To the practical modern mind, the idea of divine prophecy is
more ludicrous than sublime. Yet to our cultural forebears in
ancient Greece and Rome, prophecy was anything but marginal; it was
in fact the basic medium for recalling significant past events and
expressing hopes for the future, and it offered assurance that
divinities truly cared about mere mortals. Prophecy also served
political ends, and it was often invoked to support or condemn an
emperor's actions. In "Prophets and Emperors," David Potter shows
us how prophecy worked, how it could empower, and how the diverse
inhabitants of the Roman Empire used it to make sense of their
world.
This is a fascinating account of prophecy as a social,
religious, and political phenomenon. The various systems of
prophecy--including sacred books, oracles, astrological readings,
interpretation of dreams, the sayings of holy men and women--come
into sharp relief. Potter explores the use of prophecy as a nieans
of historical analysis and political communication, and he
describes it in the context of the ancient city. Finally, he traces
the reformation of the prophetic tradition under the influence of
Christianity in the fourth century.
Drawing on diverse evidence--from inscriptions and ancient
prophetic books to Greek and Roman historians and the Bible--Potter
has produced a study that will engage anyone interested in the
religions of the ancient Mediterranean and in the history and
politics of the Roman Empire.
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