Did Oathbreaking Lead to the Dark Ages?

Last updated on: May 16, 2011 at 12:00 pm by Star Foster

Did Oathbreaking Lead to the Dark Ages? 2011-05-16T12:00:58-04:00 Star Foster

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’m busier than a house-elf at Yule today, so here’s a blast from the past. Enjoy!

History is written by the victors. This we all know well, yet there is a portion of our history that I don’t hear Pagans talk about a lot. The fall of the Roman Empire is generally seen as a failure of Paganism and Pagan culture. The “fact” of Paganism collapsing under it’s own decadence has been repeated so often that it would be surprising to hear it contradicted. Yet if you put on your “Pagan glasses” and look at the situation from a religious perspective, it actually appears to be a pretty clear example of what happens when sacred oaths are broken.

Today most Pagans, who aren’t active in Nova Roma, tend to focus on the private cultus and home worship of the ancient Romans, but the State cult was an integral part of Roman life. In fact, neglect of the State cult was ruinous both personally and nationally. Every citizen was required to make sacrifice to the State cult. The only exceptions were the Jews, who were allowed to make a sacrifice to their God on behalf of the State and their temples were recognized as part of the legitimate college of religious cults. A breakdown in communication occurred when the Christians refused to make the civic sacrifice yet insisted they weren’t Jews, who were the only group exempt. Aside from the madness of Nero, the persecution of Christians under Pagan Rome was originally due to this “atheism” that the Pagans found abhorrent, not the Christian religion itself. To deny the State cult it’s civic sacrifice was tantamount to refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance today.

The civic sacrifice was important because the Roman government had contracts with the Gods of Rome. That’s right, the State government was oathbound to uphold certain religious rites in return for the protection and favor of the Gods of Rome. Any citizen refusing to do their civic duty was essentially breaking the contract the Romans had made with their Gods. This was not dealt with lightly, as the safety and prosperity of Rome was at stake.

Another affront to the State religion was the introduction of the divinity of the Emperor. The Republic was under the protection of and favored by the numinous Gods of Rome and Italy: Jupiter, Juno, Quirinus, Bona Dea, Mars, Magna Mater, Hercules and Minerva. Rome herself was deified, and her sacred name forbidden to be spoken aloud outside the rites. From Julius Caesar onward the cult of the Emperor became the most important aspect of State religion, usurping the prominence of Jupiter and Quirinus. Living men were given precedence in the State cult over the numinous Gods that had nurtured Rome for centuries.

From Commodus onward, Rome withered. The State cult lost it’s importance gradually. As the government grew unwieldy and the power structure more complex the Romans looked for something new rather than re-establishing ties with the Gods that had governed their Republic’s ascension in the world. While once all cults that kept the mos maiorum were welcome, Rome dissolved into divisiveness. The Christians argued amongst themselves, railed against the other cults and the Roman government found them harder to put down than the Bacchic revels that of yore endangered Rome’s streets.

Constantine issued an edict of toleration in hopes of quelling the religious furor but in vain. Julian attempted to restore all the temples to their former glory, including plans to rebuild Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, but he died on a foolhardy mission against the Persians. Soon after his death the statue of Victoria was removed from the Senate, the Vestal Virgins were disbanded and Rome fell into darkness.

What does this have to do with us? Modern Pagans? Well we are often at odds over the issue of being oathbound. Some feel it is an unnecessary “cloak and dagger” element of modern Paganism, particularly as practiced by trad craft. Often we don’t see the benefits of being oathbound. It’s seen as a restriction on our personal liberty.

Yet if we view the decline of the Roman Republic and Empire as an oathbreaking, a breaking of the contracts and agreements made with the Gods that facilitated Rome’s rise, we are automatically struck by the benefits and consequences of being bound to a God. Rome prospered when their Gods prospered and faltered when the Roman Gods were neglected.

Think on that. It’s a huge concept that applies to our everyday practice. While we value mirth as much as reverence, it’s not a game we are playing. We are interacting with real Gods and have real religious obligations. Whether you contract with Quirinus, make an oath upon Thor’s hammer or accept a geasa from Lugh, you are making decisions regarding your future and such decisions are not to be made lightly.

Rome aligned itself with new Gods, the Trinity of the Christian church, and it took centuries to return to it’s former glory, for it’s new contract with Christ to mature. If you break your oath to one thing and align yourself with another, how long will your Dark Ages be? Will the Darkness be worth the steep climb back towards the light?

Ten years ago, I broke my oath to the Christian Trinity, and spent years wandering in the desert, searching for my Pagan voice. While I wouldn’t give nothing for my journey now, would I have chosen this path had I known? I don’t know, but I know the oaths I hold now are steadfast and pure. None shall convince me to turn against the Gods of my well-being, to break my sacred oaths.

Previous Post

May 15, 2011

Music for Meditation?

Next Post

May 17, 2011 The Gifts of Unity

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category alexandrian asatru astrology ATW Audio books btw ceremonial magick chaos classics community conversion cosmology dianic discordian druid dvd eclectic equinox ethics family feri festivals film Fully Inclusive Events gardnerian gender issues glbt heathen hellenismos history humor initiation interfaith magick meditation Military movies music mysticism myth networking news Open Thread Pagan Pagan 101 Paganism passings polytheism Polytheistic Religion polytheology praxis Reading List religio romana review ritual sabbats santeria service solstice symbols tools values wicca witchcraft

Select a Month July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book of the Bible contains the genealogy of Jesus?

Select your answer to see how you score.

John Mark Luke Matthew