Books : Pagan and Christian in an Age of Anxiety: Some Aspects of Religious Experience from Marcus Aurelius to Constantine (The Wiles Lectures Given at the,)
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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 291.4209015
EAN num: 9780521385992
ISBN number: 0521385997
Label: Cambridge University Press
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 164
Printing Date: February 22, 1991
Publishing house: Cambridge University Press
Sale Popularity Level: 342743
Studio: Cambridge University Press
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Product Description:
Drawing on the abundant material available for the study of religious experience in late antiquity, Professor Dodds examines the personal religious attitudes and experiences common to pagans and Christians in the period between Marcus Aurelius and Constantine. World-hatred and asceticism, dreams and states of possession, and pagan and Christian mysticism are all discussed. Finally, Dodds considers both pagan views of Christianity and Christian views of paganism as they emerge in the literature of the time. Although primarily written for social and religious historians, this study will also appeal to all those interested in the ancient world and its thought.
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Rated by buyers 
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This is a series of lectures (4) comparing various aspects of Christian Pagan spirituality. Though it has the quality of a lecture it is very well footnoted and annotated; there are gems and wry comments sprinkled throughout. The method of comparison is one of textual literary analysis, something that might seem a little old-fashioned especially when one considers how little of the writings of Late Antiquity has come down to us. (Ie, you can't make generalizations on general religious behavior with such scanty evidence.) Get it for its fluent discusion of various Christian and Pagan sects and their sometimes silliness. BTW, the author is an admitted agnostic and is not above an irreverent comment or two on religion.
Rated by buyers 
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Dodds delivers a concise but fascinating book on the interactions between the receeding Roman pagan religions and nascent Christianity. He draws heavily on primary sources, and (unlike too many other texts on the subject) refrains from gratuitous explanations and judgements. Coming from a background in religious philosophy, I would recommend this book for those interested in the formation of (and interrelatedness of) the religious ideas of Christianity, Gnosticism, Orphic/Pythagorean cults, and Neoplatonism.
Rated by buyers -
as funny as this sounds, i really found this book hard to put down. dodds gives a really nice, clear overview of the similarities between pagan and christian religions in the early-AD period, as well as touching briefly on the debates between them. this book also includes a lot on the sort of one-hit religious wonders of the ancient world. a pretty short read, and very informative.
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