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Pagans : the end of traditional religion and the rise of Christianity / James J. O'Donnell.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York, NY : Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2015]Copyright date: ©2015Edition: First editionDescription: x, 273 pages ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 0061845353
  • 9780061845352
Subject(s):
Contents:
Part I. Religion without a history. The tour guide's version -- The games of the century -- An eloquent man who loved his country -- What is a god? -- Divine butchery -- Ways of knowing -- The specter of atheism -- Gods at home -- Divine exaltation -- Part II. The history of paganism. Constantine in his world -- A new leaf -- The birth of paganism -- The baptism of paganism -- The first Christian emperor -- The servant of Christianity -- The triumph of paganism -- What remained -- Cicero reborn -- A Roman religion.
Summary: Looks at the history of the rise of Christianity as experienced by the adherents of the traditional religions of the ancient world who directly experienced the major disruptions brought about by the rise of what they viewed as an upstart cult.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 270.1 O26 Available 33111007973502
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A provocative and contrarian religious history that charts the rise of Christianity from the point of view of traditional" religion from the religious scholar and critically acclaimed author of Augustine.

Pagans explores the rise of Christianity from a surprising and unique viewpoint: that of the people who witnessed their ways of life destroyed by what seemed then a powerful religious cult. These "pagans" were actually pious Greeks, Romans, Syrians, and Gauls who observed the traditions of their ancestors. To these devout polytheists, Christians who worshipped only one deity were immoral atheists who believed that a splash of water on the deathbed could erase a lifetime of sin.

Religious scholar James J. O'Donnell takes us on a lively tour of the Ancient Roman world through the fourth century CE, when Romans of every nationality, social class, and religious preference found their world suddenly constrained by rulers who preferred a strange new god. Some joined this new cult, while others denied its power, erroneously believing it was little more than a passing fad.

In Pagans, O'Donnell brings to life various pagan rites and essential features of Roman religion and life, offers fresh portraits of iconic historical figures, including Constantine, Julian, and Augustine, and explores important themes--Rome versus the east, civilization versus barbarism, plurality versus unity, rich versus poor, and tradition versus innovation--in this startling account.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-259) and index.

Part I. Religion without a history. The tour guide's version -- The games of the century -- An eloquent man who loved his country -- What is a god? -- Divine butchery -- Ways of knowing -- The specter of atheism -- Gods at home -- Divine exaltation -- Part II. The history of paganism. Constantine in his world -- A new leaf -- The birth of paganism -- The baptism of paganism -- The first Christian emperor -- The servant of Christianity -- The triumph of paganism -- What remained -- Cicero reborn -- A Roman religion.

Looks at the history of the rise of Christianity as experienced by the adherents of the traditional religions of the ancient world who directly experienced the major disruptions brought about by the rise of what they viewed as an upstart cult.

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