This topic contains 4 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by Gaius Florius Lupus 7 months, 3 weeks ago.
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August 7, 2018 at 1:01 pm #2806
AnonymousSalvete people!
I’d like to ask for recommendation of books about the Sacra Privata. There are many books about the state religion, but I didn’t find about the domestic cult.
Thanks!
March 6, 2019 at 9:52 am #12950
AnonymousBrutus Sacer. Sal.
You will not find one great book. It does not exist.
You will also only find books that report historical information. No books on the Sacra Privata from the modern perspective exists.
Some good starting text are:
Beard, Mary, John North, and S. R. F. Price. Religions of Rome. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1998.
Scullard, H. H. Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 1981.
Scheid, John, Clifford Ando, and John Scheid. The Gods, the State, and the Individual: Reflections on Civic Religion in Rome., 2016.
Scheid, John, and Janet Lloyd. An Introduction to Roman Religion. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2003.
Turcan, Robert. The Gods of Ancient Rome: Religion in Everyday Life from Archaic to Imperial times. New York: Routledge, 2001.
The late L. Curtius Philo was working on such a text for the modern CDR before he died last year. I recently came into possession of some of his notes (literally notes on paper). I hope to get these notes compiled into something useful, understandable and complete in the very near future. It is possible this effort will result in that single book you seek.
June 4, 2020 at 1:23 am #38142Saluete amici!
I have a question regarding the simulacra (images of the gods). When buying a new simulacrum, by what ceremony is the numen of the god transfered into his physical image? This means, what do I have to do, so that a statue does not remain an empty piece of art, but becomes a representation of the corresponding god?
Valete!
June 8, 2020 at 4:25 am #38218Salve Lupe,
Firstly, this is sacra privata. So really the ultimate choice is up to the family in question. But I would strongly advise against anything that is supersitio. Remember, gods and mortals have freewill and both engage voluntarily. You cannot force a God to accept an image or to be involved in anything else. Thinking and trying to do so is supersitio. Not a respectful thing, so to be discouraged.
Now if we assume sacra privata was often modeled on sacra publica, we do have some examples as to how to do this.
The most simple and probably historically common means is to simply offer the image to the God in question as a sacrifice. In other words, you make the offering sacer by offering it to the God. Following the societas numanea protocol would provide a script as to how to do this.
As to how to determine if this offering is accepted, we would follow the process used for any offering. We watch for signs during and after the ceremony. Anything strange, the image breaking or falling over during a ceremony, or other unusual and suggestive occurances would be suggestive of a rejected image. Similarly anything suggestive of favor – a favorable animal coming near the image or lightening or other natural phenomena would speak well. No sign could be regarded as neutral or favorable acceptance.
This process of making an image sacer makes this object property of the God. They own the image. The image should be treated as such. The image remains the property of the Gods until it is made profanus. This would require again asking the deity in question for permission and watching the signs. It is possible that the God does not consent to a request to relinquish the object. In that case, this should be respected.
I hope this clarifies.
June 8, 2020 at 9:17 am #38221Gratias tibi ago, Brute. Hoc fuit magnum auxilium.
Vale!
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