Gruppenreligionen im römischen Reich

The authors of the articles in this volume deal with a particular social form of religion, namely those religions which were organized as 'permanent' cults through membership or initiation. They focus on issues of internal structure and the increasing significance of cults: How were the social relationships in religious groups structured, and did memberships and initiations influence the structure of religious biographies? What part did cult rooms play on the one hand, and the frequency of ritual acts and banquets together on the other hand? In dealing with these issues, the authors direct their attention to the relationship between group religions and other traditional, public or crisis-oriented cults in local contexts.