107-230 Pagans and Christians in the Roman World

Formerly available as 107-105. Students who have completed 107-105 are not eligible to enrol in this subject.

see Prerequisites

This subject examines the conflict between Christianity and Greco-Roman culture in the general context of the history of the later Roman Empire. Students should become familiar with the cultural background of Christianity in Hellenised Judaism and the religious values of the world into which Christianity entered. Students will then examine the Roman reaction to the new religion as a social, religious and intellectual phenomenon, as well as the Christian response, including the intellectual defence of Justin Martyr and Minucius Felix. These themes are extended into the 5th century AD, with a further study of relations between Christianity and the State, the political history of the 4th and 5th centuries, the barbarian invasions and the question of the 'Fall of the Roman Empire'.