The Religious Context of Early Christianity: A Guide to Graeco-Roman Religions

Top Highlights

“The normal form of sacrifice for Greeks and Romans was the so-called slaughter-sacrifice which was followed by a sacrificial meal.” (Page 13)

“follows: ‘Animal sacrifice is a ritualised slaughter followed by a meat meal.’” (Page 17)

“An insistence on the correct carrying out of the ritual was also characteristic of Roman religion, and remained so. The ceremonies must be correct down to the very last detail, and nothing might be altered in them.” (Page 30)

“In his diagnosis, religion, in the widest sense of this word, has its origin in the managing of experiences of contingency in nature and in human life.” (Page 9)

“The critical eye will see clearly that the specific characteristic of Christianity in many cases is to be found less in the details and the individual aspects than in the total pattern and in the unifying centre-point, which gives structure to the Christian universe of meaning. Besides this, the acceptance and assimilation of foreign influences can also be assessed positively, as a sign of the integrative power of the Christian faith, which is capable of fusing the different elements together.” (Pages 5–6)