What would happen If Romans become Jews
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There was not the same experience of martyring all those Christians. The fact that people were willing to die and be tortured just to keep their faith impressed the Roman people.
Why did they scarified them self for a belief , yet they were not violent
Jews have done similar at Masada , but Jews were violent
Evidently your research into this topic has been VERY weak! A large number of Romans - and the citizens of other regions Rome conquered - DID in fact convert.
I'd suggest you need to study MUCH, MUCH more.
Non-violence seems to work better, doesn't it?
Are you saying Romans converted into Judaism or Jews become Romans ?
I very welcome your position if you substantiate your position .
I suppose if it were so Jerusalem would not be destroyed in year 65 nor Jews would not be banned from the land of Palestine ?
Again I welcome correction.
Well, The Romans had their own religion. The Jews had theirs. Ancient peoples viewed religion differently than we do now. Judaism, especially ancient Judaism was not a "proselytizing" religion. Which means that Jews did not go around and suggest that people convert to their religion. The ancient Romans also did not go around forcing their beliefs on others either. You see, in the ancient world, religion was more closely tied to nationality and geography. One religious group didn't see another religious group as having the wrong religion. The ancient Romans very well could have believed that YHWH existed, but just didn't honor him. They probably also believed that the Egyptian gods existed, and more than likely paid homage to Egyptian gods when visiting Egypt.
In the ancient world, Take Greece for example. If you were Greek, you believed that all the gods of the Greek pantheon existed. Most people had a patron god. Zeus was the patron god of the Greeks. Individual cities/states within Greece usually had a patron god. If you lived in this city, you paid homage to that god. To not do so was seen as rude or disrespectful to that god, and to the people of that city. There very well may have been temples and shrines to other gods in that city, but usually a specific god was the cities patron god. Within each city, most people had patron gods of their homes. So when you visited someone, you paid homage to the patron god of their home. Even if that god was not your patron god. Your own patron god would even get angry with you if you didn't.
These traditions would apply all over. So even if you were Greek, and your house god was, say Dionysus, but you visited someone in Egypt whose patron God was say, Osiris, you would pay homage to Osiris while visiting them. Wherever you went, and whatever you did, you needed to pray to a different God. If your patron god was Dionysus, but you were going to travel somewhere by ship, you would want to pray to Poseidon.
This is where the uniqueness came in with Judaism. Abraham's patron god was YHWH. Abraham also made YHWH his "Elohim" which means that he swore that YHWH would be the only god that he would pray to. When God asked him to leave his home in Ur, Abraham was scared to do so, because he thought that he would be leaving his god. But YHWH said that he would always be with him. and it just went from there... This is what made Judaism unique in the ancient world.
So you can see how religious/spiritual beliefs were very different in the ancient world. And "conversion" didn't really exist. It was especially hard for someone who believed in/worshiped many gods to stop doing so and to only worship one god. The Old testament is full of God trying to get the Jews to stop believing in other gods.
This is why most romans probably wouldn't convert to Judaism. And Jews certainly wouldn't even acknowledge Roman gods.
In the ancient world, Take Greece for example. If you were Greek, you believed that all the gods of the Greek pantheon existed. Most people had a patron god. Zeus was the patron god of the Greeks. Individual cities/states within Greece usually had a patron god. If you lived in this city, you paid homage to that god. To not do so was seen as rude or disrespectful to that god, and to the people of that city. There very well may have been temples and shrines to other gods in that city, but usually a specific god was the cities patron god. Within each city, most people had patron gods of their homes. So when you visited someone, you paid homage to the patron god of their home. Even if that god was not your patron god. Your own patron god would even get angry with you if you didn't.
These traditions would apply all over. So even if you were Greek, and your house god was, say Dionysus, but you visited someone in Egypt whose patron God was say, Osiris, you would pay homage to Osiris while visiting them. Wherever you went, and whatever you did, you needed to pray to a different God. If your patron god was Dionysus, but you were going to travel somewhere by ship, you would want to pray to Poseidon.
This is where the uniqueness came in with Judaism. Abraham's patron god was YHWH. Abraham also made YHWH his "Elohim" which means that he swore that YHWH would be the only god that he would pray to. When God asked him to leave his home in Ur, Abraham was scared to do so, because he thought that he would be leaving his god. But YHWH said that he would always be with him. and it just went from there... This is what made Judaism unique in the ancient world.
So you can see how religious/spiritual beliefs were very different in the ancient world. And "conversion" didn't really exist. It was especially hard for someone who believed in/worshiped many gods to stop doing so and to only worship one god. The Old testament is full of God trying to get the Jews to stop believing in other gods.
This is why most romans probably wouldn't convert to Judaism. And Jews certainly wouldn't even acknowledge Roman gods.
I often wonder what would have happened had the Roman's NOT become Jews/neo-Jews/Christians. What if Justinian hadn't strangled Hellenism out of existence by shutting down the last of the Greek Academies? There'd be no Christianity, no Islam, no Mormonism, etc.... How different European history would have been, not to mention the Middle East. Or not? Perhaps things would have evolved similarly anyway? There still would have been a mini ice-age in Europe forcing the Germans down towards the Mediterranean Sea. The ME would still have fought large battles between empires. People's still be superstitious. Maybe monotheism, of some sort, would have arose eventually anyway? Maybe people would be Buddhist?
Anyway, those alternative histories are interesting.
Anyway, those alternative histories are interesting.
The Greeks after the empire of Alexander was divided certainly made strong attempt to Helenize the Jews and so , the Greek were forcing the Jews to accept the Greek gods . And as a consequence there was a revolt of Jews , Similar thing was happening with the Roman , that happening have taken place in 65 and then later in 135
So the strong power were imposing their gods . Even if we look farther back the Babilonian also were imposing their gods on the Jews.
Well there was other monotheism before and during Cyrus the Great during the Persian empire but later it fell
That's true, I suppose the Empire would have been Mythranic :shrug:
While Jews believed there God was the only God they where not called upon by God to share their beliefs to the World.
The only romans who would end up seeking to worship Yaveh would have been romans who had world religions as their particular interest, who went out of their way to study other religions and find out for themselves. Some Jews tended to think of Yaveh as being their God, (He called them His chosen people), Kind of like their exclusive religious property, so some Jews would have resisted giving information to foreigners. Others where more open and accepting of foreigners.
Many people of the time believed in many gods so they saw the god of the Jews as being just another God. There would have been a bit of the "my god is better then your god" or "we will win this war because our gods are superior to your god" rivelry going on. The romans had conquered a lot of lands so naturally they would tend to think that their gods where better than others, so why bother worshipping the gods of subjugated people?
Christians on the other hand have been called upon by God to share their beliefs with all peoples. That’s why Christianity is worldwide today.
All Praise The Ancient Of Days
Mind Over Matter
Registered Senior Member
Romans had a much more fun religion, with gods and goddesses who were just fun. why would they join a complicated religion full of duties that they hardly understood?
It is interesting that you mention fun and why to embrace some complicated religion . but they embraced Christianity which dictate restraun.
Yeah, but they brought all of their parties and holy days with them.
Party and holidays that is fine more rest for a working man. But they exchanged all for one Creator, only latter they introduced a woman for godes.