- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Pimlico; First Edition / Fourth Impression edition (7 Feb 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1845950062
- ISBN-13: 978-1845950064
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.6 x 3.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 591,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
AD 381: Heretics, Pagans and the Christian State
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"'We authorise followers of this law to assume the title of orthodox Christians; but as for the others since, in our judgement, they are foolish madmen, we decree that they shall be branded with the ignominious names of heretics.' Emperor Theodosius"
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'We authorise followers of this law to assume the title of orthodox Christians; but as for the others since, in our judgement, they are foolish madmen, we decree that they shall be branded with the ignominious names of heretics.' - Emperor Theodosius.In AD 381, Theodosius, emperor of the eastern Roman empire, issued a decree in which all his subjects were required to subscribe to a belief in the Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This edict defined Christian orthodoxy and brought to an end a lively and wide-ranging debate about the nature of the Godhead; all other interpretations were now declared heretical. Moreover, for the first time in a thousand years of Greco-Roman civilization free thought was unambiguously suppressed. Not since the attempt of the pharaoh Akhenaten to impose his god Aten on his Egyptian subjects in the fourteenth century BC had there been such a widesweeping programme of religious coercion.Yet surprisingly this political revolution, intended to bring inner cohesion to an empire under threat from the outside, has been airbrushed from the historical record. Instead, it has been claimed that the Christian Church had reached a consensus on the Trinity which was promulgated at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381. In this groundbreaking new book, acclaimed historian Charles Freeman shows that the council was in fact a shambolic affair, which only took place after Theodosius' decree had become law. In short, the Church was acquiescing in the overwhelming power of the emperor. Freeman argues that Theodosius' edict and the subsequent suppression of paganism not only brought an end to the diversity of religious and philosophical beliefs throughout the empire but created numerous theological problems for the Church, which have remained unsolved. The year AD 381, Freeman concludes, marked 'a turning point which time forgot'.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is a phenomenon - a study of doctrinal conflict in the Christian Church of the fourth century that is written not for scholars, not for students, but for the general public. It would be easy for professionals to point out various aspects of Freeman's treatment that are insecure - the over-estimation of the novelty of the decrees of Theodosius I (379-95) against heretics and pagan practices, the claim that he prematurely suppressed the Arian debate when in fact it had already become tiresome and unproductive, the pillorying of Nicene orthodoxy as oppressive when in fact it provided what has remained the decent minimum of common Christian belief ever since, the mistake of supposing that laws against heresy and paganism necessarily implied persecution when in fact they were primarily concerned to please God, and finally the unconscious clericalism of thinking that the leading role taken by the emperor was usurpation. But if we professionals leave the writing of non-academic books on this subject to non-professionals, we have no right to complain if they don't quite say what most of us would have said (particularly since 'we' are not in uniform agreement!). Surely we should thank Freeman for airing these matters in public, and for raising a major question that historians of doctrine too often ignore: was the price of Christian orthodoxy too high? Was the greater clarity gradually obtained over the Christian doctrine of God an adequate compensation for the restrictions on the freedom of debate that developed gradually in late antiquity (rather than suddenly under Theodosius I) and have remained a reality in most of the Christian churches (in varying degrees) ever since? Is Christianity, which claims to be based not on reason but on revelation, inevitably the enemy of intellectual freedom? However debatable certain features of this book as a work of history (and to say they are debatable is not to assert they are simply wrong), we must thank Freeman for pressing us on this vital question.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is an interesting review of the situation in the reign of Theodosius, with a thesis that the council of Constantinople led to a shutting down of an age of toleration and critical thinking, ushering in the dark ages.
There is much to commend the book, and the case is well argued using suitable source material. However, to my interested layman's mind (I have read a fair bit on the history of the age), the thesis fails ultimately because of the tendency to focus too much on some specifics and to think more highly of the previous situation than is deserved. The golden age of critical thinking and toleration is asserted, but it is not at all clear that such really ever existed. Neither is it clear that the decrees of Theodosius can be blamed for closing it down.
I note the review above by Dr Richard Price, which reveals some specific issues. As this is beyond my field, I would defer to his knowledge - guardedly because we should never believe anyone just because they are an authority. But the reader of this book must ultimately decided for themselves whether the author has actually discovered something the other academics have all overlooked or whether he has perhaps overstated the case a little.
Ultimately though this is a very interesting book as a starting point of a greater debate and re-evaluation about the early church history. Why should we let the academic world have all the fun with that debate?
There is much to commend the book, and the case is well argued using suitable source material. However, to my interested layman's mind (I have read a fair bit on the history of the age), the thesis fails ultimately because of the tendency to focus too much on some specifics and to think more highly of the previous situation than is deserved. The golden age of critical thinking and toleration is asserted, but it is not at all clear that such really ever existed. Neither is it clear that the decrees of Theodosius can be blamed for closing it down.
I note the review above by Dr Richard Price, which reveals some specific issues. As this is beyond my field, I would defer to his knowledge - guardedly because we should never believe anyone just because they are an authority. But the reader of this book must ultimately decided for themselves whether the author has actually discovered something the other academics have all overlooked or whether he has perhaps overstated the case a little.
Ultimately though this is a very interesting book as a starting point of a greater debate and re-evaluation about the early church history. Why should we let the academic world have all the fun with that debate?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
AD 381: Heretics, Pagans and the Christian State
This is one of the most intellectually stimulating books I have read for many years. The combination of narrative and analysis makes it an exciting and satisfying volume. It is very relevant to our own times, when intolerance has become a serious problem. It is interesting to see how dogmatism and political expediency can combine. I have since read Charles Freeman's other books referred to in this listing - The Closing of the Western Mind and the New History of Early Christianity, with equal pleasure.
This is one of the most intellectually stimulating books I have read for many years. The combination of narrative and analysis makes it an exciting and satisfying volume. It is very relevant to our own times, when intolerance has become a serious problem. It is interesting to see how dogmatism and political expediency can combine. I have since read Charles Freeman's other books referred to in this listing - The Closing of the Western Mind and the New History of Early Christianity, with equal pleasure.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
An interesting book with many good observations
This book about religion and state in the Roman Empire during the 4th century AD is written by the British historian Charles Freeman, who is the author of several books about the... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Torben Retboll
Theodosius the Bad
It's disconcerting when an author uses the Preface to what is intended as a serious historical work to emphasise that he is a tour guide rather than an academic. Read more
Published on 17 Dec 2008 by Mr. C. E. Moreton
Detail, Detail
A thought provoking read with lots of obscure detail but, and it's a big but, it drags along. For me it doesn't flow well and I found myself skipping pages. Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2008 by A. Taylor
Those Ghastly Christians!
In late 4th century Constantinople the masseurs at the public baths, as they pummelled your body, debated vigorously with each other and their clients the finer points of Christian... Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2008 by Guy Mannering
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