[deleted] t1_ivvw4ze wrote on November 11, 2022 at 12:11 AM

The huge difference, besides monotheism, is that the Greco-Roman religions were not about morality at all. They were about a contractual (best definition) relationship to obtain favor and avoid disfavor of the gods. Roman's considered Christians to be atheists because (1) Christianity was not ancient and cultural (Judiasm in contrast) and (2) Christians refused to honor the Roman religions, whose God's were tied to the success of the state.

Ancient Greco-Roman polytheism did not "go to church", did not listen to sermons, etc. The religious services were impersonal and involved specific rites carried out by appointed priests and professional acolytes.

BasurarusaB t1_ivw7p0e wrote on November 11, 2022 at 1:41 AM

I generally agree with what you are saying but morality did creep in especially in areas like guest/host relationships and ritual contamination.

TomtheBombadilly t1_ivxgq3x wrote on November 11, 2022 at 9:42 AM

Perhaps that’s where we get into the weeds: where morality is closely tied to culture and vice versa. Perhaps (this is a big perhaps with a capital “P”) what separated Greco-Roman religion from the monotheistic religions was the relatively universal nature of the latter. It’s cross-cultural applicability. As someone else has commented, one idea could be that of universal human dignity (the “made in the image of God” thing). Again, I think morality as a human idea is culturally embedded and can’t be untied from culture. The Greco-Romans were moral as much as they were social. You can’t be social without having rules (hence morality). Christianity’s contribution to morality (and PERHAPS social and cultural interaction) was its universality (incorporating non-Jews and Jews within a single spiritual and embodied community).