Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries

Ramsay MacMullen

ISBN 10: 0300071485 / ISBN 13: 9780300071481

Published by Yale University Press, 1997

May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0300071485I4N00

Synopsis:

The slaughter of animals for religious feasts, the tinkling of bells to ward off evil during holy rites, the custom of dancing in religious services - these and many other pagan practices persisted in the Christian church for hundreds of years after Constantine proclaimed Christianity the one official religion of Rome. In this book, Ramsay MacMullen investigates the transition from paganism to Christianity between the fourth and eighth centuries. He reassesses the triumph of Christianity, contending that it was neither tidy nor quick, and he shows that the two religious systems were both vital during an interactive period that lasted far longer than historians have previously believed. MacMullen explores the influences of paganism and Christianity upon each other. In a discussion of the different strengths of the two systems, he demonstrates that pagan beliefs were not eclipse or displaced by Christianity but persisted or were transformed. The victory of the Christian church, he explains, was one not of obliteration but of widening embrace and assimilation. This book also includes material on the Christian persecution of pagans over the centuries through methods that ranged from fines to crucifixion; the mixture of motives in conversion; the stubbornness of pagan resistance; the difficulty of satisfying the demands and expectations of new converts; and the degree of assimilation of Christianity to paganism.

About the Author: Ramsay MacMullen, Dunham Professor Emeritus of Classics and History at Yale University, is CEO of PastTimes Press and the recipient of a lifetime Award for Scholarly Distinction from the American Historical Association. He is also the author of "Voting About God in Early Church Councils," "Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries, Corruption and the Decline of Rome, Paganism in the Roman Empire, "and "Roman Social Relations, "all published by Yale University Press.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to ...
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication Date: 1997
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket