The Conflict of Religions in the Early Roman Empire

Glover, T. R. (Terrot Reaveley), 1869-1943Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.9
Word count
851K words
Chapters
86

Tags

English Originals Religion Social ObservationPower GameIntellectual EnlightenmentWestern ThoughtAcademic MonographReligious HistoryRoman Empire

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Conflict of Religions in the Early Roman Empire by T. R. GloverAuthor: Glover, T. R. (Terrot Reaveley), 1869-1943,Language: English, Class: BR: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity, Release Date: Mar 10, 2012

Editor's review

This is a classic study by the British classicist Terrot Reaveley Glover of the religious landscape of the early Roman Empire, focusing on the rise of Christianity and its conflict with the pagan world. Glover does not treat Christianity as an isolated phenomenon but examines it within the competitive setting of Roman polytheism, Eastern mystery cults, philosophical currents, and imperial cult, tracing the concrete lines of religious debate. The book describes pagan beliefs in detail and analyzes the arguments of Christian apologists and pagan critics, making it a suitable introductory academic work on early Christian history and Roman religious history. Written in English in the erudite style of early twentieth-century classical scholarship, it leans toward intellectual history rather than social history. Read it with a basic framework of Roman imperial history in mind, and remain aware of the author's own Christian standpoint and the limitations of his era.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. First review the political and religious landscape of the early Roman Empire, then move into the book's chapters.
  2. Read by religious type and compare the competitive relationships among pagan cults, philosophical schools, and Christianity.
  3. Note the author's citations of apologetic literature and read them alongside selected primary texts.
  4. After each chapter, list the author's core arguments and evidence to avoid getting lost in narrative detail.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

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FAQ

What period of religious history does this book cover? It mainly covers the early Roman Empire, the period when Christianity gradually emerged from the pagan world, and deals with the coexistence and conflict among Roman polytheism, Eastern religions, philosophical currents, and Christianity.
What is the author's stance on Christianity? Glover was a classicist writing with the Christian perspective of his time and background. He shows sympathetic understanding of Christianity's rise while striving to describe the religious world of paganism. Readers should read critically.
Can someone without a theology background understand it? Yes, but basic knowledge of Roman history and the Bible is helpful. The book mentions many ancient religious names and philosophical schools, so it is advisable to read a concise Roman history and an overview of early Christian history first.
Is this book suitable as a textbook? It can serve as supplementary reading for courses on early Christian history or Roman religious history. Because it emphasizes intellectual history and was written long ago, it should not be used as a standalone textbook but alongside contemporary general histories and specialized studies.

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About the author

Glover, T. R. (Terrot Reaveley), 1869-1943 Author · British · 1869–1943

T. R. Glover (1869–1943) was a British classicist and historian known for his work on early Christianity and the religious life of the Roman Empire. Two of his works are held in this collection, both centred on this field. The Conflict of Religions in the Early Roman Empire places Christianity within the context of polytheism and the meeting of ideas in the Roman world, tracing the clashes and convergences among religious outlooks; The Jesus of History approaches Jesus and his historical setting from the standpoint of historical study. Grounded in classical scholarship, Glover's writing combines attention to sources with a sense of historical context, and is clear in style and addressed to the educated general reader rather than specialists alone, which helped his books reach a wide audience and keep them useful for understanding early Christianity and Roman religious history. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so no further biographical detail is given here.