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Key Themes in Ancient History
Christianity and Roman Society
Did Christianity transform the Roman world in which it began, or did the Roman world shape Christianity? This work explores current debates and new interpretations of Early Christianity in Roman Society. Adopting an interdisciplinary and thematic approach, it offers the student unfamiliar with the Christian tradition, a comprehensive introduction to its role in the Roman world.
150 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Gillian Clark
31 books5 followersGillian Clark is a Professor of Ancient History at the University of Bristol.
Professor Clark’s research field is the relationship of inherited classical culture and late antique Christianity. She works especially on Augustine and on the late Platonist philosophers Porphyry and Iamblichus, and also has a longstanding interest in women’s history and the history of gender. She directs an international collaborative and interdisciplinary project, funded for its first five years by the AHRC, for a commentary on Augustine City of God (De Civitate Dei) to be published in print and electronic versions. Professor Clark is co-editor, with Professor Andrew Louth (Durham), of the monograph series Oxford Early Christian Studies and Oxford Early Christian Texts (OUP). She is also a co-editor of Translated Texts for Historians 300-800 (Liverpool UP) and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Roman Studies. She is Chair of Directors for the Oxford Patristic Conference 2011.
Professor Clark’s research field is the relationship of inherited classical culture and late antique Christianity. She works especially on Augustine and on the late Platonist philosophers Porphyry and Iamblichus, and also has a longstanding interest in women’s history and the history of gender. She directs an international collaborative and interdisciplinary project, funded for its first five years by the AHRC, for a commentary on Augustine City of God (De Civitate Dei) to be published in print and electronic versions. Professor Clark is co-editor, with Professor Andrew Louth (Durham), of the monograph series Oxford Early Christian Studies and Oxford Early Christian Texts (OUP). She is also a co-editor of Translated Texts for Historians 300-800 (Liverpool UP) and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Roman Studies. She is Chair of Directors for the Oxford Patristic Conference 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
September 15, 2012
Credit has to be given to an author who can arouse my interest in a subject which has failed to appealed before.
In the first place the book is short, yet manages to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject - Clark wields a substantial amount of source and scholarship to give context for everything covered. Moreover, far from being a dry catalogue/ recitation of facts, the book is shaped by the most interesting kinds of questions on early Christianity, the sort of questions that newcomers to the subject want addressed (if my curiosity is representative!).
The overarching inquiry (how did a tiny, politically suspect, religious splinter group become the dominant religion of the Roman world?) is broken down into sub-questions which not only focus discussion but also sharpen thinking about the practices and beliefs that characterised early Christianity, about its relationship to Roman religious tradition, to Judaism and to the philosophy (esp. Platonism) of the period.
The book is intended for undergrads, and targets them suitably, I think - the presentation is clear, but not oversimplified, illustrating a range of forces that come together in late antiquity, but at the same time avoids excessive complication of detail. For these reasons the book is fitting also for the educated general reader, and I found it helpful as an introduction to the social and cultural context of the Roman empire in late antiquity. A bonus at the end of the book is an essay which maps out the scholarship/bibliography on the topic for those who want to pursue more deeply the various issues raised.
In the first place the book is short, yet manages to provide a comprehensive overview of the subject - Clark wields a substantial amount of source and scholarship to give context for everything covered. Moreover, far from being a dry catalogue/ recitation of facts, the book is shaped by the most interesting kinds of questions on early Christianity, the sort of questions that newcomers to the subject want addressed (if my curiosity is representative!).
The overarching inquiry (how did a tiny, politically suspect, religious splinter group become the dominant religion of the Roman world?) is broken down into sub-questions which not only focus discussion but also sharpen thinking about the practices and beliefs that characterised early Christianity, about its relationship to Roman religious tradition, to Judaism and to the philosophy (esp. Platonism) of the period.
The book is intended for undergrads, and targets them suitably, I think - the presentation is clear, but not oversimplified, illustrating a range of forces that come together in late antiquity, but at the same time avoids excessive complication of detail. For these reasons the book is fitting also for the educated general reader, and I found it helpful as an introduction to the social and cultural context of the Roman empire in late antiquity. A bonus at the end of the book is an essay which maps out the scholarship/bibliography on the topic for those who want to pursue more deeply the various issues raised.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review