Roger Pearse

Aha! Thank you for this. For VI 736, there was no data except that it was found in Rome.

For those wanting to use it, get the English language version, then choose Resources|Database. In the box enter volume and numeral.

A lot of the numbers above give back no results.

But VI 1779 (which I referred to above) gives a photograph of the altar of Vettius Agorius Praetextatus.

PS: I did a google search for "cil VI 736" and the first result was a JSTOR paper (which I cannot access, being merely a humble taxpayer rather than a dweller in Elysium):

"JSTOR: The Duration of the Efficacy of the Taurobolium
1 CIL vi. 736, in which the same expression in aeternum renatus reoccurs, is generally regarded as false. "

Perhaps a look at that paper might be useful?

All the best,

Roger Pearse

God Fearing Atheist

There are actually several others. Firmicus Maternus' De errore profanarum religionum 27.8 and the anonymous Carmen contra paganos 60 attest to the "blood baptism" known by Prudentius (though how likely the more lurid details are, i'm not sure; McLynn's The fourth century taurobolium makes a good case that a lot of that is mistaken). Strabo (14.1.44) is probably among those to attest to it's earliest (and pre-Christian) stage.

The interesting thing about all of this is that before the fourth century CE, there is no trace of the "blood baptism" aspect, and before the middle of the second century, taurobolia did not seem to involve bull sacrifice at all, whatever they might have done with the blood afterwards.

Early on, it was sometimes connected with a male deity (Ares, for example), or none at all.

I think that's probably right. They look at taurobolia in the fourth century with it's "blood baptism", confuse participation in multiple cults with it being a Mithraic rite, and project that back onto the centuries BCE.

While writing this, I noticed something I had missed before; it appears that CIL 6.736 also mentions renatus and dates after 375 CE.

God Fearing Atheist

I've got that one in my files. Nothing in there that Rutter didn't also say, unfortunately.

Roger Pearse

Interesting: thank you! Do you happen to have versions of these texts? If so, it might be interesting to collect these here. Drawing up a database online of all raw data would be useful, I think. Is this all to be found in Rutter?

But you are clearly some way ahead of what limited information I have on this interesting topic already -- do tell us more!

All the best,

Roger Pearse

God Fearing Atheist

Among other places, yeah. Here is Firmicus Maternus:

taurobolium quid vel cirobolium scelerata te sanguinis labe perfundit? laventur itaque sordes istae quas colligis

I can't find the Latin of Carmen at the moment, but McLynn translates it as speaking of a prefect who was "sent beneath the earth, stained with the blood of the bull" in hopes of living purified for twenty years.

ETA: I'd be happy to email you (or anyone else who is interested) copies of these papers.

Roger Pearse

I would be most grateful. Email them to roger_pearse [AT] yahoo.co.uk .

I was looking to see what translations existed of Prudentius. Does anyone know if the Loeb is a complete set of his works?

All the best,

Roger Pearse

youngalexander

I was not suggesting that it was, merely expanding upon the section RP quoted from Clauss.

I would think that Britannica has a little more cred than Achry. It was a small item of which I quoted about 90%. They do not ref everything. Just attempting to be helpful.

God Fearing Atheist

From the couple of hours I just spent in JSTOR:

Dwight Robinson's 1915 paper "An Analysis of the Pagan Revival of the Late Fourth Century, with Especial Reference to Symmachus" in Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association also regards 6.736 as "probably spurious" (pg. 90).

More promising is an old 1906 book review by Showerman in the American Journal of Philology, which says "...it should be noted that C.I.L. 736 cited on p. 197 is false. Cf Cumont II p. 179 no. 584, note" (pg. 89).

Anyone have Cumont?

mountainman

Perhaps this is a separate question, but is IMO
nevertheless indirectly related to your main
question ...

To what rituals (Mythraic or otherwise) is
associated the role of Pontifex Maximus?