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How Christianity Saved Civilization: And Must Do So Again
Ancient Rome’s brutal culture exploited the weak and considered human life expendable. Women were used as property; unwanted children were left on the streets to die.,/p>
Four centuries later, even ordinary men and women prospered in what had become a vigorous new Christian society – a society that served the vulnerable, exalted women, treasured virtue, and loved peace.
Faith had triumphed. Truth was proclaimed. And on this rock-solid foundation, Christian society flourished in the West for the next 1500 years.
These eye-opening pages document the many ways in which Christians penetrated and civilized that debased Roman empire, introducing then-radical notions such as the equal dignity of women, respect for life, protection of the weak and vulnerable, and the obligation of rulers to serve those they rule and maximize their freedom.
Here you’ll learn about the seven specific areas where any paganism, ancient or modern, is particularly vulnerable. They provide a roadmap for modern Christians to reclaim for the Faith our own neo-pagan modern culture.
Facing an overwhelmingly dark and hostile culture, Rome’s early Christians took the steps necessary to transform it. Their struggles and the hard lessons they learned – documented here – afford us hope that, by imitating their example, we may do the same for our culture today.
Four centuries later, even ordinary men and women prospered in what had become a vigorous new Christian society – a society that served the vulnerable, exalted women, treasured virtue, and loved peace.
Faith had triumphed. Truth was proclaimed. And on this rock-solid foundation, Christian society flourished in the West for the next 1500 years.
These eye-opening pages document the many ways in which Christians penetrated and civilized that debased Roman empire, introducing then-radical notions such as the equal dignity of women, respect for life, protection of the weak and vulnerable, and the obligation of rulers to serve those they rule and maximize their freedom.
Here you’ll learn about the seven specific areas where any paganism, ancient or modern, is particularly vulnerable. They provide a roadmap for modern Christians to reclaim for the Faith our own neo-pagan modern culture.
Facing an overwhelmingly dark and hostile culture, Rome’s early Christians took the steps necessary to transform it. Their struggles and the hard lessons they learned – documented here – afford us hope that, by imitating their example, we may do the same for our culture today.
270 pages, Paperback
Published January 17, 2019
32 people are currently reading
205 people want to read
About the author
Mike Aquilina
127 books113 followersMike Aquilina is author or editor of more than thirty books, including The Fathers of the Church, The Mass of the Early Christians, and A Year with the Church Fathers. He has co-hosted eight series that air on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). He has co-authored books with Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C., and theologian Scott Hahn. He is past editor of New Covenant magazine and The Pittsburgh Catholic newspaper. He appears weekly on Sirius Radio's "Sonrise Morning Show." Mike and his wife, Terri, have six children, who are the subject of his book Love in the Little Things.
In 2011 Mike was a featured presenter of the U.S. Bishops' Diocesan Educational/Catechetical Leadership Institute. He also wrote the USCCB's theological reflection for Catechetical Sunday in 2011.
His reviews, essays and journalism have appeared in many journals, including First Things, Touchstone, Crisis, Our Sunday Visitor, National Catholic Register, and Catholic Heritage. He contributed work on early Christianity to the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought.
Mike is a also poet whose works have appeared in U.S. literary journals and have been translated into Polish and Spanish. He shared songwriting credits with Grammy Award-winner Dion DiMucci on the forthcoming album "Tank Full of Blues."
In 2011 Mike was a featured presenter of the U.S. Bishops' Diocesan Educational/Catechetical Leadership Institute. He also wrote the USCCB's theological reflection for Catechetical Sunday in 2011.
His reviews, essays and journalism have appeared in many journals, including First Things, Touchstone, Crisis, Our Sunday Visitor, National Catholic Register, and Catholic Heritage. He contributed work on early Christianity to the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought.
Mike is a also poet whose works have appeared in U.S. literary journals and have been translated into Polish and Spanish. He shared songwriting credits with Grammy Award-winner Dion DiMucci on the forthcoming album "Tank Full of Blues."
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 12, 2019
What I liked most about this book was how the information was framed in history and just how transformative the Early Church was to the Pagan world. While I had read and thought about the subject before, this book brings this into sharp focus regarding hurdles that had been overcome before. While postmodernism is in many ways returning to a form of paganism, even the arguments used in defense have been borrowed from Western Civilization and the impact of the Church.
I was reminded of Julian the Apostate's attempt to bring some form of Christian charity into his vision of Paganism. He obviously liked this aspect while despising Christianity. The same thing is happening now with people wanting to imitate such charity without having the moral foundation it is based upon.
The first major section of the book does cover territory that can be found in similar histories. What is different here is that it is also a call to action about what we can do regarding the current culture. Not a rant about current times, but actionable steps and the reminder that we have overcome greater odds before. The writing is engaging and informative.
I was reminded of Julian the Apostate's attempt to bring some form of Christian charity into his vision of Paganism. He obviously liked this aspect while despising Christianity. The same thing is happening now with people wanting to imitate such charity without having the moral foundation it is based upon.
The first major section of the book does cover territory that can be found in similar histories. What is different here is that it is also a call to action about what we can do regarding the current culture. Not a rant about current times, but actionable steps and the reminder that we have overcome greater odds before. The writing is engaging and informative.
May 8, 2020
This is a difficult review to write, because I only gave it three stars, when I truly think everyone should read it. It has some really great information. The problem is this: I, as a reader, happen to come from an Early Church History background, and therefore read all related books with a very critical eye. Had I been any of my siblings, I would have given this five stars. So, here is my opinion, which, along with $1.07, will get you a coffee at McDonalds.
The main problem with the book is the sweeping generalizations it makes when speaking of pagans and Romans. It sometimes gives them their due, but it makes overly broad comments with sometimes little to no source backing. Was abortion and disposing of infant girls prevalent? Absolutely. The author, however, makes it seem like every pre-Christian Greek and Roman was off disposing of fetuses seven times a day, and the only people that this bothered were Christians. Same with slavery, class structure, and poverty. It basically says that before Christianity no one cared for the poor. Which is clearly untrue. The fact that Christianity turned caring from the poor from a fringe nobility exercise into a worldwide accepted and expected phenomenon is noteworthy enough without having to pretend that before Christians came along, literally everyone was an infanticidal barbarian.
It is true, and the author gives great examples, of how the Christian faith has made civilization better, but while I think everyone should read this book because they need to understand how far we have come because of the Christian ethos, and how much is at stake if we turn away from it, for me, personally, turning pre-Christians into something general and horrible denies the spark of God in every human being, and the Holy Spirit working as conscience in every human of every age.
Pre-Christian society was pretty horrific for the average bloke, and even worse for most women and lower classes. Christianity made a change in individual human lives, and through that the structure of society and the basic core of what we today understand as "civilized behavior". The author makes this exceptionally clear, and he does it well. He also focuses on love and not judgment, which I appreciate. I would have anyone not familiar with the history of Christianity read this book. For people who are more conversant in the subject, perhaps skipping this would be ok, as it's more of a primer.
The main problem with the book is the sweeping generalizations it makes when speaking of pagans and Romans. It sometimes gives them their due, but it makes overly broad comments with sometimes little to no source backing. Was abortion and disposing of infant girls prevalent? Absolutely. The author, however, makes it seem like every pre-Christian Greek and Roman was off disposing of fetuses seven times a day, and the only people that this bothered were Christians. Same with slavery, class structure, and poverty. It basically says that before Christianity no one cared for the poor. Which is clearly untrue. The fact that Christianity turned caring from the poor from a fringe nobility exercise into a worldwide accepted and expected phenomenon is noteworthy enough without having to pretend that before Christians came along, literally everyone was an infanticidal barbarian.
It is true, and the author gives great examples, of how the Christian faith has made civilization better, but while I think everyone should read this book because they need to understand how far we have come because of the Christian ethos, and how much is at stake if we turn away from it, for me, personally, turning pre-Christians into something general and horrible denies the spark of God in every human being, and the Holy Spirit working as conscience in every human of every age.
Pre-Christian society was pretty horrific for the average bloke, and even worse for most women and lower classes. Christianity made a change in individual human lives, and through that the structure of society and the basic core of what we today understand as "civilized behavior". The author makes this exceptionally clear, and he does it well. He also focuses on love and not judgment, which I appreciate. I would have anyone not familiar with the history of Christianity read this book. For people who are more conversant in the subject, perhaps skipping this would be ok, as it's more of a primer.
September 19, 2024
This is a great book on the church, which shows how revolutionary it has been and can be again. Like Tom Holland's Dominion, but more orthodox, from a Catholic perspective and, for better or worse, easier to read.
Sadly, our 'post-Christian' culture looks a lot like the pagan culture of antiquity- filled with false gods, a lack of willingness to sacrifice for love and an attack on the family.
There is hope, however and the gates of hell will not stand against the church.
In Christ, we have already revolutionised marriage, work, the understanding of the state, etc and there's more work to do in our day. Mike's book offers orientation in history and encouragement for the journey.
Sadly, our 'post-Christian' culture looks a lot like the pagan culture of antiquity- filled with false gods, a lack of willingness to sacrifice for love and an attack on the family.
There is hope, however and the gates of hell will not stand against the church.
In Christ, we have already revolutionised marriage, work, the understanding of the state, etc and there's more work to do in our day. Mike's book offers orientation in history and encouragement for the journey.
March 8, 2025
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April 2, 2020
This book was recommended to me and given to me by a much admired friend and one-time mentor. So, I eagerly began reading it and was immediately impressed by how interesting the authors presented the history of Christianity in the Imperial Roman world. But this wasn't history for history sake but for argument sake. I knew a little about early Christianity, but their retelling the story was helpful but not too basic.
The title of the book sounds self-serving and a little parochial. Therefore while reading, especially the last two chapters, I found myself looking for a pigeonhole to place the authors in. Are they lefties, right-wingers, overly pious? I know this is something I do so I can easily dismiss them without bothering to look deeply at their arguments and the strength of their support, but they are not easily dismissed because they back up their claims with the historical events they had just explained.
These authors seem to be experienced teachers because they know their audience well. I had in mind some questions and objections that were answered promptly, almost as if they saw my raised hand and called on me.
A couple of points they made were repeated in other chapters of the book which bugged me at first. Then I realized the authors may have been allowing for readers who don't read from front to back like I always do. This book can very easily be read in whatever order the reader favors except Chapter 9 should be read after all the previous chapters because first you have to be convinced that the Church changed the world back in the early years before you can be convinced the Church can do it again nowadays and it will be good for us all.
You know how with some books, you can just barely finish them. It is quite an accomplishment. With this book I found myself feeling so fresh with the topic that I wanted to read more by the same authors, so I looked for the list of other books they have written. In fact I am now an ardent listener of one of the authors' podcast "Way of the Fathers".
The title of the book sounds self-serving and a little parochial. Therefore while reading, especially the last two chapters, I found myself looking for a pigeonhole to place the authors in. Are they lefties, right-wingers, overly pious? I know this is something I do so I can easily dismiss them without bothering to look deeply at their arguments and the strength of their support, but they are not easily dismissed because they back up their claims with the historical events they had just explained.
These authors seem to be experienced teachers because they know their audience well. I had in mind some questions and objections that were answered promptly, almost as if they saw my raised hand and called on me.
A couple of points they made were repeated in other chapters of the book which bugged me at first. Then I realized the authors may have been allowing for readers who don't read from front to back like I always do. This book can very easily be read in whatever order the reader favors except Chapter 9 should be read after all the previous chapters because first you have to be convinced that the Church changed the world back in the early years before you can be convinced the Church can do it again nowadays and it will be good for us all.
You know how with some books, you can just barely finish them. It is quite an accomplishment. With this book I found myself feeling so fresh with the topic that I wanted to read more by the same authors, so I looked for the list of other books they have written. In fact I am now an ardent listener of one of the authors' podcast "Way of the Fathers".
May 12, 2023
With such a lack of historical knowledge in our culture today this was a book that needed to be written. So many are quick to condemn the Catholic Church, not for the failings of the Church herself, but for the failings of so many of its members and clergy. They have forgotten the role that the church has played in the development and continuation of Western Society. If you are one of these people, I suggest you read this book and begin to educate yourself on these matters. Indeed, the church is the only institution that could save our way of life in this modern world of ours, but I fear it is too late and
like all the other great cultures that came before us, we are on our way to decay and disappearance. The Church will continue, but the center of it already has and will continue to move to other parts of the world. The authors are too optimistic in their assessment of how this society can be saved, in my opinion, that ship has sailed.
like all the other great cultures that came before us, we are on our way to decay and disappearance. The Church will continue, but the center of it already has and will continue to move to other parts of the world. The authors are too optimistic in their assessment of how this society can be saved, in my opinion, that ship has sailed.
April 19, 2019
I learned a lot from this book.
Much of what we in the 21st Century consider to be common sense or common human decency did not really exist as a system before Judeo-Christian morality was spread by Christianity. "Husbands, love your wives," commanded St. Paul the Apostle — and that was a new idea in a pagan world where husbands weren't expected to do that. Helping the less fortunate, even strangers? Again, Christians were the ones who started that. Government that must respect individual rights and conscience? Again, a Christian idea new in the world. So much of what we consider to be common human decency is, really, the working of Christian faith and morals into world history.
These ideas are supported by numerous quotations from primary sources, and the book is a pleasure to read.
I was provided with a copy for review by one of the authors.
Much of what we in the 21st Century consider to be common sense or common human decency did not really exist as a system before Judeo-Christian morality was spread by Christianity. "Husbands, love your wives," commanded St. Paul the Apostle — and that was a new idea in a pagan world where husbands weren't expected to do that. Helping the less fortunate, even strangers? Again, Christians were the ones who started that. Government that must respect individual rights and conscience? Again, a Christian idea new in the world. So much of what we consider to be common human decency is, really, the working of Christian faith and morals into world history.
These ideas are supported by numerous quotations from primary sources, and the book is a pleasure to read.
I was provided with a copy for review by one of the authors.
April 2, 2020
If I had the option I'd give this 3.5 - 3.75 stars. While I found the book very informative, there was a lot of redundancy. The authors laid out seven cultural revolutions, that Christianity started, during the Roman Empire. Several of theses crossed over to each other, yet they were discussed at length....again. Aside from that it was very interesting and one could see very early on the similarities of the "pre-Christian" era and the current "post-Christian" era. I felt the authors suggestions on how Christians ought to bring about a change once again were practical, simple and likely effective.
August 2, 2020
What would the World look like today had it not been for Christianity? Here is a good guess: dictatorships throughout the World, slavery, racism, infanticide, euthanasia, gender inequality, no service to the poor and needy, no charities, offerings to many different Gods including human sacrifices, massive poverty, no democracy, no Social Security and a large etc. We can only be thankful for the vast and massive contributions of Christianity to a better World!
March 26, 2023
A must-read for all Jesus followers. They authors do a tremendous amount of research telling us what at the church was like during the first 3 centuries and how Christianity changed home life, humanity, government, social systems, etc. A wonder treatise on how Jesus changed the world. We are now living in a post-Christian world, which looks similar to the old Roman world. So, we are challenge to live bravely like that New Testament church and show how Jesus can change us all again.
October 5, 2024
Incredibly convicting, inspiring, and beautiful. Talks about the exploitation of ancient Rome’s brutal culture and that though they faced intense amounts of persecution and hostility, they have proved that Christianity permeates the hearts of man and cultures, and therefore the World.
Loved this book.
Loved this book.
October 10, 2019
3.5 stars. It was interesting, and the parallels are convincing, but this book mostly made me want to learn more about early Christianity.
October 7, 2024
would recommend
February 13, 2022
Great in its survey of the pre- and post-Christian world--if not a bit repetitive; overall poor in its prescription.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews