Some Peculiarities of the Pagan Worship in the Christian Roman Empire (5th – 6th centuries)

Abstract

The study examines the nature of ritual practices adopted by the pagans of the late Roman Empire under the conditions of a complete legislative ban on all forms of traditional worship. Based on several reports about religious rites performed in the places, which were once occupied by pagan sanctuaries, it is argued that from the point of view of worshippers of the ancient gods the ruins and remnants of the decoration of their former shrines continued to retain religious significance even after their desacralisation. Moreover, idolaters continued to venerate the locations where the pagan cult had once taken place, even if these sites were occupied by Christian sanctuaries. Analyses of hagiographic accounts allow us to assert that pagans or crypto pagans visited Christian temples to offer prayers to the gods, and even attempted to perform ancient rituals in the sanctuaries of the new faith. Since the harsh anti-pagan legislation prevented them from revealing their motives for visiting churches, they averted suspicion of performing forbidden rites by pretending to appeal to the Christian God and His saints.