Editing Isis (section)

====Adherents and priests====
Like most cults of the time, the Isis cult did not require its devotees to worship Isis [[religious exclusivism|exclusively]], and their level of commitment probably varied greatly.{{sfn|Beard|North|Price|1998|pp=236, 307–309}} Some devotees of Isis served as priests in a variety of cults and underwent several initiations dedicated to different deities.{{sfn|Burkert|1987|pp=46–50}} Nevertheless, many emphasized their strong devotion to her, and some considered her the focus of their lives.{{sfn|Bøgh|2015|pp=279–282}} They were among the very few religious groups in the Greco-Roman world to have a distinctive name for themselves, loosely equivalent to "Jew" or "Christian", that might indicate they defined themselves by their religious affiliation. However, the word—''Isiacus'' or "Isiac"—was rarely used.{{sfn|Beard|North|Price|1998|pp=236, 307–309}}

Isiacs were a very small proportion of the Roman Empire's population,{{sfn|Alvar|2008|pp=32–33}} but they came from every [[social class in ancient Rome|level of society]], from [[slavery in ancient Rome|slaves]] and [[freedmen]] to high officials and members of the imperial family.{{sfn|Takács|1995|pp=5–6}} Ancient accounts imply that Isis was popular with lower social classes, providing a possible reason why authorities in the Roman Republic, troubled by struggles between classes, regarded her cult with suspicion.{{sfn|Orlin|2010|p=206}} Women were more strongly represented in the Isis cult than in most Greco-Roman cults, and in imperial times, they could serve as priestesses in many of the same positions in the hierarchy as their male counterparts.{{sfn|Heyob|1975|p=87}} Women make up much less than half of the Isiacs known from inscriptions and are rarely listed among the higher ranks of priests,{{sfn|Heyob|1975|pp=95–96}} but because women are underrepresented in Roman inscriptions, their participation may have been greater than is recorded.{{sfn|Kraemer|1992|p=76}} Several Roman writers accused Isis's cult of encouraging promiscuity among women. Jaime Alvar suggests the cult attracted male suspicion simply because it gave women a venue to act outside their husbands' control.{{sfn|Alvar|2008|pp=183–184}}

Priests of Isis were known for their distinctive shaven heads and white linen clothes, both characteristics drawn from Egyptian priesthoods and their requirements of [[ritual purity]].{{sfn|Donalson|2003|p=49}} A temple of Isis could include several ranks of priests, as well as various cultic associations and specialized duties for lay devotees.{{sfn|Heyob|1975|pp=93–94, 103–105}} There is no evidence of a hierarchy overseeing multiple temples, and each temple may well have functioned independently of the others.{{sfn|Bowden|2010|p=177}}