Authority & the Sacred: Aspects of the Christianisation of the Roman World

by Peter Brown

The Christianization of the Roman world lies at the root of modern Europe. Peter Brown's fascinating study examines the factors that proved decisive and the compromises that made the emergence of the Christian conception of existence possible: how the old gods of the Roman Empire could be reinterpreted as symbols to further the message of the Church. Peter Brown also shows how Christian holy men were less representative of a triumphant faith than negotiators of a working compromise between the new faith and traditional ways of dealing with the supernatural worlds.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian, Ancient, Christianity, Ancient History

108 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Peter Robert Lamont Brown FBA is an Irish historian. He is the Rollins Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University. Brown is credited with having brought coherence to the field of Late Antiquity, and is often regarded as the inventor of said field. His work has concerned, in particular, the religious culture of the later Roman Empire and early medieval Europe, and the relation between religion and society.

Reviews

[Anatolikon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a tiny little book divided into three essays and is an easy read in an afternoon for those somewhat initiated in the subject. It is important to point out that these are academic articles, and this is not a general history of the period with a focus on Christianization. Those unacquainted with the basics of this period may find too many unfamiliar names being tossed around to get to the real meat of this book. The first essay "Christianization: Narratives and Process" discusses how Christianity was melded by and how it reshaped fundamental ideas of how the universe functioned, and how this would vary between the "Eusebeian" east and the "Augustinian" west during the medieval period. He explains how Christians understood paganism and authority, and how pagans reacted to the success of the Christians. The scope is wide, the writing is masterful, and Peter Brown's expertise on the subject ensures that this particular essay is an important one. The second essay deals with just how far intolerance can go, and he argues that the traditional explanation of a rather intolerant post-Constantinian empire is not entirely accurate. He also explores the question of just what intolerance was, and argues quite convincingly that the means of intolerance was the important factor. Paideia played a major role in this, and this entire chapter feels like a very succinct summary of Brown's Power & Persuasion Late Antiquity: Towards A Christian Empire. The final essay is an expansion on Brown's seminal "Rise and Function of the Holy Man in Antiquity" article published in 1971 in the Journal of Roman Studies. He comments on criticism of his earlier article and refines the points made by making some concise and important arguments on how the late antique holy men were viewed and how they related to paganism. I'm not totally sure how he arrives at the conclusion that Symeon Stylites was accepting the surrender of the pagan gods, but the salient points of the article remain clear enough, and it remains a fine addition to the original article and a good conclusion to this little book.

[ApocalypticScribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting academic read that provides a different approach to the Christianisation of the Roman Empire than we are frequently presented with. However, I did find it repeated itself, and the author had, as is the case in a lot of academic writing, chosen to write in a needlessly complicated manner, which after four years of research I can't stand.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is history as I most enjoy it, though I do agree with other reviewers that without a general sense of the time period it would be a bit impenetrable. As repackaged lectures, the book is fairly approachable, though of course Brown's writing is fairly dense and his word choice can sometimes feel perhaps excessively erudite. Still, I enjoyed it a lot, insomuch as one enjoys reading this kind of piece.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise foray into late antiquity, looking at some of the aspects of how the Roman world became "Christianized". Interesting looks at the mindset of many in late antiquity, tolerance v. intolerance during this time period, and the unique place of holy men.

Recommended to any who are interested in late antiquity, church history, or how the Roman world morphed into the Christianized empires of East and West.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Authority & the Sacred is a repackaging of three lectures Brown presented in Cambridge back in the early '90s. All take as their topic the Christianisation of the Roman world, and tweak common assumptions made about tolerance toward and by Early Christians. The essays are lucid and well-organized, but they do presuppose a fair amount of knowledge of the period and its players, as well as a bit of Latin and French, which may leave the casual reader (that would be I) struggling a bit to follow Brown's arguments. Not impenetrable by any means, but decidedly an academic work rather than a popular one, Authority is probably best enjoyed by those already versed in its topic.