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The Christians as the Romans Saw Them, by Robert Louis Wilken
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This book, which includes a new preface by the author, offers an engrossing portrayal of the early years of the Christian movement from the perspective of the Romans.
- Sales Rank: #952999 in Books
- Published on: 1984-09-10
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.50" h x 5.75" w x 1.00" l,
- Binding: Hardcover
- 218 pages
Review
"A fascinating . . . account of early Christian thought. . . . Readable and exciting."
About the Author
Robert Louis Wilken is William R. Kenan Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia. His previous books include "The Christians as the Romans Saw Them "and" The Land Called Holy: Palestine in Christian History and Thought, "both available in paperback from Yale University Press.
Most helpful customer reviews
137 of 140 people found the following review helpful.
Roman Christianity
By Jeffrey Leach
Robert Wilken takes a somewhat slightly different tack with this book of Roman history. He examines Christianity in the Roman Empire by looking at it through the eyes of pagan critics. Wilken states in his introduction that his goal in this book is to bring Roman history into closer conjunction with early Christianity. He argues that by studying the context of pagan critics, one can understand how the early Church shaped its theology and doctrines.
Wilken examines five pagan critics, starting with Pliny the Younger's letters to the emperor Trajan circa 112 C.E. Galen, Celsus, Porphyry and the Roman emperor Julian round out the cast of characters. As the accounts unfold, the development of Christianity can be seen clearly: from a small, almost unknown sect in Pliny's day to the powerful apparatus it became by the time Julian launched his reactionary attacks in the late 4th century. The attacks on Christians become more theological as time progresses, showing an increasing sophistication as knowledge about Christianity became better known. Pliny mentioned the Christians in passing, one event among many in his role as a provincial governor. By the time of Celsus, Porphyry and Julian, whole books are being written to refute Christian ideas.
Wilken points out that Pliny's concerns with the Christians mirror his function as a politician. With Galen, a concern for philosophical schools is reflected in his attack on Christianity, namely the creation doctrine and how it compares with the Greek conception of creation as Plato defined it in his work, Timaeus. Celsus attacks Christianity on several fronts, most importantly that Christianity is an apostasy from Judaism and that Jesus was a magician. Porphyry, a philosopher and literary scholar, demolishes the Christian view of the Book of Daniel and criticizes the Christian worship of Jesus on an equal footing with God. Julian takes criticism of Christianity much further, first by banning Christians from traditional Greek and Latin schools and an attempt to rebuild the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. The idea of rebuilding the temple was an attempt to isolate Christians who believed that they were the legitimate successors to the Jewish traditions. By reconstructing the Temple, the Jews would be restored to their traditional role as defined in the Old Testament, relegating Christians to their rightful place: apostates of Judaism. The Temple project failed when Julian died on campaign in Persia and Christian emperors once again assumed power.
This is an excellent book that inspires the reader to pursue further reading on this fascinating topic. What is most relevant is that the same questions we ask about Christianity today have been around for almost two thousand years. This is recommended reading for Roman buffs and Christian scholars alike.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
seeing them through the eyes of the non-believing society or Rome back in their earliest days is the best way to find out
By Jake
This is another book I read long ago and recently bought for my adult son, who received the salvation offered by our Savior a few years back. If anyone truly wants to know what Christians should be, seeing them through the eyes of the non-believing society or Rome back in their earliest days is the best way to find out. This book is written with no agenda, simply a great understanding of how the first Christians were within society. We should all be this same way today...
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
The Odd Cult of Christianity Through Pagan Eyes
By Mark Lee
This fine volume explores the delayed, and often bewildered, response from the powerful Roman pagans of the first few centuries of the Common Era to the strange group of stand-offish cultists known to them as "Christians."
In the first decades of the 2nd century, Roman government official Pliny struggled to understand and deal with the Christian problem in Asia Minor. His correspondence with the emporer Trajan is a fascinating account from an outsider with regard to what the Romans of the day considered a "political club." Eventually, Pliny and Trajan decided upon a "don't ask, don't tell" policy with regard to the "foreign cultists."
Dr. Wilken goes on to observe that to many Romans, the 2nd century Christians were a sort of "burial club," with unique rituals surrounding the handling of their dead. These same pagans were themselves religious people (a fact often overlooked by Christians from all ages), and from time to time had to remind the Christians of that fact.
Another aspect of the difficult Christians had with established, pagan Roman society stems from the inextricable nature of politics and religion in pagan Rome. A civic function was likely to involve sacrifices to the local pagan gods. A person who failed to participate in such state actions, therefore, might be called an "atheist" (as Christians were so called).
The pagan philosopher Galen (last part of 2nd century CE) informed himself about Christianity and saw it as a competing philosophy. (About this time, St. Justin Martyr similarly described his Christian beliefs.) Galen was the first informed critic to attack specific perceived weaknesses in Christianity: How could God create everything from nothing? He rejected Christianity as unprovable and requiring too much faith.
Next, Celsus (about 170 CE) was even better informed about Christian claims. He was also clever and sarcastic. In fact, Christians spent generations refuting the issues he brought up. Celsus called Jesus a "magician" (similar to Jewish claims probably from the same time period preserved in the Talmudic writings), and wondered how shameful Christian claims that God could come to earth could possibly be taken seriously. Why did God wait until just recently to send his son? Did he not love people before? If the Christians have one God, why do they also worship his son? Celsus concluded that Christians were merely a sect in apostasy from the more ancient Judaism. These and other criticism kept Christians from later generations (such as Origen) busy.
The great (neo)Platonic philosopher, Porphory (3rd century) went to battle Christianity for the minds and hearts of his civilization. By his time Christianity had grown into a major religious and philosophical force, and Porphory went to work. Christians were responding to him into the 5th century! Porphory had been aquainted with Origen and probably knew Christian sacred writings fairly well as evidenced by his criticims of the Book of Daniel with regard to history vs. prophecy, and the authorship of books attributed to Moses. In fact, Porphory subjected Christian sacred writings to an early form of historical criticism and required Christians to re-examine those books. But Porphory also found the Christian unwillingness to participate in the traditional politico-religious life of his beloved civilization offensive and dangerous to society.
The book ends with Julian "the apostate" (late 4th century) and the last view of Christianity - now a powerful force - through devout pagan eyes. Raised a Christian, Julian became a devout, religious pagan. A convert to the ancient gods of classical culture, he attempted a short-lived program to restore them, but died after less than two years as emperor. But his attacks from Christian scripture against Christianity were intended to prove that Jesus was merely a man, and his criticisms of sacrifices disstinct from those of his pagan heritage were designed to show that they were false.
For all students of early Christian history, this is a great look at the early Churches and the early Church from the outside, through fresh eyes.
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