So, let's assume that for whatever reason Christ (if he was indeed a real figure) dies young, and the movements surrounding Christianity never pick up steam. How does religion develop in the Roman Empire? I know precious little about the Greco-Roman pantheon and religion; was there a written doctrine? Head of the faith? I know they had temples here and there dedicated to their various gods.
I've heard it said that the Romans could have drifted towards monotheism anyway, taking Zeus/Jupiter to be the one and only God, or at least supreme enough that the other gods are demoted in some way.
Anyway, would the Romans try and find equivalencies of their gods in the various other Pagan belief systems of Europe? Or would they try to morph the other beliefs to fit their own? Would a lack of Christianity cause a quicker collapse of the empire, prolong its life, or not affect it in that regard at all?
I've heard it said that the Romans could have drifted towards monotheism anyway, taking Zeus/Jupiter to be the one and only God, or at least supreme enough that the other gods are demoted in some way.
Anyway, would the Romans try and find equivalencies of their gods in the various other Pagan belief systems of Europe? Or would they try to morph the other beliefs to fit their own? Would a lack of Christianity cause a quicker collapse of the empire, prolong its life, or not affect it in that regard at all?