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Lecture 13 - Religion and Rome

Regarding separation of church and state:

  • Romans might have viewed this very concept as absurd
  • "Religion" had a very different connotation to everyday Romans - all sorts of religious phenomena existed as part of everyday life.
    • How can any aspect of life escape being included in the gods' providence? ... no significant decisions in life unaffected by religion.
  • (p. 128) nobody may have private gods unless brought in officially, or ancestral gods worshipped in private.
    • Should be state-sanctioned gods
  • Roman religion generally quite practical, not spiritual.
    • Intellectuals often became very attached to mystery religions

Bacchanalia affair: more a suppression of a social phenomenon than religious repression.

Trajan: as long as suspected Christians openly worship the Roman gods, we don't care too much about their past activity.

Patterson 187-190: Free Will / Epicurianism

Epicurianism: a more wholesome version of hedonism. Pleasure is the ultimate good, but not in the sense of indulgence - pursue freedom from pain through moderation, simple living and strong friendships.

  • Epicurus on free will: without free will, freedom arguments are moot.
    • Take away free will, and there is no impetus to do anything at all.
  • Morality is impossible without free will - how can we condemn a person whose actions are predetermined by necessity/fate?
  • World without free will is sociologically impossible per Patterson.
  • Epicurus: natural to be free.
  • Human freedom is distinct in being chosen freedom.

Augustine

Born 354 AD in Thagaste (Souk Ahras, Algeria), about 150 miles inland from Tunis

  • Berber (North African) ethnicity
    • given name: Aurelius Augustinus
    • Mother: Monica, a Christian
    • Father: pagan

11: educated at Madaura. 17: educated in Carthage. 15 year relationship with a low-status Carthaginian woman.

  • Ended relationship to become engaged to wealthy young woman ...
  • Then ended that relationship to become a Christian
  • Wrote Confessions

Augustine: free will is an important topic in a theological context, free will explains the existence of evil.

  • Argument: why does evil exist if God is all-powerful?
  • Free will given to man because man cannot do anything without it (good or evil) without it
    • Given free will to use in favor of good not evil
    • If man uses free will for evil, then he is responsible for his actions and is justly punished by God