Description
Book SynopsisScholars have long separated a few privileged “religions of the Book” from faiths lacking sacred texts, including ancient Roman religion. Looking beyond this distinction, Duncan MacRae delves into Roman treatises on the nature of gods and rituals to grapple with a central question: what was the significance of books in a religion without scripture?
Trade ReviewWith this book on the role of writing in Roman religion, MacRae offers a reasoned and persuasive corrective to current scholarship. While scholars center all too often on the importance of ritual action and religious practice,
Legible Religion provides a timely and important reminder that writing, reading, and thinking about religion were just as essential to people’s religious identities in the Roman world as were their sacrifices and vows. -- Andreas Bendlin, University of Toronto
In this important new book, Duncan MacRae reevaluates the relationship between Roman religion and the works of ancient Roman ‘antiquarians.’ He cogently argues that the latter are not mere sources of data about Roman religion, but themselves played an active and crucial role in defining that religion. This book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the relationship between religion and text. -- James B. Rives, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
