Monotheism: The Primitive Religion of the City of Rome, An Historical Investigation

Did God Choose Rome
As Well As the Jews?

 "The case that Fr. Formby puts forward can be summarised as follows:

Following the Tower of Babel episode and the consequent scattering of the descendants of Adam and Noah all over the world (Genesis 11: 1-9), the plan of God was to bring the human race gradually together again under the rule of order and love. For this purpose, He decided to use two instruments:

(i) A selected people, or nation, which would hold, preserve and develop the religious truths and principles necessary for man’s happiness and supernatural destiny.

This was of course the children of Israel.

(ii) A selected city for the purpose of, in due time, providing mankind with civil order and other benefits.

This was Rome.

In short, Fr. Formby maintains, and if our submission proves completely satisfactorily, that, just as the Hebrew nation was founded as a result of a special call from God and was lovingly preserved by God even when, on countless occasions, it rebelled against Him, so also the city of Rome was founded under Divine inspiration, and kept under Divine protection even when it too rebelled against God. What is more, Fr. Formby is satisfied that in the first few centuries after its foundation, Rome had the true religion - not the religion of Moses, of course, because that was specially given for special reasons to the people chosen by God for their special mission - but the patriarchal religion which was the true religion throughout the world up to the time of Moses, and indeed was acceptable to God even after the time of Moses when practised by the Gentles (of whom Job was perhaps the most notable example.)

Here is how Fr. Formby himself, in chapter 1, summarises what he has gleaned from extensive reading of both pagan and early Christian authors:

'I shall have to claim, as a result of the evidence that I have examined, that a Monotheism derived from the Hebrew nation was established by law as the religion of Rome in the reign of Numa Pompilius [ Rome’s second king, after Romulus ] ; that the civil code of the city was in consequence modelled upon that of the Mosaic Law; and that the admission of idols into the temples of the city was not only as strictly prohibited in Rome as it was by the Mosaic law, but that the prohibition was incomparably better observed by the Roman citizens than it ever was by the Chosen People in their early history…'

And we must make it clear that Fr. Formby did not regard this whole subject, which he devoted a significant effort to researching and publicising, as a trivial one, or as one that was only of interest to specialist scholars. On the contrary, the facts given in this book serve to throw a new light on the manner in which God, through His exquisitely devised providential arrangements, has governed the world, and deepen one’s Catholic Faith.

In short, it is not only an enthralling but also an important book.”

[- from Britons Catholic Library Catalogue, 1991]

Note: This 19th century work is not an easy read to begin with! The style, which includes very long sentences, is one with which modern readers are not often acquainted. Nevertheless persistence yields mastery, and the enthralling contents make the effort very worthwhile.

Publisher's note:
"This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work."