Template: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.”

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.