It's interesting that you should bring up this topic, as I've recently been reading John Scheid's "Introduction to Roman Religion" (Indiana University Press, 1985) and re-reading Walter Berkert's "Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical" (Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press 1985).
I've actually been thinking of these in relation to the way that RPGs depict religion.
Here are a few interesting quotes and observations from these sources and others that I've collected over the years that influence the way that I handle religion in my own games:
In the ancient world, cults were as much social institutions as religious institutions. They had no revealed sacred texts, dogma, or orthodoxy.
"Explicit expression of belief is kept separate from religious practice. Free exegesis and philosophical speculation takes place outside of religious life in the strictest sense of the term. In so far as the only dogma is an obligation to observe public rituals, individuals are at liberty to conceive of the gods, religion, and the universe however they please. The obligation to observe communal rituals is seen as a civic duty – it is perfectly valid to be an atheist who disbelieves in the gods but who attends public rituals for the social benefit to community cohesion. Speculation about the true nature of the gods is regarded as the domain of philosophy rather than religion."
"This does not mean that religion was always a “cold” and disinterested affair closed to intense spiritual experiences. Most of the public cults have a system of initiation that involves genuine religious ecstasy."
"Cults generally have no explicit moral code. Ethics is seen as a matter for philosophers rather than priests. Religion is ruled by the same moral code that rules social relations in the broader community. Membership in certain “evil” cults are prohibited to citizens because they are seen as incompatible with good citizenship, rather than due to transgression of an absolute ethical standards."
"The concept of piety has a wider frame of reference than just religion in the strictest sense; it covers the correct relations with parents, friends, and fellow citizens. Piety offers as a form of distributive justice, regulating an individuals obligations towards the Gods. It was a reciprocal social obligation, for the Gods also need to fulfil their side of the contract."
"Impiety is the opposite of piety. It consists in denying the Gods the honours and rank that is rightfully theirs, sacrilege (especially damaging their property by theft), or by neglect of religious observances. Impiety can be accidental or deliberate. For example, a traveller who accidentally cuts down a tree in a scared grove for firewood commits a religious offence, but not an unforgivable one. If one offends a deity out of genuine ignorance, the impiety can be excoriated by a sacrifice and making reparation for the wrong. Serious impiety requires greater acts of atonement, but the justice of the Gods is usually fair. But if impiety is deliberate or has malicious intent, the guilty person remains forever marked by the crime. The local community might perform a sacrifice to make good the damage, but the guilty offender is prosecuted as a criminal who has violated public law and placed the community at risk of divine retribution. In many case, the guilty parties are banished from the community as exiles. "
The concept of blasphemy is rooted in the notion that it involves an act of disloyalty against community cohesion as much as it involves a crime against the Gods.
Religious duties are imposed on individuals by citizenship. Citizens acquire civic religious responsibilities through birth or adoption. Outsiders granted citizenship – such as freed slaves or naturalised foreigners – are expected to change their religion. Foreign visitors have no obligations towards the local deities, although some choose to sacrifice at a local shrine or temple out of a sense of courtesy. Citizens might acquire additional religious duties as a consequence of membership in a specific social group, such as a military unit or guild of artisans.
"Religion is a social affair. It is closely linked to the community, rather than the individual. The aim of the religion is the earthly well-being of the community, not the salvation of individual and their immortal souls in the afterlife. The gods do help individuals, but primarily because they are members of the community and only secondarily as favoured individuals per se."
"It is believed that there is a religious aspect to every communal action, and a communal aspect to every religious action. There is no inherent distinction between the secular and religious aspects of life. Public cult practice inevitably incorporates political and ideological elements. "
Professional priests are regarded merely as specialists in religious matters – in the same way that a physician is regarded as a specialist in medical matters or a lawyer is regarded as a specialist in legal matters. Priests have no authority beyond their own shrine or temple. Individuals associated with wealthy, influential, or prestigious temples might be granted the title of High Priest or High Priestess. However, this is a title denoting community respect rather than a statement of hierarchical religious authority.
Foreigners generally recognise titles such as High Priest or High Priestess and treat the bearer with a certain amount of deference as a prominent local community figure, but are not obligated to ascribe religious authority to them.
A member of the priesthood who is corrupt or who does not perform their duties can be stripped of their title by a public assembly.
Generally, only the largest religious sites can support a professional priesthood. Many smaller shrines are maintained by a part-time attendant who is a member of the local elite. Some families hand down responsibility for a public shrine or holy site from one generation to the next. This is considered a great honour by the community.
