Religious Anxiety in Roman Empire

During the 2nd century CE, the Roman empire was definitely full of religious anxiety. There are a number of interesting religious founders that we know so much about, perhaps even more than we know of Jesus. There are two specific that I will be approaching in this paper Alexander the prophet and Peregrinus both who demonstrate that the age of Jesus was not an age of remarkable religious insight. It was an era filled with con artists, gullible believers, martyrs and miracle workers.

One mans adventure for religious glory is that of Alexander the prophet. In Lucian's Alexander the Quack Prophet we see how easy it is for a man with a suave vocabulary and some good looks, basically invent a god and sit back and watch the crowds run to worship it. "Lucian considered Alexander someone of ingenious scheming with a soul composed of variety of ingredients, one that blended deceit, trickery, tirelessness in carrying out plans with trust, reliability, and the knack of acting a better role of looking white when the end in view was black" (Lucian 270). In this story we see Alexander move from place to place setting himself up as an oracle, a prophet. The story that we learn is that of a snake-god with a human head born as an incarnation a Asclepius, and Alexander was his keeper and liaison. It all started with Alexander as a young boy, he was a prostitute and went to bed with anyone that would pay. It was at this time that he met