Contents; Introduction; 1. Religion and the Symbolics of Power: Message and Significance; 2. The Power Game: Setting the Stage; 3. The Power of the Past; 4. Cosmic Connections: Defining the Arena of Power; 5. Geography and the Sacred: Establishing Power Across the Roman Oikoumene; 6. Cosmic Power Brokers: Human Agents and Divine Emissaries; 7. The Power of the Future; Conclusion; Notes; Bibliography; Author Index; Index; Citations
Summary
This book contributes to the small but growing literature on the interaction between religion and power in antiquity. Edwards focusses on the eastern "Greek" provinces in the first and second centuries A.D.--the period during which Christianity, Judaism, and numerous other religions and cults exploded across the Roman Empire. His purpose is to show how the local elite classes appropriated and manipulated mythic and religious images and practices to establish and consolidate their social, political, and economic power. Edwards considers both archaeological and literary evidence. He ex
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-218) and indexes
