The paper’s introductory background sketches the religious and political function of the sacrifice in the Graeco-Roman civilization. Moreover, it shows why Christians didn’t partake in pagan sacrifices and analyses the social and legal reaction of the Roman authorities to this attitude, perceived as heinous and destabilizing. The Christian emperors, following their re- cent predecessors, enforced legislation aiming to guide the religious life of their subjects, and forbade pagan sacrifices which were mandatory in the previous century. The pagan sacrifice, gradually, will be supplanted by a Christian sacrifice, which was moulded interpreting the New Testament according to the pagan tradition on religion and politics; the resulting scenario renewed the religious-political obligation to sacrifice, but from that time on to the Christian Deity.
KEYWORDS: pagan sacrifice, Eucharist, religion and politics, imperial legislation.
