Book

Wilken, Robert Louis, 1936-

The Christians as the Romans saw them / Robert L. Wilken.

New Haven : Yale University Press, ©1984.

xix, 214 pages ; 22 cm

A portrayal of the Christian movement as seen through the eyes of five representative figures from the second, third, and fourth centuries, including Roman senator Pliny the younger, Greek philosopher Celsus, and emperor Julian the Apostate.

Christianity -- Controversial literature -- History and criticism.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-209) and index.

I: Pliny: a Roman gentleman. The making of a Roman official ; Travels of a provincial governor ; A Christian association ; Offerings of wine and incense -- II: Christianity as a burial society. Church or political club? ; A sense of belonging ; A Bacchic society ; An obscure and secret association -- III: The piety of the persecutors. Roman religion and Christian prejudice ; The practice of religion ; "We too are a religious people" -- IV: Galen: the curiosity of a philosopher. Philosophy and medicine ; Christianity as a philosophical school ; The practice of philosophy ; The arbitrary god of the Christians -- V: Celsus: a conservative intellectual. Begging priests of Cybele and soothsayers ; The deficiencies of Christian doctrine ; Demythologizing the story of Jesus ; An apostasy from Judaism ; Religion and the social order -- VI: Porphyry: the most learned critic of all. In defense of Plato ; The Jewish scriptures ; The Christian New Testament ; Philosophy from oracles ; The religion of the emperor ; Jesus not a magician ; An unreasoning faith -- VII: Julian the Apostate: Jewish law and Christian truth. The emperor's piety ; Greek education and Christian values ; Against the Galilaeans ; The tribal god of Jews and Christians ; An apostasy from Judaism.

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