James J. O'Donnell > Quotes

“(A kingdom without justice, he memorably observed, was nothing but a very large band of pirates.”
― James J. O'Donnell, Pagans: The End of Traditional Religion and the Rise of Christianity

“Monarchs have a great weakness, however, for their own sons, no matter how feckless and inept. A statistical study should be done across cultures assessing the relative frequency of the bizarre outcomes to which monarchical succession is prone: failure to provide an heir or successor, provision of an heir completely inept, or division of rule among several incompatible ones. Orderly succession followed by a successful reign is the exception.”
― James J. O'Donnell, Pagans: The End of Traditional Religion and the Rise of Christianity

“Few moderns may think of the linear development of human history in the same terms the old Christians used, but the modern world of ideas is unimaginable without the irreversible linearity of connection and direction they provided. Everyone on the planet recognizes the Christian scheme of marking and pointing time’s arrow, even when we noncommittally mark our dates BCE/ CE.”
― James J. O'Donnell, Pagans: The End of Traditional Religion and the Rise of Christianity

“search of traces of the ancient past—and fine dark chocolate.”
― James J. O'Donnell, The Ruin of the Roman Empire: A New History

“The great issue in The Nature of the Gods has little to do with the gods themselves and more to do with their relations with humankind. As often when we speak about the divine, it’s really all about us. Do they care about us or don’t they? The Stoics thought the gods knew and cared what we do, the Epicureans believed in gods but firmly believed as well that they were so high and lofty and remote, so wrapped in concerns of their own, that they had no time for meddling in human affairs or paying attention to human prayers.”
― James J. O'Donnell, Pagans: The End of Traditional Religion and the Rise of Christianity