Pagans

Archival Summary & Scope

**Pagans** by religious scholar James J. O'Donnell.

This iconoclastic history explores the rise of Christianity in the fourth century CE from the unique perspective of the "pagans"—pious ancient Greeks, Romans, Syrians, and Gauls—who witnessed their ancestral traditions and ways of life profoundly disrupted, even destroyed, by the burgeoning new faith. O'Donnell offers fresh portraits of iconic figures like Constantine, Julian, and Augustine, while examining pivotal themes such as tradition versus innovation, and plurality versus unity. The *New York Times Book Review* praises this "thoughtful tour of Rome" for interpreting "how an oddball religious cult became the official faith of Rome," making for an "engaging view of antiquity few of us have seen" (*Booklist*).