Roma
Temple of Venus and Roma
The Temple of Venus and Roma — in Latin, Templum Veneris et Romae — is thought to have been the largest temple in Ancient Rome. But also Herod the Great erected a temple of Roma in the region of Caesarea Philippi to the emperor Augustus and had already built temples to the Emperor at Caesarea Maritima and at Sebaste.
- “Herod’s strategy in erecting this temple extended far beyond the symbolism represented by the structure itself. He was among the first of all provincial rulers in the empire to commit to the cult of Augustus. His Augustan temples, and the elaborate priesthood they required, may even have been influential in setting the course of imperial worship throughout the Eastern empire. While ostensibly the act of erecting these temples represented loyalty and commitment to Rome, it also furnished a basis for the social and political organization of diverse populations such as those in Herod’s kingdom. At the same time, because the new cult left the traditional local cults intact, it represented no threat to them. In fact, it symbolized an interest in protecting the local culture.” [1]
What was the "cult of Augustus"?
It was the Imperial Cult of Rome which as a "social and political organization" included a membership through a social welfare scheme of Corban like that used by Herod and the Pharisees.
Roma in Rome
The Temple of Venus and Roma had two adjoining chambers or cellae, which contained a statue. statue.
Venus Felix was the ancient representation of the Roman people, while Roma Aeterna represented the genius of the city. Together they represented a supposedly symmetrical arrangement of the civil government and the people. The two deities evoked, Roma and Amor.
In Rome they were situated on the slope of the Velia Hill, with the Arch of Titus at one corner and the Via Sacra passing down its side with Hadrian's temple also apart of the Forum of temples and the Colosseum was faced by Venus.
After Constantine established his church the temple was stripped in AD 382 by Gratian and by AD 391 Theodosius made a series of decrees prohibiting pagan worship. Eventually a Church of Santa Francesca Romana was erected there.
Roma in Judea
Herod the Great built many buildings which provided services to people as well as being a memorial to his success as a ruler of the people. Augustus continued the civil philanthropy of Julius Caesar had begun funding through his war on the Gauls. Julius as commander in chief of his army had stripped of the wealth of the Gauls and sold hundreds of thousands of people into slavery. Instead of being tried for war crimes he appeased the people by showering them with "gifts, gratuities, and benefits".[2]
part of a plan to show his indebtedness to his benefactor Herod the Great (37–4 B.C.) built a very large temple in Caesarea Maritima dedicate to the "goddess Roma, the embodiment of imperial Rome, and to the god–king Augustus" (Holum: 45).
Although the temple does not survive, it is known from the descriptions of the Jewish historian Josephus and the excavations carried on at the site (see reference below).
From the outset, it should be remembered that Caesarea Maritima was predominantly a Gentile city—thus the "pagan" temple, but Herod also rebuilt the Temple to the God of Israel, and expanded its platform. These two building projects of Herod do indeed say something about his character and outlook on life!
Some of the above, and following, information was gleaned from Holum, Kenneth G. "Building Power — The Politics of Architecture." Biblical Archaeology Review, vol. 30, no. 5 (September/October, 2004):36–45, 57.
King Herod's Temple of Roma and Augustus at Caesarea Maritima was a similar structure but understanding the purpose of these buildings which represented a combination of civil authority and the sacrifices of the people to establish a system of Legal charity is critical to understanding their function and how they opposed the teachings of Christ.
Augustus would bestow gifts on the Greek people and build a Temple of Roma on the Acropolis aligned with the Parthenon of Athens in 19 AD. This granting of gifts, gratuities and benefits was not just to convince the people of his unbiased benefaction but create a dependence and loyalty among the masses. Herod did the same in Judea. [3]
The temple was a symbol of a divine office of Rome and Caesar as the head of the Imperial Cult of Rome which was the center of the Public religion of the Empire and its social welfare State.
These buildings were monuments to their propaganda which caused the people to hail the once humble Octavius as the now divine "Augusts Soter"[4] meaning “savior of the world”.
And of course since both the Caesars and Jesus the Christ would be called the Son of God these titles would contribute to the Christian conflict. This is why the two of them were often seen as or referred to by some as the Eagle and Dove because of the manner and methods used by them and their followers to provide for the social welfare of the people. The former like Herod and the Pharisees depended upon public Religion while the latter and His Church depended upon Pure Religion.
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Footnotes
- ↑ Caesarea Philippi: Banias the Lost City of Pan by John Francis Wilson, p. 13.
- ↑ "That the man who first ruined the Roman people twas he who first gave them treats and gratuities" Plutarch's Life of Coriolanus (c. 100 AD.)
- “The real destroyers of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations, and benefits.” Plutarch
- ↑ "The annual Temple-tribute was allowed to be transported to Jerusalem, and the alienation of these funds by the civil magistrates treated as sacrilege. As the Jews objected to bear arms, or march, on the Sabbath, they were freed from military service. On similar grounds, they were not obliged to appear in courts of law on their holy days. Augustus even ordered that, when the public distribution of corn or of money among the citizens fell on a Sabbath, the Jews were to receive their share on the following day. In a similar spirit the Roman authorities confirmed a decree by which the founder of Antioch, Seleucus I. (Nicator),[d Ob.280 B.C.] had granted the Jews the right of citizenship in all the cities of Asia Minor and Syria which he had built, and the privilege of receiving, instead of the oil that was distributed, which their religion forbade them to use, [e Ab. Sar ii. 6] an equivalent in money. [Jos.Ant. xii. 3. 1] These rights were maintained by Vespasian and Titus even after the last Jewish war, notwithstanding the earnest remonstrances of these cities. No wonder, that at the death of Caesar [g 44 B.C.] the Jews of Rome gathered for many nights, waking strange feelings of awe in the city, as they chanted in mournful melodies their Psalms around the pyre on which the body of their benefactor had been burnt, and raised their pathetic dirges." Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah by Alfred Edersheim, Chapt. V
- ↑ original inscription: "The People (dedicate) to the Goddess Roma and Augusts Soter, when the hoplite general was Pammenes, son of Zenon, of Marathon, priest of the Goddess Roma and Augustus Soter on the Acropolis, when the priestess of Athena Polias was Megiste, daughter of Asklepiades of Halai, in the archonship of Areios, son of Dorion, of Paiania." IG II3 4, 10 Dedicatory inscription on the temple of Roma