The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

term ''religiō'', the origin of the modern lexeme ''

religion Religion is usually defined as a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

'' (via Old French/

Middle Latin Medieval Latin was the form of Literary Latin used in Roman Catholic Western Europe during the Middle Ages. In this region it served as the primary written language, though local languages were also written to varying degrees. Latin functioned ...

), is of ultimately obscure etymology. It is recorded beginning in the 1st century BC, i.e. in

Classical Latin Classical Latin is the form of Literary Latin recognized as a literary standard by writers of the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. It was used from 75 BC to the 3rd century AD, when it developed into Late Latin. In some later per ...

at the end of the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman K ...

, notably by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

, in the sense of "scrupulous or strict observance of the traditional ''cultus''". In classic antiquity, it meant conscientiousness, sense of right, moral obligation, or duty towards anything and was used mostly in secular or mundane contexts.

Etymology

The classical etymology of the word, traced to

himself, derives it from ''relegere'': re (again) + lego (read) where lego is in the sense of "go over", "choose", or "consider carefully". Modern scholars such as

Tom Harpur Thomas William Harpur (1929–2017), known as Tom Harpur, was a Canadian biblical scholar, columnist, and broadcaster. An ordained Anglican priest, he was a proponent of the Christ myth theory, the idea that Jesus did not exist but is a fictional ...

and

Joseph Campbell Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American writer. He was a professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College who worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of th ...

have argued that ''religio'' is derived from ''religare'': re (again) + ''ligare'' (bind or connect), which was made prominent by

Augustine of Hippo Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...

, following the interpretation of

Lactantius Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius (c. 250 – c. 325) was an early Christian author who became an advisor to Roman emperor, Constantine I, guiding his Christian religious policy in its initial stages of emergence, and a tutor to his son Cri ...

in '' Divinae institutiones'', IV, 28.In ''The Pagan Christ: Recovering the Lost Light.'' Toronto. Thomas Allen, 2004. Newer research shows that in the ancient and medieval world, the etymological Latin root ''religio'' was understood as an individual virtue of worship in mundane contexts; never as doctrine, practice, or actual source of knowledge. In general, ''religio'' referred to broad social obligations towards anything including family, neighbors, rulers, and even towards God. ''Religio'' was most often used by the ancient Romans not in the context of a relation towards gods, but as a range of general emotions such as hesitation, caution, anxiety, fear; feelings of being bound, restricted, inhibited; which arose from heightened attention in any mundane context. The term was also closely related to other terms like ''scrupulus'' which meant "very precisely" and some Roman authors related the term ''superstitio'', which meant too much fear or anxiety or shame, to ''religio'' at times. When ''religio'' came into English around the 1200s as religion, it took the meaning of "life bound by monastic vows" or monastic orders.

Examples of usage

connected ' read, i.e. ''re'' (again) with ''lego'' in the sense of choose, go over again or consider carefully. The definition of ''religio'' by

is ''cultum deorum'', "the proper performance of rites in veneration of the gods." Julius Caesar used ''religio'' to mean "obligation of an oath" when discussing captured soldiers making an oath to their captors The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, used the term ''religio'' to describe elephants' supposed veneration of the sun and the moon.

St. Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afri ...

, following the interpretation given by Lactantius in ''Divinae institutiones'', IV, 28 derived ''religio'' from ''re'' (again) and ' bind, connect, probably from a prefix. '' The medieval usage alternates with ''order'' in designating bonded communities like those of

monastic orders Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important rol ...

: "we hear of the 'religion' of the

Golden Fleece In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where P ...

, of a knight 'of the religion of Avys'".

Significance in Roman religion

Within the system of what we would now call "

Roman religion Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule. The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, ...

(in the modern sense of the word), the term ''religio'' originally meant an obligation to the gods, something expected by them from human beings or a matter of particular care or concern as related to the gods, "reverence for God or the gods, careful pondering of divine things,

piety Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary among ...

". In this sense, ''religio'' might be translated better as "religious scruple" than with the English word "religion". One definition of ''religio'' offered by

is ''cultus deorum'', "the proper performance of rites in veneration of the gods." ''Religio'' among the Romans was not based on "

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

", but on knowledge, including and especially correct practice. ''Religio'' (plural ''religiones'') was the pious practice of Rome's traditional cults, and was a cornerstone of the ''

mos maiorum The ''mos maiorum'' (; "ancestral custom" or "way of the ancestors," plural ''mores'', cf. English "mores"; ''maiorum'' is the genitive plural of "greater" or "elder") is the unwritten code from which the ancient Romans derived their social norms ...

'', the traditional social norms that regulated public, private, and military life. To the Romans, their success was self-evidently due to their practice of proper, respectful ''religio'', which gave the gods what was owed them and which was rewarded with social harmony, peace and prosperity. Religious law maintained the proprieties of divine honours, sacrifice, and ritual. Impure sacrifice and incorrect ritual were '' vitia'' (faults, hence "vice," the English derivative); excessive devotion, fearful grovelling to deities, and the improper use or seeking of divine knowledge were ''

superstitio The vocabulary of ancient Roman religion was highly specialized. Its study affords important information about the religion, traditions and beliefs of the ancient Romans. This legacy is conspicuous in European cultural history in its influence on ...

''; neglecting the ''religiones'' owed to the traditional gods was

atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

, a charge leveled during the Empire at Jews, Christians, and Epicureans. Any of these moral deviations could cause divine anger (''ira deorum'') and, therefore, harm the State. See

Religion in ancient Rome Religion in ancient Rome consisted of varying imperial and provincial religious practices, which were followed both by the people of Rome as well as those who were brought under its rule. The Romans thought of themselves as highly religious, ...

. ''Religiosus'' was something pertaining to the gods or marked out by them as theirs, as distinct from '' sacer'', which was something or someone given to them by humans. Hence, a graveyard was not primarily defined as '' sacer'' but a ''locus religiosus'', because those who lay within its boundaries were considered belonging to the

di Manes In ancient Roman religion, the ''Manes'' (, , ) or ''Di Manes'' are chthonic deities sometimes thought to represent souls of deceased loved ones. They were associated with the ''Lares'', ''Lemures,'' '' Genii'', and '' Di Penates'' as deities ('' ...

. Places struck by lightning were

taboo A taboo or tabu is a social group's ban, prohibition, or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, sacred, or allowed only for certain persons.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

because they had been marked as ''religiosus'' by

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandth t ...

himself.Varro. LL V, 150. See also Festus, 253 L: "A place was once considered to become ''religiosus'' which looked to have been dedicated to himself by a god": "''locus statim fieri putabatur religiosus, quod eum deus dicasse videbatur"''.

References

{{reflist Ancient Roman religion Etymologies