A poke at religion spotted on HBO... [View All]

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I've been watching the new HBO series Rome.

This week's episode dealt with Julius Caesar illegally marching into Rome and seizing the city at the head of his army. (Hey, the Supreme Court hadn't been invented yet...)

To get away with an act that was blatantly illegal and just outrageous to Romans who still believed in the Republic, he needed the blessings of the priests at the Temple Of Jupiter.

The "poke" begins with him trying to convince the priests that the gods have blessed his power grab. The High Priest says he will need to check the Auguries and determine if that's true.

If a certain color/type of birds fly over the Temple, then the Auguries are favorable and the venture is blessed. Etc.

Caesar invites the High Priest to a sumptuous dinner party and offers him 100,000 secestres for a blessing. The High Priest holds out for more, and eventually gets the bribe doubled.

In the final scenes, Caesar is bowing in front of the High Priest and hiding an absolutely wicked smile as he bows.

Behind the Temple, some priests are preparing to release cages full of the Symbolic Birds.

The message is clear: they are fixing the Auguries to favor Caesar. The whole thing is a sham.

But wait there's more! The birds fly. The crowd applauds.

A priest comes out onto the balcony of Jupiter's Temple, wearing a long red robe, a miter on his head, and carrying a crooked shepherd's staff.

He blesses the crowd, and looks EXACTLY like any TV image you've ever seen of the Pope doing the same thing in St. Peter's Square.

:rofl: