A Study On The Emperor Cult In Roman Empire

With the continuous expansion of Roman territory and decades of civil war consumption,the Roman republican system can no longer play the role as before.The people of Rome are eager for peace,the economy of Rome needs to be restored,and the huge country of Rome needs powerful rulers to manage it.In 27 B.C.,Octavian got the title of Augustus,just like an autocrat.But Augustus absorbed Caesar’s lessons and hid his power under the coat of Republic,which is the system of head of state founded by Augustus.Beginning with Augustus,the head of Rome obtained a series of religious titles.After his death,he was listed in the national temple and became the "God" of Rome.Since Augustus,the supreme ruler of Rome is between man and God,and plays the role of "God" and "head of state".This constitutes the worship of the head of state.The worship of the Fuehrer is reflected in the coins,statues,buildings and other historical materials of the Roman Empire.The Fuehrer also has its own rituals and priests.This way of worshiping the head of state makes it possible to strengthen the authority of the head of state and consolidate the rule of the head of state in a religious way.In the final analysis,religion is a part of culture.The Roman Empire has a vast territory and many nationalities.The worship of the head of state is not only limited to Italy,but also vigorously promoted in the provinces.The provincial residents accepted the worship of the head of state,which objectively promoted the Romanization of the provinces.In addition,in terms of religion,due to the continuous expansion before Rome,there were many religions in the Empire.This kind of complicated religious situation gradually did not apply to the political unification of the Roman Empire,and the emergence of Fuehrer worship can also be seen as the transition from polytheism to monotheism.In Augustus period,religious rituals were restored to pray for the head of state and his family,but the goddess of the Republican period was not mentioned in these rituals,that is to say,the worship of the head of state squeezed the living space of polytheism to a certain extent.On the other hand,both provincial residents and Italian residents accept the worship of the head of state,which makes people gradually accept the idea of deifying the ruler,and also makes ideological preparation for the belief in the only God.