Sacer
| Please add updates or make corrections to the NumisWiki text version as appropriate. SACER. Sacerdos, Sacerdotes. Priests, ministers, who, under the Pagan system, were entrusted with all the affairs, interests, and ceremonies of religion. Amongst the Romans the sacerdotal institution commenced with their worship of the gods. Romulus appointed two persons in each curia, to the priesthood. Numa, in adding to the number of the deities, increased also the number of those who were dedicated to the service of their temples. This important function was for some ages exclusively confined to the Patricians and the most illustrious families, but after a time the Plebeians were allowed to share every branch of the priesthood with the nobles. At first, these priests were chosen by the college in which they entered ; but in the sequel, after a hard struggle, the privilege of electing them transfered to the people, and the colleges retained only the right of admitting the candidate into their body. Under Sylla's dictatorship, things resumed their former state, and the people were deprived of the privilige they had usurped. But the alteration was short-lived. Atius Labrinus, a tribune of the people, carried the revival of the Lex Domitia, which Marc Antony caused to be again abrogated. At length a monarchical form of government rose on the ruins of republican liberty ; and the emperors seized upon the rights which had so long been the subject of mutual contention between the priests and the people. [See the word Pontifex.] Augustus augmented the number of priests. The emperors who followed him made a great point of having those destined to succeed them in the empire, even boys, admitted into the College of Priests, which was called cooptari and cooptari supra numerum. The case of Nero presents a flagrant instance of many different sacerdotia being heaped upon one individual, and he a youth. [See SACERD. COOPT. IN OMN. CONL., &c.]-- The emperors went under the assumed name of Pontifex Maximus.-- The members of the pontificial order possessed several privileges; they could not be deprived of their dignity ; they were, moreover, exempt from serving in the army, and from the obligation to discharge the duties of any civic office. The heathen priesthood continued to exist some time under the Christian emperors, and was not wholly suppressed until the reign of Theodosius, who expelled from Rome the whole sacerdotal body, of both sexes, as Zozimus states-- Expellebantur utriusque sexus Sacerdotes, et fana destituta sacraficiis omnibus jacebant.-- The Roman priests may be divided into two classes, viz., those who were attached to the service of no duty in particular, but whose duty was to offer sacrifices to all the gods. Of this class were the Pontiffs, the Augurs, the Decemvirs, the Aruspices, the Curiones, the Septemvirs, named Epulones, the Feciales, the Rex Sacrificulus.-- The other priests had each their peculiar divinity, such as the Flamens, the Salians, the Lupercals, the Potitii, the Pinarii, the priests (of Cybele) called Galii, the Vestals. These priests had assistant ministers to serve them at the sacrifices, such as the Camilii and Camillae, the Flamines and Flaminiae, the Cultrarii, the Popae, the Victimarii, the Fictores, the Praeclamitatores, the Lictors, the Scribes, the attendants on the Aruspices, the Pullarii, the Calatores, &c. | View whole page from the |Dictionary Of Roman Coins|
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Sacer
| Please add updates or make corrections to the NumisWiki text version as appropriate. SACER. Sacerdos, Sacerdotes. Priests, ministers, who, under the Pagan system, were entrusted with all the affairs, interests, and ceremonies of religion. Amongst the Romans the sacerdotal institution commenced with their worship of the gods. Romulus appointed two persons in each curia, to the priesthood. Numa, in adding to the number of the deities, increased also the number of those who were dedicated to the service of their temples. This important function was for some ages exclusively confined to the Patricians and the most illustrious families, but after a time the Plebeians were allowed to share every branch of the priesthood with the nobles. At first, these priests were chosen by the college in which they entered ; but in the sequel, after a hard struggle, the privilege of electing them transfered to the people, and the colleges retained only the right of admitting the candidate into their body. Under Sylla's dictatorship, things resumed their former state, and the people were deprived of the privilige they had usurped. But the alteration was short-lived. Atius Labrinus, a tribune of the people, carried the revival of the Lex Domitia, which Marc Antony caused to be again abrogated. At length a monarchical form of government rose on the ruins of republican liberty ; and the emperors seized upon the rights which had so long been the subject of mutual contention between the priests and the people. [See the word Pontifex.] Augustus augmented the number of priests. The emperors who followed him made a great point of having those destined to succeed them in the empire, even boys, admitted into the College of Priests, which was called cooptari and cooptari supra numerum. The case of Nero presents a flagrant instance of many different sacerdotia being heaped upon one individual, and he a youth. [See SACERD. COOPT. IN OMN. CONL., &c.]-- The emperors went under the assumed name of Pontifex Maximus.-- The members of the pontificial order possessed several privileges; they could not be deprived of their dignity ; they were, moreover, exempt from serving in the army, and from the obligation to discharge the duties of any civic office. The heathen priesthood continued to exist some time under the Christian emperors, and was not wholly suppressed until the reign of Theodosius, who expelled from Rome the whole sacerdotal body, of both sexes, as Zozimus states-- Expellebantur utriusque sexus Sacerdotes, et fana destituta sacraficiis omnibus jacebant.-- The Roman priests may be divided into two classes, viz., those who were attached to the service of no duty in particular, but whose duty was to offer sacrifices to all the gods. Of this class were the Pontiffs, the Augurs, the Decemvirs, the Aruspices, the Curiones, the Septemvirs, named Epulones, the Feciales, the Rex Sacrificulus.-- The other priests had each their peculiar divinity, such as the Flamens, the Salians, the Lupercals, the Potitii, the Pinarii, the priests (of Cybele) called Galii, the Vestals. These priests had assistant ministers to serve them at the sacrifices, such as the Camilii and Camillae, the Flamines and Flaminiae, the Cultrarii, the Popae, the Victimarii, the Fictores, the Praeclamitatores, the Lictors, the Scribes, the attendants on the Aruspices, the Pullarii, the Calatores, &c. | View whole page from the |Dictionary Of Roman Coins|
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