Buy new:
-24% $39.44
FREE delivery May 22 - 23
Ships from: textbooks_source
Sold by: textbooks_source
$39.44 with 24 percent savings
List Price: $51.95

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
FREE delivery May 22 - 23. Details
Only 3 left in stock - order soon.
$$39.44 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$39.44
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
textbooks_source
Ships from
textbooks_source
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$34.31
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
Nice clean copy with no highlighting or writing. We take pride in our accurate descriptions. Satisfaction Guaranteed. Nice clean copy with no highlighting or writing. We take pride in our accurate descriptions. Satisfaction Guaranteed. See less
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 22 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$39.44 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$39.44
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

J. B. Rives
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Religion in the Roman Empire

by James B. Rives (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$39.44","priceAmount":39.44,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"39","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"44","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"hcCBhhKhWw%2FXW3YFR5gBbyNE69n9SZngEehLywMd0%2B0adc3NNDHbKIiVx7rwjbCQMReexSo9UhVWqywxtRbi2%2BeIZyz5c39xmVTyNuRiV8sNNl3SUslcFTSK9vQs56UISi5JEtVHc48CE5gJDZyidAyi9CdlcWa2%2BRDrwEmWnDozqndglIuXsg%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$34.31","priceAmount":34.31,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"34","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"31","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"hcCBhhKhWw%2FXW3YFR5gBbyNE69n9SZngLZM%2BZZcb9UOm%2B2MrxpoKWeFuaGMY7HWDqxu%2FGjYONmuBVETPTfNIJIF5K0kYD9PLWudBvfnn%2FS7tcb2vgFiSXhiGHW60FlFa0Hir7a1yIRgV8Pe9lofTETuDHXGg6QebV75xurvmGoyfGHRYrpH%2F0%2FWVwSzmwqSo","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

This book provides an engaging, systematic introduction to religion in the Roman empire.
  • Covers both mainstream Graeco-Roman religion and regional religious traditions, from Egypt to Western Europe
  • Examines the shared assumptions and underlying dynamics that characterized religious life as a whole
  • Draws on a wide range of primary material, both textual and visual, from literary works, inscriptions and monuments
  • Offers insight into the religious world in which contemporary rabbinic Judaism and Christianity both had their origin
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. ISBN-10
    1405106565
  2. ISBN-13
    978-1405106566
  3. Publisher
    Wiley-Blackwell
  4. Publication date
    June 5, 2006
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    6.13 x 0.58 x 9.25 inches
  7. Print length
    256 pages
  8. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

Religion in the Roman Empire
$39.44
Get it May 22 - 23
Only 3 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by textbooks_source.
+
The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties (Hellenistic Culture and Society) (Volume 31)
$31.95
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 21
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity
$22.79
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 21
Only 12 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is just what Rives's volume does best: to show us where we stand in a thought-provoking manner that invites further questions about "religion" in the Roman empire." (Phoenix, 2011)

"The section openings are often carefully and helpfully linked to preceding arguments, within and across chapters." (Journal of Religion, 2009)"...the book is important as an attempt to create a textbook in an area normally...left to an appendix because the problems are all too forbidding..." (Greece and Rome, Vol 55 No. 2 2008)

"This is the best available introduction to religion in the Roman world, and will be indispensable for classroom use and in library collections." (Choice -- A Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2007)

"A dense and stimulating overview of Roman religion." (Bryn Mawr Reviews)

"A concise, readable, stimulating, and adroitly organised introduction to a vast cumbersome topic." (Scholia Reviews)

Review

"Rives deftly engages the reader with the Roman world, and succeeds magnificently in making sense of its seemingly baffling variety of religious life."
–Simon Price, University of Oxford

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wiley-Blackwell (June 5, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1405106565
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1405106566
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 0.58 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
J. B. Rives

J. B. Rives

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Christopher R. Travers
5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, open-ended exploration of Roman religion
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2010
Verified Purchase
This book is no ordinary introduction to the study of Roman religion. Instead James Rives takes the approach of presenting problems to the study of the topic, plus apparent differences to modern approaches to religion. Often he will present conflicting schools of thought as a way of setting the reader off on a quest to find the truth.

Additionally, chapter 2 in this book is quite valuable for the information it presents on outlines of various known religious traditions in various areas of the Roman Empire. This chapter makes it possible for people to begin to ascertain the Semitic influence on Anatolia, for example, or the overall theological structure of non-Jewish Semitic cultures within the Roman Empire. This itself provides a window into comparative religion that I haven't finished digesting yet.

The book is otherwise organized into chapters discussing various challenges, problems, or topics concerning Roman religion. Each chapter largely stands on it's own, and what cross-referencing does occur does not necessarily follow a linear form. This is refreshing because one is left with a sense that this is an incomplete study which seeks to help define some approaches rather than put the author's understanding forward was the single, correct viewpoint.

Finally I'd note that there were many times when the author suggested that specific practices might be seen as unusual or strange today and I could immediately think of close modern equivalents. I think the author's view here is that these equivalents are somehow less religious but I'm not quite so sure. At any rate, if one thing could be added, it would be a chapter on the the problem that such continuities pose to the study of the topic.

All in all, this is a very well done book and I'd highly recommend it.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Mr. D. Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
Covers the subject thoroughly and clearly; not a book for the dilettante but rewarding for the serious historian
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
J. Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2016
Verified Purchase
Excellent resource! Very well written
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
unsworthyeti
3.0 out of 5 stars Good history
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2014
Verified Purchase
Nice introductory history book.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Constant Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Clearly Written, Well-Organized Presentation of a Fascinating Topic
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2006
This fascinating, well-written book provides a clear, and at times lively, introduction/overview of religion in the Roman Empire from Caesar to Constantine. James Rives walks the reader through the variety of beliefs/worship practices from North Africa to Britain, explores the ways in which local deities and practices travelled through the empire and how Roman deities were thought to interact with them, explains the differences among practice, myth, belief and art, and considers Roman imperial attitudes toward the multiplicity of religions under its rule. He does such a smooth job of organizing that it feels as if the information naturally falls into the categories he provides, and while this certainly isn't pop history it is very clearly written, with no jargon, and with interesting details and accounts of people's interactions with their gods/goddesses/lares/sacred sites. He concludes with an account of early Christianity that is remarkably unbiased--this is not a triumphal narrative of the rise of monotheism by any means--and he leaves the reader to consider what was lost, and what has been misunderstood, about a world where caves, groves and rivers were places where anyone could pause and talk to the sacred without intermediary. He also provides an excellent glossary of assorted deities and a very complete bibliography, as well as annotated bib. notes at the end of each chapter for further reading. I'd recommend this to anyone with an interest in the subject; as said, it's not a pop history, but certainly accessible to the educated lay reader (it reminded me a bit of Reuther's Goddesses and the Divine Feminine in terms of readibility/historically informed assessment of non-monotheist religion, and might appeal to anyone who enjoyed that book).
16 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ryan Mease
4.0 out of 5 stars Review of Rives' Religion in the Roman Empire
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2012
Certainly, Rives has a clear understanding of those precise moments where our JC-centric understanding of religion directly misleads our acquaintance with Roman religion. He provides a careful re-teaching, term by term, showing when and where Roman conceptions of religion wander away from our own intuitions, and a bit of careful debunking here and there.

My one complaint is a lack of primary sources. Rives does refer to these sources with some frequency, but she finds room for direct quotes only here and there, and often only in long, extensive sample passages. I would have enjoyed (a lot) more short, poignant quotations from relevant primary literature. Also, the book itself doesn't have a... pressing aesthetic. If I weren't interested in learning more on Roman religion, I would have put this down in a hurry.

The book is straightforward, careful, even funny. It has a few faults, but I yet recommend it.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Vincent D. Pisano
4.0 out of 5 stars A nicely presented introduction to religion in the Roman Empire
Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2008
Religion in the Roman Empire by James B. Rives allows readers to glimpse the colorful menagerie of the various beliefs that saturated the lands of the Caesars. Rives is well-organized and clear in his presentation, all the while covering large swaths of the Empire, from North Africa to Gaul and everywhere in between. He begins rightly by creating the context with which to study ancient polytheism, that is, to leave our modern pretensions about religion and piety out of the academic arena, and meet the Ancient Romans on their own terms and by their own definitions. The rest of the work does great justice to this view as Rives approaches each subject with respect and objectivity. He covers the basics: the views of the divine and their relationship with mortals, the imperial and mystery cults, the mobility and inclusion of foreign gods, Roman religious policy, and finally, the dominance of Christianity. This last subject is not seen with bias but is also considered on its own terms with some insightful suggestions by Rives.

This book being an introduction that covers such a huge array of material, no single item is given great detail. However, what it lacks in detail it provides in perspective and equips the reader well for further study.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Good book for helping understand religion in the Roman Empire
Reviewed in Canada on March 3, 2017
Verified Purchase
Good book for helping understand religion in the Roman Empire. Breaks it down and thoroughly explains everything. HOWEVER, if you are buying the kindle version for school on a computer DONT. It splits it into 3500+ "locations" instead of pages and is impossible to cite.
Report