Most likely alternative to Christianity adopted by Rome

What would Rome become had it never turned Christian???

  • Manicheanism

    Votes: 8 12.9%
  • Zoroastrianism

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • Cult of Isis

    Votes: 4 6.5%
  • Mithras

    Votes: 6 9.7%
  • Judaism

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sol Invictus

    Votes: 20 32.3%
  • Hellenism(status quo)

    Votes: 14 22.6%
  • Buddhism

    Votes: 2 3.2%
  • Other

    Votes: 7 11.3%

  • Total voters
    62
  • Poll closed .

samcster94

Banned
This has been asked many times before, but my take is a bit different as it comes in poll form. Any POD in the Late Classical Period is allowed, but Christianity has to exist as a thing(even if not a state religion).
 
This has been asked many times before, but my take is a bit different as it comes in poll form. Any POD in the Late Classical Period is allowed, but Christianity has to exist as a thing(even if not a state religion).
Egalabalus and Egalabal- whorship ?
 
It's quite possible that no alternative to Christianism would be the solution : not in the sense that Christianism had to triumph (before Constantine, it wasn't the case), but in the sense that nothing led as well to a cult of belief being raised as an imperial religion. I find likely that we might see the maintain of diverse popular beliefs and practices being more or less removed from the intellectual, more philosophically or mystically minded approach of Late Antiquity, with every one of aforementioned beliefs (EDIT : okay, maybe not Islam and Baltic paganism) and then some more participating to a Romanized/Hellenized pagan ensemble tied together by common social/cultural basis; altough @clem attlee would certainly be more knowledgeable on this.
 

oberdada

Gone Fishin'
It's quite possible that no alternative to Christianism would be the solution : not in the sense that Christianism had to triumph (before Constantine, it wasn't the case), but in the sense that nothing led as well to a cult of belief being raised as an imperial religion. I find likely that we might see the maintain of diverse popular beliefs and practices being more or less removed from the intellectual, more philosophically or mystically minded approach of Late Antiquity, with every one of aforementioned beliefs (EDIT : okay, maybe not Islam and Baltic paganism) and then some more participating to a Romanized/Hellenized pagan ensemble tied together by common social/cultural basis; altough @clem attlee would certainly be more knowledgeable on this.

I disagree. Unless Christianity stays a Jewish sect, either formally, or in size, it will eventually clash with the Roman Concept of a god Emperor.
But Monarchies do need a devine legitimacy to function.
With the majority of the citizens not believing in the emperor being a god, he has a problem, that will not simply go away.

And Christianity like any monotheist religion wasn't around to tolerate other believes, that is a development post reformation.
 
A Julian-style reform seems most plausible—a Neoplatonic, Christian-influenced paganism has a chance at directly competing with Christianity
 
I doubt there be a clear single alternative to Christianity. You have the Oriental cults, Isis, Magna Mater, the Eleusinian mysteries, Sol Invictus, Neo-Platonism and Stoicism right along ealry Christianity. And let's be honest, OTL Christianity rise to power is almost ASB, only happening thanks to a very long string of lucky between the Crisis of the Third Century and Christian Emperors taking power in the IV century. (Outside of Julian.) Even by the time of Theodosius, not even half the Empire was 'Christian'. (And most of the time was Christian only in name, only using it for political and economical reasons.)

It is in fact easy, or at least very possible if done right, to knock Christianity off it high house. With that, you can see the Empire being divided and share by various faiths. (Neoplatonic Jupiter, the Isis Cult, Sol Invictus, Serapis.)
 

samcster94

Banned
I doubt there be a clear single alternative to Christianity. You have the Oriental cults, Isis, Magna Mater, the Eleusinian mysteries, Sol Invictus, Neo-Platonism and Stoicism right along ealry Christianity. And let's be honest, OTL Christianity rise to power is almost ASB, only happening thanks to a very long string of lucky between the Crisis of the Third Century and Christian Emperors taking power in the IV century. (Outside of Julian.) Even by the time of Theodosius, not even half the Empire was 'Christian'. (And most of the time was Christian only in name, only using it for political and economical reasons.)

It is in fact easy, or at least very possible if done right, to knock Christianity off it high house. With that, you can see the Empire being divided and share by various faiths. (Neoplatonic Jupiter, the Isis Cult, Sol Invictus, Serapis.)
Invictus always seemed easier than the others as it actually was in charge briefly.
 
Something people fail to notice all the time is that the Cult of Isis, Sol Invictus, and Mithras were simply traditions grafted onto ordinary paganism. They had no dogma, no developed theology, and in the end, would not take over in the manner Christianity did.
 
Maybe some kind of Neoplatonism with all the gods of the Empire being emanations of a single supreme divinity.

They could then do what the Chinese did and create a bureaucracy where aspiring members need to pass an exam in the works of classical literature.
 
I feel like my original post was interpreted as a joke, but I believe that if Europe remained pagan, Islam would have swept through it (assuming its not butterflied away and the Roman or Byzantine Empire lasts long enough). Pagan traditions have difficulty withstanding the onslaught of zealous converts enticed with rewards in paradise.
 
I am of the opinion that without Christianity, the religious situation of the Mediterranean world would have resembled that of China, with multiple competing schools of philosophy and popular deities and deified heroes spread about, and among the peasantry and urban underclass a continuation of folk religion, with maybe an overlay of whichever philosophy is currently popular/state-supported. Various mystery cults would turn up around the place, and I can't really see any reason why they wouldn't coexist. To my knowledge, Christianity was the first exclusive prosletysing faith.
 
I feel like my original post was interpreted as a joke, but I believe that if Europe remained pagan, Islam would have swept through it (assuming its not butterflied away and the Roman or Byzantine Empire lasts long enough). Pagan traditions have difficulty withstanding the onslaught of zealous converts enticed with rewards in paradise.

Islam would be butterflied away with a PoD set over 300 years before it existed.

Jewish Arabs on the other hand ...
 
Manichaeism has a brief shot of replacing paganism instead of Christianity. Would be interesting to see the Zoroastrians of Iran react to what they’d see as a heresy, though maybe some would convert to it.

That or maybe Rome and Iran both convert to Manichaeism and merge into one super empire, while the Zoroastrians flee up north to what would be Russia, where the cold-stricken people come to like the fire temples.
 
I think what you'd get first would be a form of neoplatonic hellenism that would then fuse with whatever proselytising religion gets imperial and noble support.
I.e. roughly what happened OTL with the Imperial Cult and Early Christianity.
 
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