Studies in the History and Art of the Eastern Provinces of the Roman Empire

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1906 edition. Excerpt: ... profession of Christianity could have been made by the tenants of the Emperor, men bound to his service in a special way and bound to be loyal above all others to the Imperial cultus. Nonconformity to the State religion was high treason, and it was precisely the repudiation of it that drew down upon the Christians the vengeance of the emperors. Moreover, recent discoveries have shown that some at least of the Imperial domains were strongholds of paganism in the third century. Prof. Ramsay has proved that the well-known (.'.l.G., 3827 y, and Clan. Run, 1897, p. 137. '1' (.'.I.G., 3827 r and 3827 /5. ';He was a Novatian. Cf Harnack, Minion and /Iurbreitung, Eng. trans., ii., p. 362. Clan. Run, 1905, p. 419 f., and more fully in the present volume. inscriptions of the Xenai Te/zmoreioi discovered on the estates round Pisidian Antioch are documents of a religious character, dedicated in the period A.D. 220-250 by a brotherhood or society composed, in great part at least, of Imperial coloni associated in the joint worship of the old native deities and the emperors who had succeeded to their heritage. The 'r6'Kp.wp was a sign of loyalty to the State religion, forming part of the pagan ritual, and the object of the brotherhood was to organise opposition to Christianity by a revival of paganism. Such revivals were most marked, naturally enough, during times of persecution: the repression of the new faith breathed fresh life into the dying religion. In or near the Praipenisseis district we have evidence of a similar awakening of pagan devotion towards the end of the third century in the metrical epitaph ' of an astrologer Epitynchanos, whose sons carried on his profession after his death. He is...