Pagans and Christians

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 800 pages
• Published by: Penguin; New Ed edition July 6, 2006
• ISBN 10 Number: 0141022957
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0141022956
• Book Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches
• Weighs: 1.2 pounds

Reader Reviews
Late paganism was moribund, decrepit and sclerotic; it had no chance against the rise of Christianity. Well, so goes the historical myth. But, not true, says Robin Lane Fox; certainly not true in the countrysides of the Roman Empire, which, by the way, was the last place in which Christianity took hold. Fox paints a rural, and urban, Roman Imperium where, aside from the skepticism of some philosophers, some form of pagan belief remained vital even years after Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea. Fox concentrates on the various Roman provinces of Asia Minor, and focuses on the second century. The combination of choices is very good for comparison and contrast work between paganism and Christianity. The countryside here was more densely populated than in most of the empire; this more densely rural demographic meant that rural didn't necessarily mean rustic. And, as this was the prime growth area of early Christianity, Fox is able to put this growth in context, and ask, and even tentatively answer, some questions about that growth. The second century is the right time, too, getting into the era of the first Christian consolidations of doctrine, the first wave of post-biblical books being written, and so forth. An excellent, eye-opening, and in-depth book.