Bible Word of the Day

Emperor Worship (Part of Greco-Roman Religion)

Meaning
The idea of emperor worship was common in ancient Gentile societies, especially the Greek and Roman culture. And during Roman times it took on significant meaning starting with Julius Caesar. Many people worshipped emperors as demigods. In addition, there were shrines and temples dedicated to emperor worship. During the early church, a common Roman greeting was “Hail Caesar.” Anyone not returning an appropriate response could be killed by the Roman soldiers for treason. The Pharisees and the Herodians during the ministry of Jesus used this very point in their efforts to trap Jesus in hopes of bringing about His death for treason against Rome. We can read about their failed efforts in the twelfth chapter of Mark’s Gospel. This idea of divinity being applied to the Roman Emperor started in Greek culture with the reverence given to the father of the family. It was thought that the father of the family had a “genius” or “divine spirit” which allowed him to oversee his family wisely.

This idea stemmed from the belief that humans could become godlike by the exercising of virtuous behavior and ideals. This belief was common in antiquity, and it still exists in some religions today, e.g. Buddhism. And the conquest of Alexander the Great over most of the known world at the time, made this belief even more popular. Add to this the fact that the Egyptians saw their Pharoahs as divine long before the Greeks had done so. Therefore, with the conquest of Alexander the Great over Egypt, this only furthered the belief in a divine spirit being bestowed upon kings, emperors and the Pharoahs. This also leads to the veneration of previous emperors and kings, from those currently in power. In other words, when an emperor came into power they would further enhance their claims to divinity by proclaiming their dead ancestors to be gods, especially if they preceded them in the line of power.