Oikoumene In Ancient Rome And The Bible

Some historians argue that it started in 330 B.C.E., when Constantine became an emperor and founded a capital on Byzantium

The Greek and Roman religions were the two major religions that were established in the ancient world. Greek religion was the first to be recognized and instituted, followed by the Roman religion. Many people believed that the Romans mimicked the Greek religion; however this was a common misconception, even though they appeared to be the same there are many distinctions between the Romans and the Greeks. Even the similarities between the two religions had slight distinctions, like their gods, they had similar functions but some of their gods were completely unique to one culture (Ferguson 154). Roman religion also had different concepts like religio, ideas about afterlife and gods that emphasis on household religion. The Romans integrated certain aspects of Greek religion into their own practices, they also maintained their own ideas which made it unique and separated the Romans from the Greeks.

A worldview is the overall structure that a human being can use to interpret the world and how it applies to their life individually. It is what people believe about the big questions in their lives; who are we, how did we get here, is God real and why are we here? In today’s modern world, there are many different views regarding the natural world, human identity, human relationships, and culture. This paper will focus on the worldview and implications of these topics based on the Bible, in particular, Romans 1-8, and how it still applies in today’s world.

Religion played a key role in the daily life and social system of Ancient Rome. Religion included the worship of many gods and more gods were often adopted from conquered areas. Because most religions were polytheist at the time, the Romans rarely disallowed a cult from a conquered region to continue. A few cults ran into controversy and opposition from citizens or government, such as the cult of Deus Sol Invictus, and that of Isis. Romans were also not keen on monotheistic religion which explains their separation from the Jews. But above all other religions, the Romans disagreed with, persecuted and were threatened most by Christianity.  The introduction of Christianity to the Roman Empire

Jupiter and Neptune eliminated all of mankind because they did not actively worship the gods or remain true to the laws of the gods. Ovid advocates the active participation of the gods in the physical world; so, at this point the supernatural and the physical become intertwined. The Roman gods and humans have a definite connection to one another. They are very similar in making and reacting to situations, however, they still retain a quite different nature as the gods are immortal and humanity is mortal. In fact, the gods actively participate in the occurrences on earth and thusly help to explain natural phenomena.

In Paul’s epistle to the Romans he gives us the foundation of Christian life in regards to how we should not only see the world, but also how we should act in a world that rejects the gospel of Christ. In Romans 1-8 Paul teaches us how we are not able to come to a saving grace through our works, but that it must come from Christ alone, and not only to the Jews, but to the Gentiles also. Paul tells us however, that this will not be easy, but we that we need to remember who is ultimately in control of everything around us.

The passage from “Enuma Elish” reveals that water was a precious element to the Balbylonians; it was difficult to find water because they lived in such dry and barren land. In Babylonian culture, Titmat became the Earth, which literally made her, Mother Earth, therefore making the land and agriculture important to the civilization. “The Creation of the Titans and Gods” shows that the people of Greece were abundant in agriculture thanks to Zeus; although Mother Earth and Zeus are not the same, they had the same value in society and that they had created the land the people lived on. Not only were the land, water and agriculture important in society, but also the society and structure itself was a growing matter. The myth, “The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe” tells of a message that was sent throughout the people of India about their roll in society. In order for one to be the best of their abilities, they must work within their social cast and not be removed from said placing. In a Chinese teaching, called “The Creation of the Universe and Human Beings”, the people believed in the wealthy and the poor; “The people whom Nu Kua had fashioned by hand from the rich yellow earth of the riverbed were high-born, wealthy, and intelligent. But the people who had fallen in drops from her rope were low-born, poor, common folk.”

In the ancient Roman world, religion played the most important role in everyday life, as well as in matters of the state. The Romans looked to the gods for political stability and for control of the unexplainable and natural phenomenon. The gods were believed to control all aspects of Roman life, and for that reason, a great deal of importance was placed in the appropriate worship of the gods. Women played an extremely influential role in ancient Roman religion. Not only did they participate in religious rituals, but some even held religious positions as Vestal Virgins.

The book of Romans teaches us a considerable amount about various topics of the Christian life. How we should view the natural world, human identity, relationships, and culture are some of the main ones. This essay will discuss the foundations found in Romans which are essential in the formation of a biblical worldview. The letter Paul wrote to the believers in Rome indicates God’s creation is a demonstration of His existence and power (Romans 1:20-21). Romans takes us from our total inability to walk in good works, to God’s faithfulness in justifying, sanctifying, and glorifying us by our faith through his grace.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:19-22). Paul explains to the reader that nature “was subjected to futility” (8:22). James Dunn references Genesis and the Hebrew language regarding this passage; “the LORD God formed the adam, dust from the adamah. The tie in was no doubt deliberate: the adam was formed to till the adamah; and subsequently the adamah is caught up in adam’s penalty for his disobedience (the ground cursed and its produce necessitating hard labor)…” Therefore, Paul teaches in Romans that the earth (creation) has fallen under condemnation along with man yet with the promise of man’s redemption God will also redeem His creation.

Religion played a significant role in the Roman civilization but, “many people believe that Rome was not a religious place. What they probably mean is that it was not a moral place.” (Burrell, 65) The Romans had innumerable gods that they worshiped which included giving gifts and sacrificing for their gods. Sacrificing animals was common for ancient Roman civilization. The idea of sacrificing came from the people before the Roman Empire was built. Religion primarily used sacrificing as a means of showing appreciation to the gods but later became a way to get things from the gods. The increases in the expansion of Rome lead to an increasing number of sacrifices. Roman sacrifice was done in many different ways and there were numerous

Brown, Peter. The World of Late Antiquity. London: Thames & Hudson, 1971 (rpt. New York: Norton, 1989).

The book of Romans is considered, by many in Christianity, to be the greatest book comprised in the Holy Bible. This is a very strong view to hold, considering the great details of Jesus and His ministry that are given in the book of Luke, the direct, to the point style of truth written by James, and the great lessons of faith in Hebrews. The other books in the New Testament are all great within themselves also but, Romans is very distinctive in itself. Written by the Apostle Paul, Romans can be viewed as the Christian Life handbook or the Christianity 101 manual. When we read Romans, we can see that Paul took every thought and possible counter thought by any

The Book of Romans Romans is a very important addition to the Bible. This is written by Paul to the Roman church. Much of Romans is showing the righteousness of God in different ways. “Romans road” passages are a great description of how to lead someone to christ (His saving righteousness).

As the ancient world was ruled with the ideas that mankind was nothing, but mere playthings to the