Pagans, James J. ODonnell
Pagans, James J. ODonnell
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Pagans
The End of Traditional Religion and the Rise of Christianity

Author: James J. O'Donnell

Narrator: David Drummond

Unabridged: 7 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/15/2017


Synopsis

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 worshiped 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.

About James J. O'Donnell

James J. O'Donnell is a classicist who served for ten years as Provost of Georgetown University and is now University Librarian at Arizona State University. He is the author of several books, including Augustine, The Ruin of the Roman Empire, and Avatars of the Word. He is the former president of the American Philological Association, a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America, and the chair of the Board of Directors of the American Council of Learned Societies.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Daniel

This book was disappointing in the attitude of the author. His research was good and his point well made, but he had such a condescending view to the ancients that it made the work distasteful. He went out of the way to say that there gods did not exist and even questioned whether they really believ......more

Goodreads review by Chris

I had two major problems with this book. First, I had trouble grasping the main argument. I felt like I was getting parts here and there, but the overall greater picture eluded me. I wasn’t fully sure what was going on. Second, maybe I shouldn’t have read this in the first place, as I don’t fully tr......more

Goodreads review by Jo

This is exactly the way popular non-fiction ought to be, erudite, insightful, but not assuming background knowledge of the reader. I learned valuable things, I enjoyed reading it, and it made me think about some things I thought I knew. Excellent book all round. If you're interested in the end of the......more

Goodreads review by Dee

“Pagans” is an amazing book, presenting history and culture while at the same time opening the reader’s senses to a world that can’t be examined through the today’s lenses. Jumping back in time 1500-2000 years can be confusing if not viewed through the mindset of those alive at that time. While the......more