Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler did not tolerate Atheists.
(media.scored.co)
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I hadn't heard of Aurelian or Sol Invictus until you have mentioned it. I think the fact that Aurelian was messing with the religion of Rome in the 200s was a sign that they were probably messing with it in 200 BC or beyond. I do know that in Julius Caesar's time they were not at all about trying to unify all the religions and gods, but they were under the notion that the gods would present themselves to every nation perhaps under a different name or even a different title. So exploring a new area was more about learning more about their own gods than exploring new religions. That's why the Romans were so surprised to see the temple at Jerusalem empty. Here was an ancient religion, probably one of the most ancient given their strict adherence to tradition, and they had no idol at all.
You know what didn't surprise the Romans? The idea that there was a supreme God to rule over all other gods. Note that none of the Roman or Greek gods you are told about match that description. Some of our ancient history has been erased or replaced with deception.
Again -- I cite as evidence the fact that Jesus could send seventy disciples to distant parts of the land and they all come back reporting great success with sharing the message, and then later other disciples bearing the news of his resurrection could rapidly grow the church in distant lands. The fact that Roman centurions, people of great political clout and power and prestige, were asking Jesus to heal members of their inner household and speaking with Peter. The fact that Pontius Pilate didn't even blink when Jesus claimed that he was a king, or that King Agrippa could say "I am almost convinced to be a Christian myself." What did these people of nobility know that we don't? Why doesn't it make sense for people supposedly following the religion that we are told is Roman and Greek gods did not respond like we would expect them to?
I will look into Sol Invictus. I can't believe that Aurelian made it up out of nothing, but he is likely citing earlier religions or cults or writings to justify it. Thus, he may have unwittingly brought YHWH into Roman religion.
Not be outdone, Augustus simply declared that the title of Emperor and the Pontifex Maximus were one and the same, which gave the emperor essentially free will to direct the religion however he wanted, not totally unlike the head of the Church of England is also the monarch, thus you had kings simply making up new religious laws when it benefit them (looking at you Henry VIII). Over time this led to a lot of nonsense like Emperor Caligula declaring himself a living god, and everyone just kind of had to pretend to go with it, because he was the Pontifex Maximus.
BTW definitely look into Aurelian. He was by far the greatest and most competent Emperor that ever held the title. When he took power Rome was essentially in the same state as the Weimar Republic - endless internal uprisings, dissolving borders, a collapsed economy, a devastating plague, and total degeneracy and instability. In five years, he restored the entire Empire to greatness. The city of Orleans in France is named after him.
I think we both agree that our modern ideas about what the Romans actually believed and did in ancient times are a horrible misrepresentation. The only myths that survive are poor retellings of poor retellings of stories probably meant to convey powerful truths to indigent people.
Since ancient times, the king has naturally been the pope, and vice-versa. Having a separate church and state is a very odd way to run things, and I'm not convinced we are doing it right.