Abstract Book of the 9th International Conference on Modern Approaches in Humanities and Social Sciences
Year: 2025
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Religious Tolerance in the Roman Province of Arabia (106-324 AD)
Zeyad al-Salameen
ABSTRACT:
This paper investigates religious tolerance in the Roman province of Arabia from 106 to 324 AD, focusing on the interplay between Roman and local religions and Rome’s policy of accommodating indigenous beliefs. It examines how local religions persisted and adapted despite the influx of Greco-Roman practices, with Roman policies permitting the worship of local deities within the broader Roman religious system. The findings highlight the resilience of local traditions and the gradual integration of foreign religious elements. The final section addresses the transition from paganism to Christianity and the Roman response to this emerging faith.
keywords: Roman Arabia, post-Nabataean period, local cults in Roman Arabia, religious tolerance, historical tolerance and coexistence