Pagans and Christians - Softcover

Robin Lane Fox

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060628529 ISBN 13: 9780060628529

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1988

Synopsis

Explores the character of early Christianity, with details on religious life, secular daily life, and the condition of paganism at the time of its defeat

About this title

From the Publisher

Re-creates the world from the second to the fourth century AD, when the Graeco-Roman gods lost their dominion and Christianity, with the conversion of Constantine, triumphed in the Mediterranean world.

From Library Journal

Fox, a lecturer in Ancient History at Oxford, presents a detailed and scholarly account of Christianity and paganism prior to Constantine. He decribes pagan oracles, festivals, and cultic practices as they related to civic and community life in third-century Roman Empire; then, comparing these with Christian practices, he discusses the possible reasons for Christianity's ultimate triumph. Along the way, certain misconceptions are dispelled: Roman paganism was not dying out, as is sometimes supposed, nor was early Christianity primarily a religion of slaves. In fact, the Church had elements that made it unexpectedly attractive to all classes. The chapter on Constantine gives new insight into the reasons for his conversion. An excellent and readable account of a fascinating subject. Highly recommended. C. Robert Nixon, MLS, West Lafayette, Ind.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060628529
• ISBN 13: 9780060628529
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 800