Overview

How, over the course of five centuries, one particular god and one particular Christianity came to dominate late Roman imperial politics and piety The ancient Mediterranean teemed with gods. For centuries, a practical religious pluralism prevailed. How, then, did one particular god come to dominate the politics and piety of the late Roman Empire? In Ancient Christianities, Paula Fredriksen traces the evolution of early Christianity--or rather, of early Christianities--through five centuries of Empire, mapping its pathways from the hills of Judea to the halls of Rome and Constantinople. The New Testament, as we know it, represents only a small selection of the many gospels, letters, acts of apostles, and revelations that circulated before the establishment of the imperial church. It tells how the gospel passed from Jesus, to the apostles, thence to Paul. But by using our peripheral vision, by looking to noncanonical and paracanonical texts, by availing ourselves of information derived from papyri, inscriptions, and archaeology, we can see a different, richer, much less linear story emerging. Fredriksen brings together these many sources to reconstruct the lively interactions of pagans, Jews, and Christians, tracing the conversions of Christianity from an energetic form of Jewish messianism to an arm of the late Roman state.

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Paula Fredriksen, the Aurelio Professor of Scripture Emerita at Boston University and professor emerita of comparative religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is the author of When Christians Were Jews: The First Generation, From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of the New Testament Images of Jesus, Sin: The Early History of an Idea, and other books. Rachel Perry narrates audiobooks from her home studio in Los Angeles, California. She is a prolific narrator of romance, but also enjoys working in the mystery, self-development, religion, parenting, and young adult genres. With a background in fine arts, she has studied art and acting in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, and Second City improv in Chicago. She has been a TV host, performed comedy, acted in TV shows and commercials, and worked in radio. Rachel Perry narrates audiobooks from her home studio in Los Angeles, California. She is a prolific narrator of romance, but also enjoys working in the mystery, self-development, religion, parenting, and young adult genres. With a background in fine arts, she has studied art and acting in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, and Second City improv in Chicago. She has been a TV host, performed comedy, acted in TV shows and commercials, and worked in radio.

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