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Title: The Christians as the Romans Saw Them by Robert Louis Wilken ISBN: 0-300-09839-1 Publisher: Yale Univ Pr Pub. Date: June, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Views from the Outside Looking In
Comment: Early Christian folklore is permeated with the idea that the
"saints" merely had to tell the story of Jesus and all who heard it believed. The story made perfect sense and all that was required was someone to tell the story and all of a sudden all the clouded thinking of the listener was cleared away. The rapid growth of Christianity during the first four centuries of the Common Era confirm this.
For readers who have such an idea of early Christianity, this book may be an eye-opener, perhaps one of the most significant books one ever reads. Robert Wilken does an excellent job of describing the attitudes of the Romans toward Christianity as it grew. Pliny the Younger, Tacitus, and Seutonius saw Christianity as a "superstition," a foreign cult whose practices stood outside the accepted standards of religion in the Greco-Roman world. Galen saw Christianity as a philosophical way of life but found its members dogmatic and uncritical in their thinking. Celsus saw Jesus as a magician and accused Christians of magic. (See _Ancient Christian Magic_ by Marvin Meyer) Celsus was also concerned about Christians becoming a counterculture that
"drained their energies away from the larger society." Porphyry was considered by Augustine the "most learned of scholars" yet when Porphyry heard Origen attempt to reconcile Christianity with the Greek intellectual tradition, he thought it an
"absurdity." The last Roman persecution of Christians took place under the reign of Maximin Daia, an emperor who took piety seriously. A later emperor, Julian, earned the name "apostate" for being raised as a Christian and then rejecting Christianity.
Since it first began, Christianity has not only been championed by intelligent people but questioned seriously by some as well. Adolf von Harnack once wrote that Porphyry's objections had not yet been answered in his own day. Christianity did spread rapidly, but that the message of Christianity was readily accepted at face value is not the reason for this growth. For that one must look elsewhere.
Rating: 4
Summary: Fascinating, highly recommended
Comment: Over the years I have read many books that examine the early Christian church, as it existed within the milieu of the pagan Roman Empire. This book turns that on its head, and focuses on how the Roman pagans viewed the early Christians in their midst. Covering the writings of Pliny the Younger, Galen, Celsus, Porphyry and Julian the Apostate, the author uses the actual writings to show how the perception of the Christian church changed among the pagan Romans in the years prior to the advent of Constantine.
Though it is written in a dry tone, I still found this book to be absolutely fascinating. Not only did it cover Roman perceptions, but also the book gave me a real feeling for certain aspects of Roman religion and associations. If you are interested in the Roman Empire, or in the early Christian church, then I highly recommend that you get this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: Burn them at the stake.
Comment: An excellent book on the early days of Christians. An interesting
look at where Christianity came from, and how the Romans
thought about monotheism. I did purchase several other
books mentioned in this one. It is good and I do recommend
it. I often buy or don't buy books based upon these kind of
reports, so let me say, you will not be disappointed in buying
this one.
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Title: The Spirit of Early Christian Thought: Seeking the Face of God by Robert Louis Wilken ISBN: 0300097085 Publisher: Yale Univ Pr Pub. Date: April, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Christianizing the Roman Empire (A.D. 100-400) by Ramsay MacMullen ISBN: 0300036426 Publisher: Yale Univ Pr Pub. Date: February, 1986 List Price(USD): $18.50 |
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Title: Paganism and Christianity, 100-425 C.E.: A Sourcebook by Ramsay MacMullen, Eugene N. Lane ISBN: 0800626478 Publisher: Fortress Press Pub. Date: November, 1992 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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Title: When Jesus Became God: The Struggle to Define Christianity during the Last Days of Rome by Richard E. Rubenstein ISBN: 0156013150 Publisher: Harvest Books Pub. Date: 10 July, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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Title: The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force .... by Rodney Stark ISBN: 0060677015 Publisher: Harper SanFrancisco Pub. Date: 18 June, 1997 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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