Anthony would struggle with each other to gain
supremacy in the state
 Anthony, Lepidus, and Augustus in 43 BC formed a
formal, autocratic Second Triumvirate, where they
organized the proscription and execution of many
political enemies
 Finally in 42 BC Augustus and Anthony finally
overwhelmed Julius Caesar’s assassins, Brutus and
Cassius, who met their deaths
Conflict
 Over the next eleven years the Roman world was
divided between Augustus in the west, who had the
help of his distinguished admiral Agrippa and the
talented diplomat Maecenas, Anthony in the east,
who was associated with Cleopatra, the queen of
Egypt, and Lepidus who had part of northern Africa
 During the following years, Augustus would
slowly build his reputation and rule by defeating
Pompey’s son Sextus Pompeius in Sicily, and
fighting campaigns in Illyricum and Dalmatia, as
well as forcing Lepidus to retire into private life
Rise of Augustus
 In 31 BC the tension between Anthony and
Augustus boiled over, culminating in the naval
battle of Actium, where Agrippa, Augustus’
admiral, defeated Anthony.
 The following year Anthony and Cleopatra
committed suicide, which now left Augustus as sole
ruler of the Roman Empire.
 The time of Augustus as the first true Roman
emperor was now under way.
Augustus as Religious
Figure
 With Augustus as the sole ruler of the Roman
Empire, his influence spanned to all the boundaries
of the known world
 What would lead to Augustus being viewed as a
religious leader?
Religious Figure
 When looking at Augustus during his reign, it
becomes apparent that he was a reformer of the
traditional Roman religions.
 Augustus was able to do what few had done before
him; he not only encouraged religion, but also
personally helped in the growth of it.
Religious Figure
 The first move towards Augustus as a religious
figure started back in in 42BC, during the Second
Triumvirate with Lepidus and Anthony, Augustus’
adopted father Julius had been pronounced a god of
the Roman state
 Augustus’ exploitation of this development was
seen through the distribution of coins that had
himself on one side with the description “Caesar
son of God” and then Julius on the other side saying
“the God Julius”
Religious Figure
 Once Augustus gained sole rule he found ways to
encourage the traditional Roman religions
 The famous Res Gestae Divi Augusti or “The
Achievements of the Divine Augustus” gives evidence to
some of the things Octavian did during his reign as
emperor
 This document was one of three documents that was
deposited with his will in AD 13
 In the Res Gestae, Augustus addresses the Roman people
as it was inscribed at Rome
Religious Figure
 For example, in Res Gestae 19 it is written:
 I built the Senate House, and the Chalcidicum adjacent to
it, the temple of Apollo on the Palatine with its porticoes,
the temple of the divine Julius, the Lupercal, the portico
at the Flaminian circus, which I permitted to bear the
name of the portico of Octavius after the man who
erected the previous portico on the same site, a pulvinar
at the Circus Maximus, (2) the temples on the Capitol of
Jupiter Feretrius and Jupiter the Thunderer, the temple
of Quirinus, the temples of Minerva and Queen Juno and
Jupiter Libertas on the Aventine, the temple of the Lares
at the top of the Sacred Way, the temple of the Di Penates
in the Velia, the temple of Youth, and the temple of the
Great Mother on the Palatine
Religious Figure
 As can be seen, Octavian made sure to invest within the
Roman religions.
 Octavian goes on to say that in 28 BC he “restored
eighty-two temples of the gods in the city on the
authority of the senate, neglecting none that required
restoration at that time.”
 Later in Res Gestae 21, Octavian demonstrates how far he
was willing to go to ensure the encouragement of the
tradition religions of the empire. He went so far as to
invest gigantic sums of his own money towards the
restoration of the temples.
Religious Figure
 Res Gestae says:
 I built the temple of Mars the Avenger and the Forum
Augustum on private ground from the proceeds of booty…
From the proceeds of booty I dedicated gifts in the Capitol and
in the temples of the divine Julius, of Apollo, of Vesta and of
Mars the Avenger; this cost me about 100,000,000 sesterces. 3
In my fifth consulship [28 BC] I remitted 55,000 lb. of aurum
coronarium contributed by the municipia and colonies of Italy
to my triumphs, and later, whenever I was acclaimed
imperator, I refused the aurum coronarium, which the
municipia and colonies continued to vote with the same good
will as before.
 Octavian made sure to win the people over by restoring the
religious atmosphere to the best it had ever been
What do we see?
 He was a wise ruler who knew how to win the people’s favor
 He was not afraid to spend huge sums of his own money for
the sake of the empire and to meet the needs of the people
 By doing these things, he gained favor with the people, who
saw Octavian as one who brought salvation to them.

He was the one who was restoring the cities, not the senate.
 This made his status grow larger and larger throughout his
reign.
What do we see?
 Who else had the ability to spend such large sums?
 Nobody really. Just to illustrate, the legionary of his
day earned 900 sesterces a year, which deductions
were made from that sum due to food, arms, and
clothing costs.
 In AD 30-27 Augustus spent around 860 million
sesterces buying lands for veterans, then 100 million
on the dedication of temples, and then 220 million
sesterces on gifts to urban people and to veterans
Religious Atmosphere of
Rome
 In order to understand the full impact of what
Octavian was doing with his religious reforms, it is
important to have an understanding of what the
religious atmosphere of Rome was like.
Traditional Religious
Experience
 Religion was a staple within the Roman experience

The Roman people were very religious, and religion was a
part of every aspect of life
 For example, in the modern world (twenty-first century)
religion and politics are separated from one another, but in
Roman times they were one in the same.
 One way of demonstrating this is looking at the position
pontifex maximus. The pontifex maximus was the position of
high priest in ancient Roman religion.

This was a lifetime post and the duties where to administer
religious laws and facilitate sacrifices and rituals for the
religion
Religious Experience
 This position, which included significant religious
duties, was held by Julius Caesar, Augustus and future
emperors
 To have the head political authority, as Augustus did,
and be the high priest, demonstrates how intermingled
religious and political life were.
 Interesting enough, priestly positions were not an official
profession; rather, these positions were held by a
prominent political person, which makes the religious
atmosphere of Rome unique from other cultures.
Religious Experience
 Religion was not just intertwined with politics, but
everything else.
 Athletic events were considered religious activities.
The Roman calendar was full of religious holidays.
Life in Rome was built upon religion and religious
activities.
 Similar to the Bible belt where on every street corner
there is a church, in Rome every corner had a
temple for the Roman gods.
Religious Experience
 Another aspect to the Roman religious experience is their
openness to other gods.
 Roman religion was a non-exclusive religion.
 The Romans were known for their worship of many gods and
their acknowledgement of even more.
 There were some gods, like the “state gods,” who received
more attention than others.
 The “state gods,” Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva, were highly
worshipped within the city of Rome for they were thought to
be the key to the success of Rome. Other gods were important
and needed attention as well, which explains why the Roman
calendar was full of religious holidays.
Religious Experience
 In the Roman religious experience the relationship
between the gods and humans was completely
different from a modern view.
 In their view, the relationship was mutual. If
someone needed something, like bread, the person
would go to the temple of that particular god that
was known to provide food, offer a sacrifice, and
then that god would reciprocate by providing for
his or her need.
Religious Experience
 This does not mean that everyone’s needs were
answered though.
 It was well known that the gods were fickle and there
was no guarantee that they would answer a person’s
request, but the Roman concept and practice of honoring
the gods demonstrated this idea of having a mutual
relationship.
 This process did not imply that gods not worshipped
were less important. The focus however, was on the gods
who were believed to be able to affect an outcome for the
worshipper. In many ways, this practice mirrored the
patronage and benefaction system in place for Roman
society.
Religious Experience
 Furthermore, devotees of one god could just as well
honor any other gods that they wanted.
 In Roman culture honor was given at the discretion of
the devotee. If they needed something from one
particular god, they would go to that god’s temple and
honor him.
 If they needed something from a different god, then they
would go over to the other god’s temple. Roman
religions were non-exclusive. As has been demonstrated,
religion was woven into the fabric of everyday life, and
even into the affairs of the state.
Religious Practice
 Knowing that religion was in every part of Roman
life, what did their practices and look like?
 What was the nature of the gods?
Roman Practice
 Roman religion was a religion of doing
 The Roman religious experience was centered upon
sacrifices and rituals. This was the means by which
the gods were most honored.
 Where as in the monotheistic religions belief is a
main component, to the Roman religions, belief was
good but not of utmost importance for the success
of the religion.
Religious Practice
 As Simon Price writes, “’Belief’ as a religious term is
profoundly Christian in its implications; it was
forged out of the experience which the Apostles and
Saint Paul had of the Risen Lord. The emphasis
which ‘belief’ gives to spiritual commitment has no
necessary place in the analysis of other cultures.” S.
R. F. Price, Rituals and Power: The Roman Imperial Cult in Asia Minor
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984), 11.
Religious Practice
 When understanding an ancient culture’s religion,
like that of the Romans, people must realize their
own lens they are seeing things through and seek to
look at the different culture based purely on its own
unique framework.
 In ancient Rome, belief was good to have, but it was
more important to actually practice the religion
through sacrifices and rituals. This seems opposite
from what Christianity contends that religion is
based upon what one believes.
Religious Practice
 Belief was not the only aspect that was not of huge
importance in ancient Rome; the necessity for
emotion was another one.
 It was not necessary for devotees to have an
emotional attachment to the gods they were
honoring. This is another element modern readers
need to be mindful of when looking at ancient
Roman religions. The notion that emotion is an
essential part of any religious life is not necessarily
true.
Religious Practice
 As Price comments, “The criterion of feelings and
emotions as the test of authenticity in ritual and
religion is in fact an appeal to the Christian virtue of
religio animi, religion of the soul, that is, the
interiorized beliefs and feelings of individuals…
That is to apply the standards of one religion to the
ritual of another society without consideration of
their relevance to indigenous standards.”
 What Price says is vital to understanding the
religious atmosphere of Rome. The “indigenous
standard” in ancient Rome was one of doing.
Religious Practice
 This is not to say that belief and emotion were not
possible and lacked any sort of value, because it was
possible that those elements were a part of the
people’s practice, but the point is that it was not
essential to the religion.
 What was essential was that the gods received the
proper rituals and sacrifices. Rituals were a way
for ancient Rome to conceptualize the world,
while sacrifices were a way of displaying religious
honor (KEY POINT)
Religious Practice
 The purpose behind this was to mark a distinction
between god and man, showing that the one
receiving the sacrifice was superior to the one
giving it. This was the means by which the Romans
were able to relate to the gods.
 “Certainly some notion of belief is involved. The
Romans believed what they were doing was of
value; otherwise they would not have done it.
However, this was not a unique belief in contrast to
other beliefs. It was the worldview of the empire. It
simply was the state of affairs “ Fantin, 93.
Nature of the gods
 If rituals and sacrifices were what marked the
distinction between god and man, what was the
nature of the gods?
 The nature of the Roman gods was vastly different
from the nature of the gods found in modern
monotheistic religions
Nature of the gods
 The Roman/Greek gods were more human-like and
had limited abilities.
 They sometimes needed to be persuaded by other
gods to act.
 They could be impulsive.
 They had limited knowledge.
 In fact, in some instances some of the gods are hurt
in battle.
Nature of the gods
 In the Roman religion, there was a not a god who
created the world and the universe, like the God in
the monotheistic religions does.
 Instead, the world and the universe were already in
existence when the gods came into power.
 The reason why people honored the gods through
rituals and sacrifices was due to the status gap
between themselves and the divine.
Nature of the gods
 These gods were still leaps and bounds ahead of
their devotees in status.
 These gods, although not as mighty seeming as the
monotheistic gods, still had the ability to act on
behalf of human beings.
 Even with these gods being temperamental and
impulsive like humans, they still were to be
honored by the standards of the Roman religion.