How to Destroy a Demon (and a temple)
Member Exclusive Lectures • 1h 9m
The Hollywood story version of the clash between Christians and pagans is simple: in this story, nasty, brutish Romans throw gentle, uncomplaining Christians to the lions. The truth was more complicated - and Christianity was much less meek. When Christians came to power in the Roman world, they smashed pagan statues, defaced and destroyed pagan temples, burned books and passed law after law outlawing "pagan" religion - eventually on pain of death. This talk looks at how Christianity gained power over first an emperor - and eventually an empire - and in doing so changed Europe forever.
Catherine Nixey studied Classics at Cambridge and now works as a journalist at the Economist. Her writing has previously appeared in the Times, and the Financial Times, among others. She lives in England, with her husband. Her first book, The Darkening Age, was published in 2017 and was an international bestseller, and won a Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Award. She is soon to release her new book Heresy: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God.
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