The Christians and the Fall of Rome

The book is the first book in a series written in 1776. The writing style is easy to read and the author explains his theory on how the Christians undermined the empire of Rome. Some of his points are that unlike the Pagans who would sacrifice to all Gods and the emperor,the Christians like the Jews were staunchly monotheistic and their loyalty was to Christ alone. The Christians believed the Roman gods to be demons. This turned the Roman citizens who were Christians away from loyalty to the empire. It undermined patriotism to Rome. The Christians also abandoned logic and reason and turned to faith and superstition. This book was a new theory in its time and is very thought provoking to students of history. A must have in any thoughtful home library.

This is a very handy book, and an excellent introduction to Edward Gibbon's intellectual skills and unique prose. Gibbon builds a plausible thesis that the growth of Christianity was partly responsible for the fall of Rome. As this is an extract from a much larger work (Decline and Fall of Rome in six volumes), it is difficult to evaluate Gibbon's thesis properly. However, the prose is beautiful, all the more because such prose is so rarely seen now. Throughout the pamphlet, Gibbon focuses totally on the role of Christianity in decline of Rome, and does not veer from the subject at any stage. The book is quite thin, you can easily slip it in your jacket and read it between meetings or while commuting. The paperback binding is fine, considering the size of the book. The type face is clear, and the paper is non-reflective, easy to read. I picked up this book a couple of years ago and was so fascinated by Gibbon's ideas and writing style that I bought a larger condensation of Decline and Fall of Rome. The larger edition has also not disappointed - rather I am now seriously considering getting the full six-volume set.

"The primitive Christians perpetually trod on mystic ground, and their minds were exercised by the habits of believing the most extraordinary events. They felt, or they fancied, that on every side they were incessantly assaulted by daemons, comforted by visions, instructed by prophecy, and surprisingly delivered from danger, sickness, and from death itself, by the supplications of the church" (p. 40). British parliamentarian and soldier, Edward Gibbon (1737-1794), is best known for his narrative history OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, published in 1776, the same year Thomas Paine was calling for American indepedence from the tyranny of British rule in his incendiary pamphlet, COMMON SENSE. In this excerpt from Volume I of THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, Gibbons offers "a candid but rational inquiry" into how the establishment of Christianity "insinuated" itself into Roman history through "awful" public ceremonies involving the gift of tongues, prophecy, exorcisms, miraculous cures, and raising the dead. Gibbons offers the modern reader a fascinating glimpse into a memorable age. G. Merritt