Coming Out Christian in the Roman World: How the Followers of Jesus Made a Place in Caesar's Empire

by Douglas Boin

The supposed collapse of Roman civilization is still lamented more than 1,500 years later-and intertwined with this idea is the notion that a fledgling religion, Christianity, went from a persecuted fringe movement to an irresistible force that toppled the empire. The †œintolerant zeal†? of Christians, wrote Edward Gibbon, swept Rome's old gods away, and with them the structures that sustained Roman society.

Not so, argues Douglas Boin. Such tales are simply untrue to history, and ignore the most important fact of all: life in Rome never came to a dramatic stop. Instead, as Boin shows, a small minority movement rose to transform society-politically, religiously, and culturally-but it was a gradual process, one that happened in fits and starts over centuries. Drawing upon a decade of recent studies in history and archaeology, and on his own research, Boin opens up a wholly new window onto a period we thought we knew. His work is the first to describe how Christians navigated the complex world of social identity in terms of †œpassing†? and †œcoming out.†? Many Christians lived in a dynamic middle ground. Their quiet success, as much as the clamor of martyrdom, was a powerful agent for change. With this insightful approach to the story of Christians in the Roman world, Douglas Boin rewrites, and rediscovers, the fascinating early history of a world faith.

Genres: History, Religion, Christianity, Nonfiction, Christian, Ancient History

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 3, 2015

About the author

Douglas Boin is a Professor of History at Saint Louis University and the author, most recently, of ALARIC THE GOTH (W.W. Norton), named to The Economist's Best of 2020 list. Doug's essays on classical history have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post, and he has spoken about the importance of studying the ancient world on NPR Weekend Edition and NPR 1A. He lives with his husband in Austin, Texas.

Reviews

[Ben McFarland · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of those rare books that convinced me of the opposite of the author's thesis. There's some interesting historical examples but they don't connect, possibly because the author explicitly rejects the idea of explaining history through a narrative. If you don't think history forms any kind of narrative, then the narrative you present in your book will probably not be very engaging or cohesive. One chapter takes Constantine to task for being confused in one of his pivotal speeches, but I don't think it's Constantine who's confused here. I also don't feel like there's much of a window on the ancient psyche here -- the author protests against Manichean dichotomies, then turns around and sets a dichotomy between the firebrands preaching Christian separation from the world and the average Christian trying to figure out a balance. This is an issue Christians have always dealt with but I don't see additional insight beyond a list of the various historical pressures. How are those put together in the process of "Coming Out Christian" as in the book's title? I still don't know. I very much wanted to learn from this book, but it just has too many problems.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This author may have extensive understanding of ancient Rome and it society, however, he has very little understanding of what Christianity required either now or back then. His celebration of Christian soldiers who also worshiped the Emperor is an example of such misunderstanding. In the Bible, in books like Romans and Hebrews, Christians are clearly told to worship Christ and Christ alone. Worshiping the emperor would have been a betrayal of their belief system end of the trail of Christ. I don't doubt that he found such people. My doubt is that they would be recognized as Christians. Rather, the people he describes would have been called apostates. The author indicates that there would have been little difficulty with Christians retaining the practices and ideals of ancient Rome along with retaining the ideas of Christianity. This doesn't make sense when I read the first chapter of Romans, several chapters in Hebrews, and all of the book of James. What he describes here is compromise and double mindedness, something Paul warned us to avoid. For that reason, I'm deeply disappointed in both the quality of research and the tone of this book. I will not recommend it to others.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as beginning research for something I am writing about a family of saints who lived in the fourth century A.D., and I enjoyed it so much. The writing is extremely engaging, and even though there were times I argued aloud with the author, I learned a lot. This book has led to some good conversations, and I appreciate the leads I have gotten from its bibliography. I recommend it!

[Kenneth Litwak · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author lost me early on. He clearly doesn't know how historical research is done. He claims that there's no real evidence of persecution of Christians. I'm not sure what he wants for evidence. Sorry, there's no DVD or stone in the Roman Coliseum that says,"So-and-so was killed here for his Christian belief." Perhaps he should read Fornara's book on writing history. All history is a narrative, told from a particular perspective that includes information of interest to the author and that meets the author's goals. Has Boin never read Thucydides? Or, On Writing History by Lucian, Thucydides' fan? If we tossed out all written data from ancient times, we would know next to nothing about the past.
One can't work out the past without looking at written records. Not those only, but they are the main forms of evidence. Boin needs to do more homework instead of charging in with an atttude that it was all made up.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Navigating the polarizing political landscape of our current times can be a bit like walking blindfolded through a minefield for those who claim to follow in the footsteps of Jesus in the first quarter of the 21st century. The extreme right and left make bold claims to know exactly WWJD and both sides claim divine support for their opposing truth claims.

Boin's enlightening book exposes us to the archaeologist's observation that we are simply living through one of the many echoes of history. Coming Out Christian in the Roman World shows that so much of our present theological, political, and sociological challenges are the result of "the inability of Jesus' followers to agree upon what it meant to be 'Christian' in Rome." When we look at current events - from the polarizing polemics fueled by the Synod on Synodality, or irreconcilable differences between Orthodox and Roman Catholics, to the bifurcation between progressive and conservative Protestants - we see that we Christians are still struggling to come out.

The strength of Boin's book is that it shows how easy it is to blur the lines between theological ideas and historical events. By approaching the subject matter with the archaeologist's trowel instead of interminable arguments about orthodoxy/orthopraxy, we discover that our traditions are not as neat and tidy as we would want them to be. From the very beginning, Jesus' followers have been a diverse and complex mixture that is difficult to categorize. By creating space for us to "come out" and "make places" within our own empires, we can catch glimpses of the liberating and generous threads of our traditions that value embrace over exclusion and become ambassadors of reconciliation.

I really liked this book and I think those interested in early church history will find I lot of helpful and encouraging insight here.

[Lionel Taylor]

This book looks at Christianity in its early years of growth in the Roman Empire. It uses several contemporary sources and accounts to make its argument that many of the assumptions that we have about the early history of the church are not what they would seem and that the writings of the early church fathers need to be put in the contest of the time they were written.
The author deals with the persecutions and who was seen as a legitimate part of the church and who was not as time pasted. The stories of the persecution of the early Christians served to promote the church but were probably not as widespread as was originally assumed rather the cases where it did happen were played up by the early church fathers. This is also the case with the idea that by the 4th century most of the Roman Empire had converted to Christianity and all pagan ways had been abandoned. The reality was much more complicated and there is ample evidence of pagan and Christian being practiced side by side sometimes in the same household. The transition to Christianity was a slow process that involved a reinterpretation of what it meant to be Roman, pagan, Jewish and Christian. It was not a smooth process and it was also not a predetermined process as is so often assumed with historical events. This book does a good job of explaining this and uses specific examples to get its point across. Anyone interested in the history of Ancient Rome or the early church will want to read this book.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that lives up to its provocative title. Boin brings us into the evolving world of public Christianity in the Roman empire through a close look at surviving texts, architecture, and archaeological discoveries. This world gives us a complicated Christianity, bumping shoulders with Roman gods, Isis worshipers, and Jews in the Roman kingdom -- a world of martyrs and firebrands, but that also has a place for a quieter, more flexible Christianity that is part of the Roman world instead of violently pushing against it. Boin is a wonderfully clear writer with a strong argument that pulls the reader through this approachable, but very well researched volume (such great footnotes!). Doug is a friend, and I can say that this book is really written in *his* voice, and reading it was just as fun as having a long conversation with the author.

[Mikkaela Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boin has a good question at the center of his argument, but he fails to deliver a satisfactory explanation of the concepts he is trying to demonstrate. He defines Christians as people who were affiliated with the religion and with the church, but many of those that he uses as an example are not seen by the church as being upstanding believers. But, while Christianity was trying to navigate the murky waters of disorganization and lack of a central governing authority, there is much debate about what it meant to be a Christian. I think Boin misses the mark in this book because he fails to define "Christian" and he glosses over some beliefs that most would consider key to participating in the faith, but in general it is a good attempt at telling the "untold" and "unknown" story of those who were living hyphenated lives in Rome, whether other Christians were accepting of this idea or not.

[Thomas Ernst · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess the author wants us to accept that early Christians, when they were not being slaughtered by the Romans, managed to fit into Roman society very well. He dusts off a few letters, weaves them into his confusing narrative about how Jews, members of Isis, Christian, and regular Romans lived and worshiped together. After finishing the book, the first thing that came to mind was , "what was that book about". Catchy title but nothing inside

[Brittany Emlaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a casual reader, it presents a fascinating view of the diversity of early Roman Christianity - what exactly were the people who had to be told to take it more seriously doing? - and suggests an intriguing historical/naturalistic picture of the rise of Christianity from a small cult to the official religion of Rome.

[J.F. Ridgley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing read. A much needed evakuation

Very intriguing. One that needs to be read again...because it covers those formative years of Christanity that is rarely addressed. An exceptional read....done in one setting

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry but it has a few interesting insights.

[Daniel Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight into what being a christian was like in a pagan Roman Empire.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm frustrated by this book, but fascinated. Its focus on everyday Roman Christians trying to live in tumultuous times is fresh and very welcome in the study of ancient times, and it's nice to get a point of view that isn't from the mouths and pens of the most famous (or even infamous) early Christian theologians. But that point of view, by its very nature, is always speculative; the lack of first hand records and documentation conspire to make this book a very concise & very eloquent educated guess. This lack of documentation forces the author to take long digressions into Judaism & Isis worship as contemporary parallels; the sections are well written, but it does feel like water is being tread for a lack of hard evidence for the everyday Christian point of view. In the end, this can only be a taste of what might yet come to pass -- a detailed introduction until archeology & research can provide more concrete evidence. The very nature of the subject leaves the reader salivating for something yet to be revealed. That's certainly no fault of the author, but I do look forward to what a revised volume could add in the future.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very helpful correction to narratives of Christian victory, with some excellent examples to illustrate the changes the Roman religious world went through with the birth of Christianity.

Written for a popular audience, this book is very readable. I would go so far as to say it was well written and a pleasure to read.

I'm sure that scholars could debate and discuss much of what was presented, the way it was interpreted, and what was left out, BUT, this book is up with Goodman's "Rome and Jerusalem" for popular scholarship [i.e. accessible to non-specialists] on the religious world of the Roman Empire that might change the way non-scholars think the ancient religious world, and its effect of the modern world.

[Jeremy Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

for the topic of the early Christian church history, this is quite readable prose. I read it in only about 2.5 hours over two sittings.

It also thrusts an argument commonly heard in scholarly circles about challenging the early church's persecution --it offers that the relationship between Rome and church was more more shades of grey based on some archaeological findings and taking a contrarian approach to reading the early Church Fathers. While interesting, I'm not sure---like many books on this topic--that this book has a conclusive and comprehensive way to look at this developmental period of the Christianity.

Therefore it's a good book but its conclusions should be read with other early church historians.

[Roy White · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. The thesis, that ancient Christians faced choices somewhat analogous to those faced by modern gay people in a culture that marginalizes and sometimes persecutes them, is quite interesting. Sadly, the author spends a lot of time talking down to the reader and attacking straw men...I kept waiting for some serious information that would let me imagine how things were for Christians at various times and places, and when the author just kept up his repetitive nattering, I gave up.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smart aleck - that's what I thought during the first pages, that Boin was just being contrary and argumentative with the "received history." Fortunately I continued reading and found a thoroughly interesting and not always agreeable volume on a topic to which I'd given little thought.