The Death Of Classical Paganism

"In the early Roman empire, Christians were seen by pagans as overthrowers of ancient gods and destroyers of the prevailing social order. Allegations that Christians recognized each other by secret marks, met at night and made love to one another indiscriminately, worshipped the head of an ass and the genitals of their high priests, and ate children were widely believed. In examining these charges and the Christian response to them, Benko has provided a persuasively argued and refreshing, if controversial, perspective on the confrontation of the pagan and early Christian worlds."[book cover].

Addressing the problem of the relationship between pagans and Christians cannot be separated from assessing the nature of the relationship that linked or divided the members of two very different religions. Te model of conflict has been disseminated by the Hungarian scholar András Alföldi, who in 1934 presented a Christian Constantine in irreconcilable conflict with a pagan Rome and later (most notably in 1958, in a seminar conference at the Warburg Institute) consolidated the idea of a conflictual model in which the aristocracy of Rome, faced with a tightening of measures against traditional cults, realized a real "pagan revival", to raise against Teodosius I "the last pagan army of the ancient world". This model was subjected to a massive critique by Alan Cameron ('The Last Pagans of Rome', Oxford 2011), but was powerfully restated by Stéphane Ratti ('Polémique entre païens et chrétiens. Histoire', Paris 2012). The debate, then, in the course of less than a year, has gained new, effervescent relevance.

In a detailed analysis of the visual and textual evidence, this book disputes the widely held view that the late fourth century saw a vigorous and determined "pagan reaction" to the take-over of the Roman world by Christianity, at both the political and cultural level.

Although Christianity is still a major religious force, there are growing numbers of people in other faiths, including the various Pagan traditions. Some Christians have responded to this trend with fear and derision, while some Pagans have reacted to that fear with anger and mistrust. Much of the problem is due to misunderstandings and lack of communication. This can change with Gus diZerega's Pagans & Christians. Here you will find a penetrating and illuminating comparison, showing that neither path has the single correct approach to the Divine. Rather, either or both can be authentic and legitimate expressions of the appreciation of the Ultimate Source of All. Pagans & Christians is an ideal way to help bridge what at time seems a wide chasm between Christian and Pagan beliefs. By sharing core ideas of both paths, this book provides a way to give deeper mutual understanding and unity among the religions of the world. Although Pagans & Christians accepts both paths as valid, the book provides a more in-depth explanation of Paganism ó the minority religion because in some ways, Paganism demands a greater defense and explanation of its beliefs and ideas to dispel misunderstandings. The author is a Third Degree Gardenerian Elder and in Pagans & Christians has presented nothing less than a brilliant defense of Paganism, clearly showing how it should stand beside all of the major religions of the world as an equal. As part of this defense, diZerega gives a listing of biblical contradictions and Christian philosophical difficulties which can help any Pagan responding to a negative attack, and will help any Christian to view his or her religion as a way, not the way. Winner of the 2001 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Award for Best Non-fiction Book

A history of Julian, the grandson of Constantine, and his failed attempt to reverse the Christian tide that swept the Roman Empire • Portrays the “Apostate” as a poet-philosopher, arguing that had he survived, Christianity would have been checked in its rise • Details reforms enacted by Julian during his two-year reign that marginalized Christians, effectively limiting their role in the social and political life of the Empire • Shows how after Julian’s death the Church used paganism to represent evil and opposition to God, a tactic whose traces still linger The violent death of the emperor Julian (Flavius Claudius Julianus, AD 332-363) on a Persian battlefield has become synonymous with the death of paganism. Vilified throughout history as the “Apostate,” the young philosopher-warrior was the last and arguably the most potent threat to Christianity. The Last Pagan examines Julian’s journey from an aristocratic Christian childhood to his initiation into pagan cults and his mission to establish paganism as the dominant faith of the Roman world. Julian’s death, only two years into his reign, initiated a culture-wide suppression by the Church of all things it chose to identify as pagan. Only in recent decades, with the weakening of the Church’s influence and the resurgence of paganism, have the effects of that suppression begun to wane. Drawing upon more than 700 pages of Julian’s original writings, Adrian Murdoch shows that had Julian lived longer our history and our present-day culture would likely be very different.

A compelling history of radical transformation in the fourth-century--when Christianity decimated the practices of traditional pagan religion in the Roman Empire. The Final Pagan Generation recounts the fascinating story of the lives and fortunes of the last Romans born before the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. Edward J. Watts traces their experiences of living through the fourth century’s dramatic religious and political changes, when heated confrontations saw the Christian establishment legislate against pagan practices as mobs attacked pagan holy sites and temples. The emperors who issued these laws, the imperial officials charged with implementing them, and the Christian perpetrators of religious violence were almost exclusively young men whose attitudes and actions contrasted markedly with those of the earlier generation, who shared neither their juniors’ interest in creating sharply defined religious identities nor their propensity for violent conflict. Watts examines why the "final pagan generation"—born to the old ways and the old world in which it seemed to everyone that religious practices would continue as they had for the past two thousand years—proved both unable to anticipate the changes that imperially sponsored Christianity produced and unwilling to resist them. A compelling and provocative read, suitable for the general reader as well as students and scholars of the ancient world.

Griffiths narrative moves like a searchlight over each phase of church history, illuminating the visions, options, and choices behind events. He traces the rise of a dominator version of Christianity, in which the primary concern was a chain of command to be followed, with rewards or punishments according to the degree of obedience. And beside this he illuminates another face of Christianity, concerned with healing all divisions between loved and unloved people. The story Griffith presents is often deeply disturbing, as in his unstinting accounts concerning the gospel for women , or the age of holy wars and witch hunts. But ultimately his story offers solid grounds for optimism. He shows that all contention between different religious visions can be a process of building partnership. As Griffith points out, Jesus himself wished to debate his opponents openly, not to silence or eliminate them. He was not afraid of real encounter, or the potential of creative conflict.I want to congratulate Brian Griffith on this masterful, controversial, and highly readable account. His book offers hope in a divided world, where reaction against globalized godless corporate secularism meets with a war on religious fundamentalism . I hope to see other writers do comparable work in highlighting the partnership and dominator visions within their religious traditions around the world. Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice & the Blade, Sacred Pleasure, Tomorrows Children, The Power of Partnership, The Real Wealth of Nations"I find it gives me an incredibly clarifying perspective on Christianity way beyond my previous understanding. It should be read by everyone with an interest in Western Civilization. It is a marvelous companion to The Great Turning." David Korten, author of The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community