Religion in the Roman Empire / James B. Rives.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Roman Empire -- Religion and religions -- The sources -- Identifying religion in the Graeco-Roman tradition -- The nature of the divine -- Approaches to the divine -- Cult -- Myth -- Art -- Philosophy -- Conclusion -- Three problematic topics -- Authority -- Belief -- Morality -- Conclusion -- Regional religious traditions of the empire -- Greece -- Asia Minor -- Syria -- Egypt -- North Africa -- Western Europe -- Eastern Europe -- Italy -- Uniformity and diversity in the religious traditions of the empire -- The presence of the gods -- The gods in the world -- The power of the gods -- Manifestations of the gods -- Conclusion -- Religion and community -- The city -- The household -- Voluntary associations -- Conclusion -- Religion and empire -- Mobility of worshippers -- Mobility of gods -- Identifying gods -- Emperors and gods -- Conclusion -- Religious options -- Attractions -- Esoteric wisdom -- Divine inspiration -- Advantages -- Traditional benefits -- Intensification -- Salvation -- Conclusion -- Roman religious policy -- Atheism and superstition -- Religious authority -- Three particular cases -- Magic -- Judaean tradition -- Christianity -- Conclusion -- Epilogue: religious change in the Roman Empire.