The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World
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- Author：Catherine Nixey
- ISBN：1509816070
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Summary
A New York Times Notable Book， winner of the Jerwood Award from the Royal Society of Literature， a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice， and named a Book of the Year by the Telegraph， Spectator， Observer， and BBC History Magazine， this bold new history of the rise of Christianity shows how its radical followers helped to annihilate Greek and Roman civilizations。
The Darkening Age is the largely unknown story of how a militant religion deliberately attacked and suppressed the teachings of the Classical world， ushering in centuries of unquestioning adherence to one true faith。
Despite the long-held notion that the early Christians were meek and mild， going to their martyrs' deaths singing hymns of love and praise， the truth， as Catherine Nixey reveals， is very different。 Far from being meek and mild， they were violent， ruthless， and fundamentally intolerant。 Unlike the polytheistic world， in which the addition of one new religion made no fundamental difference to the old ones， this new ideology stated not only that it was the way， the truth， and the light but that， by extension， every single other way was wrong and had to be destroyed。 From the first century to the sixth， those who didn't fall into step with its beliefs were pursued in every possible way: social， legal， financial， and physical。 Their altars were upturned and their temples demolished， their statues hacked to pieces， and their priests killed。 It was an annihilation。
Authoritative， vividly written， and utterly compelling， this is a remarkable debut from a brilliant young historian。
The Darkening Age is the largely unknown story of how a militant religion deliberately attacked and suppressed the teachings of the Classical world， ushering in centuries of unquestioning adherence to one true faith。
Despite the long-held notion that the early Christians were meek and mild， going to their martyrs' deaths singing hymns of love and praise， the truth， as Catherine Nixey reveals， is very different。 Far from being meek and mild， they were violent， ruthless， and fundamentally intolerant。 Unlike the polytheistic world， in which the addition of one new religion made no fundamental difference to the old ones， this new ideology stated not only that it was the way， the truth， and the light but that， by extension， every single other way was wrong and had to be destroyed。 From the first century to the sixth， those who didn't fall into step with its beliefs were pursued in every possible way: social， legal， financial， and physical。 Their altars were upturned and their temples demolished， their statues hacked to pieces， and their priests killed。 It was an annihilation。
Authoritative， vividly written， and utterly compelling， this is a remarkable debut from a brilliant young historian。
Reviews
Sebastian
，
7。8/10
Harley Gee
，
I enjoyed this history because I have not read anything like it。 Nixey explains that Christianity replaced pagan beliefs because of two factors。 The first
Wojciech Szot
，
Jak pisze Stanisław Obirek - "grymaszę"。“Ciemniejący wiek” Catherine Nixey to książka z pewnością fantastycznie napisana， wciągająca i uruchamiająca wyobraźnię。 Ale też budząca spore wątpliwości。 Amerykańska dziennikarka， z wykształcenia filolożka antyczna， doskonale orientuje się w materiale źródłowym， ma atrakcyjną， błyskotliwą tezę i potrafi ją uzasadnić łącząc wciągający reportaż， niemal powieść podróżniczą， autobiograficzne wtręty （jest córką byłej zakonnicy i byłego mnicha） z ironicznym， c Jak pisze Stanisław Obirek - "grymaszę"。“Ciemniejący wiek” Catherine Nixey to książka z pewnością fantastycznie napisana， wciągająca i uruchamiająca wyobraźnię。 Ale też budząca spore wątpliwości。 Amerykańska dziennikarka， z wykształcenia filolożka antyczna， doskonale orientuje się w materiale źródłowym， ma atrakcyjną， błyskotliwą tezę i potrafi ją uzasadnić łącząc wciągający reportaż， niemal powieść podróżniczą， autobiograficzne wtręty （jest córką byłej zakonnicy i byłego mnicha） z ironicznym， czasem też bardzo dosadnym， komentarzem。 Niestety - o czym mało się w Polsce wspomina - książka Nixey ma wśród badaczy i badaczek starożytności więcej przeciwników， niż zwolenników。 I dlatego tak bardzo dziwi mnie Stanisław Obirek， który w będącym posłowiem do książki Nixey tekście “Ciemna strona chrześcijaństwa”， pisze: "wielu ekspertów grymasi， ale autorka bardzo wyraźnie zaznaczyła， dlaczego i dla kogo napisała tę książkę"。 Czyli jak？ Mamy do czynienia z dziełem wyraźnie propagandowym， eksperci wytykają Nixey dość oczywiste błędy i nadużycia， ale to "grymaszenie"？ Czy jeśli napiszę manipulatywną propagandę dla ateistów， to jest wszystko ok， jeśli napiszę we wstępie "hejka ateiści， moi starzy wierzyli w Boga， nawet mu służyli， ale ja jestem z wami i to jest opowieść dla was"？Paternalizacja， której dokonuje Obirek w tym fragmencie nie ma nic wspólnego z rzeczową argumentacją。 Obirek przyznaje， że na wikipedii zgromadzono negatywne recenzje， ale przecież to "książka-manifest"， “powinna wywołać debatę” i “proponuje nowy paradygmat w podejściu do historii”。 Otóż trudno się zgodzić， by próba odwracania historii i w dotychczasowych ofiarach widzenia prześladowców （lub na odwrót）， była w historiografii czymś nowym。 Prawicowa manipulacja historią przecież na tym też polega。 Obirek negatywnych recenzji i ich argumentów nie wymienia - głupio， żeby pisał to w posłowiu， za które płaci wydawca - ale z drugiej strony jednak czymś uczciwym byłoby choćby zauważyć， że argumenty przeciwko Nixey są bardzo poważne i stawiane przez autorytety。 Kłopoty z książką Nixey chyba najlepiej opisał Tim Whitmarsh z Cambridge University， który w “Guardianie” pisał， że autorka “starając się ujawnić błędy i zepsucie świata wczesnego chrześcijaństwa， jest ona bliska wymazania barbarzyńskich cech przedchrześcijańskich Rzymian”。 Tym samym wcale Nixey nie jest wielką rewolucjonistką - to przecież pogląd bliski Edwardowi Gibbonowi， twórcy przecież XVIII wiecznemu。 Nixey bardzo gładko przechodzi nad tym， że czasy “upadku Rzymu” to nie tylko pojawienie się chrześcijaństwa， które - rzeczywiście - z niezwykłą agresją postanowiło szerzyć swoje idee， ale też gigantyczny kryzys ekonomiczny i dziesiątki innych problemów。 Po lekturze książki Nixey może się Państwu wydawać， że wszystko to “ci strasznie chrześcijanie”。 No aż tak łatwo nie jest。 Autorka zapędza się， gdy zupełnie nie zauważa tego， że antyczne teksty przetrwały dzięki wschodniemu chrześcijaństwu， które przecież za podstawę edukacji uznawało m。in。 Homera， Demostenesa， czy。。。 Arystofanesa。 Oczywiście， ma rację， gdy pisze że "dzieła Arystotelesa， Cycerona， Seneki i Archimedesa “przepadały w klasztorach”， że ścierano Cycerona czy Senekę z papirusów， ale mogłaby wspomnieć， że kłopotem ówczesnych twórców była nie tylko niechęć do starożytnych， ale też zwyczajnie dostępność papirusu。 Jak na dziennikarkę ekonomiczną， Nixey niechętnie sięga po kwestie ekonomii， a chętnie zapędza się w rozważania nad filozofią。 Jak udowodnił Richard Tada z University of Washington pisząc dla "National Review" - niekiedy manipulując cytatami。 Książka Nixey to ciekawy przykład reportażu historycznego z wyrazistą i oczywistą tezą， a do tego tak bardzo odpowiadającą na społeczne zapotrzebowanie， że gubi nam się - i to widać po tekście Obirka - trzeźwy， merytoryczny osąd。 Literaturę warto porównać czasem do trenowania sportu。 Otóż jest oczywiste， że my raczej nie zrobimy idealnego psa z głową gdziekolwiek， ale nie oznacza to， że nasza osoba trenerska ma go pokazywać w uproszczeniu。 Jeśli z tej książki czytelnicy mają czerpać wiedzę o starożytności， to chyba mamy problem。 A może nie， i dzisiaj już uznaliśmy， że każdy żyje w swoim świecie， każdy ma swoje książki i swoją historię， która odpowiada na jego zapotrzebowania światopoglądowe？Nixey - co akurat niestety nie zaskakuje - niewiele uwagi poświęca kwestii tego kto i gdzie był kolonizatorem。 Skoro chrześcijańskie hordy， które atakowały budynki， próbowały zniszczyć dziedzictwo przeszłości， są dla niej tak podejrzane， to może warto zadać pytanie - a skąd te budowle się tam wzięły？ Skąd Rzymianie w tych wszystkich miastach？ Co zaskakujące Nixey （a może Jakub Jedliński tłumacząc ją na polski？） chętnie używa sformułowania "Turcja"， choć w tych czasach nikt o żadnej Turcji jeszcze nie myślał。 Nawet na mapie dołączonej do książki Azja Mniejsza jest określona mianem "Azji"， a nie “Turcji”。 Autorka “Ciemniejącego wieku” ma bardzo dużo racji i nie można jej odmówić umiejętności w przeprowadzaniu - jakkolwiek wypreparowanego - wywodu logicznego。 Oto chrześcijanie owładnięci wizją świata opanowanego przez demony （nieludzkie i ludzkie） próbują wprowadzić nowy porządek i robią to wyznając religię pozornie tylko pokojową， a tak naprawdę walczącą z każdym， kto nie jest nasz。 A， że to nic nowego w historii świata？ Nixey dostrzega， że niemal dwa tysiące lat chrześcijańskiej władzy nad “zachodnim” światem sprawiło， że Kościół miał czas pielęgnować i polerować swój mit założycielski。 Rzymianie straszni i źli， chrześcijanie prości， wspólnotowi， “naturalni”。 Coś jak fast food vs domowe jedzonko。 A przecież było inaczej - wszyscy byli źli。 Na okładce oryginalnego wydania książki Nixey znajdą Państwo uszkodzony posąg Ateny - wyłupiono jej oczy， obcięto nos， na czole wyryto krzyż。 Historia tego wandalizmu （to ciekawe słowo w tym kontekście） i wyprawa Damascjusza i innych “mędrców” z Aten do Konstantynopola （VI wiek） jest klamrą książki。 Książki ciekawej， która czyta się momentami z zapartym tchem， ale też książki， która w swej retoryce jest czymś bliskim propagandzie。 Nixey ciągle pisze o chrześcijanach， że byli “głupi”， “prymitywni”， co przypomina mi trochę popularne książeczki z cyklu “Ci straszni…”， komiksy o Asteriksie i Obeliksie， czy - ostatnio - Philomenę Cunk。 Tylko， że tu ponoć zamierzenie było ambitniejsze i poważniejsze。 Autorka dostrzega， że świat nie składa się z dyskusji filozoficznych i debat mędrców， a jest po prostu starciem fizycznym。 To bardzo współczesna wizja dziejów， netfliksowana odrobinę。 Dzięki temu może też autorka “Ciemniejącego wieku” łączyć czasy “upadku Rzymu” z czasami współczesnymi - ISIS， czy rosnącą w siłę prawicą， która - podobnie jak “pierwsi chrześcijanie” wybiera metafizykę i wiarę w miejsce dowodów naukowych。 “Ptaki nie istnieją” - jak nie znacie tej teorii spiskowej i jej historii， to warto poszperać。 Nixey uważa， że po dojściu do władzy chrześcijaństwa “wystarczyło to， co mówiła Biblia”。 Bardzo zabawnym widzę fakt， że tym samym wykreśliła setki lat debat wewnątrz samego chrześcijaństwa。 Debat - co ciekawe - często sięgających po argumenty z klasycznych filozofów。 Rozumiem， że mamy XXI wiek， chcemy odkrywać historię na nowo， opowiadać ją w innej narracji i tak dalej， wspieram te założenia， ale argumentacja Nixey często sprowadza się do dość prostych twierdzeń， które są bardzo atrakcyjne， ale wątpliwe warsztatowo。 Czy to grymaszenie？ Jeśli tym określimy posiadanie wątpliwości， myślenie na przekór publice żądnej igrzysk i argumentację， to ja chętnie pogrymaszę。 。。。more
Laura Randle
，
“A time of tyranny and crisis…”—philosopher Damascus describing the swelling cult of violence and anti-intellectualism that characterized early Christianity。 Stunning read， both in the amount of information it conveys and its wry and riveting delivery。
Edith
，
although millenia away， the tellings in this book feel ever alive - Nixey employs your mind， heart and all your senses for that。 puts christianity in an entirely new perspective， with a determined and precise tone。 a reality check when it comes to our willingness to go blind in faith。
Antonella Quieto
，
E' un libro illuminante。E' assurdo quanto il cristianesimo abbia modificato e corrotto la linea del tempo。L'epoca classica era dal punto di vista scientifico， filosofico， avanzatissima。。chissà quanto saremmo evoluti se non avessimo avuto tutto il buio e la distruzione che il cristianesimo ha portato。 Quanta violenza， quanto stallo c'è stato e continua ad esserci。Non do il massimo semplicemente perchè ad un certo punto diventa un po' meno incisivo e un po' più ripetitivo。。。Pero dovrebbe essere da E' un libro illuminante。E' assurdo quanto il cristianesimo abbia modificato e corrotto la linea del tempo。L'epoca classica era dal punto di vista scientifico， filosofico， avanzatissima。。chissà quanto saremmo evoluti se non avessimo avuto tutto il buio e la distruzione che il cristianesimo ha portato。 Quanta violenza， quanto stallo c'è stato e continua ad esserci。Non do il massimo semplicemente perchè ad un certo punto diventa un po' meno incisivo e un po' più ripetitivo。。。Pero dovrebbe essere davvero studiato nelle scuole。 。。。more
Ky Webber
，
Incredible exploration of the destruction of ChristianityThe book is an incredible account， carefully referenced， of the monstrous destruction and torture enacted by Christians in the effort to install their creed as a monolith across Europe。 And it reads like those early bullies are the inspiration for American and other religio-fascists today。
Αλέξης Γυφτοδήμος
，
Ναζισμός， φασισμός， σταλινισμός， μαοϊσμός， χριστιανισμός και πρόσφατα το Ισλαμικό Κράτος。 Θα μπορούσαν όλοι να διαγωνιστούν για το ποιος σκότωσε τους περισσότερους， ποιος έκανε τις μεγαλύτερες καταστροφές。 Ο χριστιανισμός θα έπαιρνε πιθανότατα την πρώτη θέση。 Ο Μεσαίωνας δεν ξεκίνησε με την κάθοδο των βαρβάρων στην Ευρώπη αλλά με την εξάπλωση του χριστιανισμού。 Έκαψαν όποια βιβλία εύρισκαν， πρωτίστως φιλοσοφίας αλλά και επιστημονικά και λογοτεχνικά。 Το 90% της ελληνικής και το 99% της λατινικής Ναζισμός， φασισμός， σταλινισμός， μαοϊσμός， χριστιανισμός και πρόσφατα το Ισλαμικό Κράτος。 Θα μπορούσαν όλοι να διαγωνιστούν για το ποιος σκότωσε τους περισσότερους， ποιος έκανε τις μεγαλύτερες καταστροφές。 Ο χριστιανισμός θα έπαιρνε πιθανότατα την πρώτη θέση。 Ο Μεσαίωνας δεν ξεκίνησε με την κάθοδο των βαρβάρων στην Ευρώπη αλλά με την εξάπλωση του χριστιανισμού。 Έκαψαν όποια βιβλία εύρισκαν， πρωτίστως φιλοσοφίας αλλά και επιστημονικά και λογοτεχνικά。 Το 90% της ελληνικής και το 99% της λατινικής γραμματείας καταστράφηκε από τους αγροίκους σκοταδιστές。 Αγάλματα， ψηφιδωτά και κάθε είδους τέχνη πολεμήθηκε με μανία， όπως και κάθε επιστήμη。 Το σκοτάδι της Εκκλησίας κράτησε κάπου χίλια χρόνια。 Αυτά περιγράφει με απόγνωση η Νίξυ σε ένα καθαρά επιστημονικό βιβλίο。 Η εξαιρετικά πλούσια βιβλιογραφία δεν αφήνει κανένα περιθώριο αμφισβήτησης: 125 πρωτογενείς πηγές και 186 δευτερογενείς， 681 παραπομπές， οι περισσότερες σε αυτά που οι ίδιοι οι "Άγιοι" έγραφαν， θα πείσουν όποιον δεν είναι τελείως μα τελείως τυφλωμένος από θρησκευτικό φανατισμό。 。。。more
Syed Fathi
，
This book belong to the revisionist school of thought in history， in it， Nixey want to counter the traditional historiography about the destruction of the classical world， she choose to focus on only one reason， that is the destruction was due to the rise of Christianity。 To do this， she obviously did many generalizations， some of which I found to be too wide。 Nixey obviously take side， she sided with the vanquished。 She wanted to give voice to the classical culture， their religion and philosoph This book belong to the revisionist school of thought in history， in it， Nixey want to counter the traditional historiography about the destruction of the classical world， she choose to focus on only one reason， that is the destruction was due to the rise of Christianity。 To do this， she obviously did many generalizations， some of which I found to be too wide。 Nixey obviously take side， she sided with the vanquished。 She wanted to give voice to the classical culture， their religion and philosophy that has been erased by the subsequent Christian historiography。 For me， the saddest part was the destruction of books， knowledge， libraries， and arts。 These treasures are gone forever。 The book may not be an objective history， some might also called it prejudice， but I find it to be a good reminder for religious people to celebrate diversity and always be tolerant to each other。 。。。more
A
，
Väga hariv， pani mõtlema， pani guugeldama ja jälle mõtlema。Ostan ka endale， enne kui tsenseeritakse。Või koguni keelustatakse。Kõik on võimalik。 🙂
Gabriella Rojas
，
Really like the premise but gets so repetitive， I feel like they don’t make any new points in the second half of the book
Ana-Maria Bujor
，
I wanted to give this book more stars， as it is accessible and it did teach me some things I did not know。 But is also comes with an agenda， and as I've seen in comments by people much more informed than I'll ever be， facts are bent to fit a narrative。 Now I grew up with stories of martyrs and about how Christianity was the only religion to spread peacefully。 It's not the case and this book gives quite a few examples of violence， destruction， forced morality and so on。 Which is fine and informat I wanted to give this book more stars， as it is accessible and it did teach me some things I did not know。 But is also comes with an agenda， and as I've seen in comments by people much more informed than I'll ever be， facts are bent to fit a narrative。 Now I grew up with stories of martyrs and about how Christianity was the only religion to spread peacefully。 It's not the case and this book gives quite a few examples of violence， destruction， forced morality and so on。 Which is fine and informative。 My problem though is with the context。 If someone knew nothing about history and read this book， they would assume Christianity was the worst thing ever， while the Pagan Romans were intellectual， fun， and also clean and not stinky！ But we need to remember those were messed up times and the Roman Empire was a messed up place， where slavery， illiteracy， massacres， and war were rampant。 Christianity did not act in a vacuum。Now of course， we look at it all with modern eyes in modern times。 Which is why a bit more context would have made this book truly great。 。。。more
Robert Day
，
The whole book can be summarised in this way: the Christians thought that the 'pagans' （the Greek/Roman guys who believed lot of god's） were worshipping devils and demons and so they took pains to protect them from the error of their ways。 They did this by destroying statues， banning philosophy （on pain of death） and burning books。Honestly， that's pretty much all this book says。 The same theme is repeated over and over and over again using many examples。This is a very readable book。 Enjoyable to The whole book can be summarised in this way: the Christians thought that the 'pagans' （the Greek/Roman guys who believed lot of god's） were worshipping devils and demons and so they took pains to protect them from the error of their ways。 They did this by destroying statues， banning philosophy （on pain of death） and burning books。Honestly， that's pretty much all this book says。 The same theme is repeated over and over and over again using many examples。This is a very readable book。 Enjoyable too。 Mostly。 Makes you think of how wasteful people can be。Read it if you have an axe to grind about Christianity and you need something to whet the grindstone。 。。。more
Mes
，
Infioratoare carte。 Am citit-o cu greu， desi nu cred ca as putea repsosa multe scriiturii。 Posibil ca formarea mea crestina sa fi protestat intr-o maniera indirecta。 A fost a doua ciocnire cu informatii despre crestinismul timpuriu dupa Agora-filmul。 Capitolele de la 10 pana la final au fost cele mai impresionante pentru mine， redescoperind cenzura， inchizitia， "securitatea"， distrugerea educatiei。 Am fost intrigata， agasata chiar， de duritatea exprimarii， dar spre final cred ca am inteles ca or Infioratoare carte。 Am citit-o cu greu， desi nu cred ca as putea repsosa multe scriiturii。 Posibil ca formarea mea crestina sa fi protestat intr-o maniera indirecta。 A fost a doua ciocnire cu informatii despre crestinismul timpuriu dupa Agora-filmul。 Capitolele de la 10 pana la final au fost cele mai impresionante pentru mine， redescoperind cenzura， inchizitia， "securitatea"， distrugerea educatiei。 Am fost intrigata， agasata chiar， de duritatea exprimarii， dar spre final cred ca am inteles ca orice indulcire sau exprimare neutra ar fi stirbit din mesaj。 Probabil ca nu tot ce prezinta cartea s-a intamplat intocmai， de altfel in multe momente apar semnele probabilitatii si al unui dubiu sanatos， insa daca perioada respectiva poate fi vazuta si dintr-o alta perspectiva， cred a meritat efortul。 Mai caut si altele。 。。。more
Diocles
，
Para completar la obra， sería necesario añadir un capítulo para Juliano el apóstata。
Jerilyn
，
ExcellentExcellent， excellent， well studied， well written book。 I highly recommend all faiths to read this book！ Very informative truths， simple to comprhend。 Thank you for sharing your years of research Catherine Nixey。 I enjoyed your book very much！
Peter Tillman
，
Dana Stabenow wrote:"That notion you had of the the defenseless Christians being used for target practice in Roman arenas？Nope。 Nixey rings the warning bell for the zealotry of organized religion， whose first tenet is to annihilate any unbelievers and all their works。 Impossible not to draw parallels with religious movements of every denomination all over the world today。And you will grieve again for Hypatia and the Great Library of Alexandria， after which enter the Dark Ages。 What a waste。"Inde Dana Stabenow wrote:"That notion you had of the the defenseless Christians being used for target practice in Roman arenas？Nope。 Nixey rings the warning bell for the zealotry of organized religion， whose first tenet is to annihilate any unbelievers and all their works。 Impossible not to draw parallels with religious movements of every denomination all over the world today。And you will grieve again for Hypatia and the Great Library of Alexandria， after which enter the Dark Ages。 What a waste。"Indeed。Tho I don't think anyone blames the Christians for that 。 。 。 。。。more
Stefania Corti
，
Finally someone who focuses on Christianity’s blames on persecution to classical enlightenment， people and cultures。
Antti Ensaro
，
Filled with interesting details and sources for further research， Nixey's book is a must read for understanding the cultural transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages。The period she describes （mostly 4th to 6th C。） is filled with a special type of Christian， one which in many ways is closer to contemporary Taliban and Islamic State terrorists， from their ideologues （nowadays knows as Church Fathers） to their destructive bands of thugs， all desiring a place of glory in Heaven and hea Filled with interesting details and sources for further research， Nixey's book is a must read for understanding the cultural transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages。The period she describes （mostly 4th to 6th C。） is filled with a special type of Christian， one which in many ways is closer to contemporary Taliban and Islamic State terrorists， from their ideologues （nowadays knows as Church Fathers） to their destructive bands of thugs， all desiring a place of glory in Heaven and heavenly reputation in the church， by courting martyrdom （or self flagellating， disappointed， when the Romans made Christianity state religion and there was no one left to made them feel like Jesus）， destroying architectural， sculptural， literary and philosophical wonders and terrorizing the remaining non-Christians in the Roman Empire and its remnants。 。。。more
Stormy
，
An excellent historical overview of ancient Rome that explores the myth of early Christian prosecution， the violence and oppression of zealotry， and how history can truly be "written by the winners"。 A needed counterbalance to the Christian narrative。 An excellent historical overview of ancient Rome that explores the myth of early Christian prosecution， the violence and oppression of zealotry， and how history can truly be "written by the winners"。 A needed counterbalance to the Christian narrative。 。。。more
Padma
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Finally， an examination of the Christian overthrow of Pagan Europe that doesn't presume it was a good thing。 Classical scholar Catherine Nixey shows how European civilization effectively ended with the coming of Christianity （remember that Christianity， Judaism and Islam are all Middle Eastern/Levantine religions）。 The fall of Paganism meant the collapse of science， architecture， philosophy， mathematics， astronomy， literature， religious tolerance， and so much more， and created an exodus of Europ Finally， an examination of the Christian overthrow of Pagan Europe that doesn't presume it was a good thing。 Classical scholar Catherine Nixey shows how European civilization effectively ended with the coming of Christianity （remember that Christianity， Judaism and Islam are all Middle Eastern/Levantine religions）。 The fall of Paganism meant the collapse of science， architecture， philosophy， mathematics， astronomy， literature， religious tolerance， and so much more， and created an exodus of Europe's greatest thinkers， launching a Dark Age marked by cruelty， suppression， the destruction of indigenous cultural monuments， including the destruction of libraries and temples， sculptures and academies， a Darkness that lasted until the Renaissance （yet persists in some very nagging ways）。 Nixey's writing is superb， crisp and crystal-clear， as she doesn't bog the work down with academic snobbishness despite her clearly vast knowledge of the subject matter。 Read this if you're weary of long-standing Christian propaganda and want to know what really happened， how， and why。 This book is especially relevant today， as Russia subjects Ukraine to a parallel vision of Darkness， bombing museums， churches， critical civilian infrastructure， maternity clinics and children's hospitals in an effort to wipe Ukrainian distinctiveness of the face of the planet， as European distinctiveness was in the 5th and 6th centuries CE。 。。。more
John Petkos
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Νομίζω πως είναι αρκετά φανερό ότι το βιβλίο απευθύνεται κυρίως σε άθεους που αναζητούν πολεμοφόδια για να ισοπεδώνουν χριστιανούς σε ντιμπέιτ。 Η επιθετική τάση της συγγραφέως κατά του χριστιανισμού είναι διάχυτη στον εμπρηστικό της λόγο， ενώ ταυτόχρονα τονίζει σε εμφανή δυσανάλογο βαθμό τα μελανά σημεία της θρησκείας έναντι των φωτεινών， που σχεδόν δεν αναφέρονται καν。Παρόλα αυτά， και αν βάλουμε στην άκρη την ψηλαφητή προπαγανδιστική της διάθεση που διαπερνά τις σελίδες， το βιβλίο αξίζει να δια Νομίζω πως είναι αρκετά φανερό ότι το βιβλίο απευθύνεται κυρίως σε άθεους που αναζητούν πολεμοφόδια για να ισοπεδώνουν χριστιανούς σε ντιμπέιτ。 Η επιθετική τάση της συγγραφέως κατά του χριστιανισμού είναι διάχυτη στον εμπρηστικό της λόγο， ενώ ταυτόχρονα τονίζει σε εμφανή δυσανάλογο βαθμό τα μελανά σημεία της θρησκείας έναντι των φωτεινών， που σχεδόν δεν αναφέρονται καν。Παρόλα αυτά， και αν βάλουμε στην άκρη την ψηλαφητή προπαγανδιστική της διάθεση που διαπερνά τις σελίδες， το βιβλίο αξίζει να διαβαστεί από οποιονδήποτε αναζητά την αλήθεια για ένα σκοτεινό ζήτημα， την -κυριολεκτική- κατεδάφιση του αρχαιοελληνικού πολιτισμού από φανατικούς χριστιανούς。 Αν και οι πληροφορίες που μεταφέρει είναι κοινός τόπος στις ιστορικές σπουδές εδώ και αιώνες， η συγγραφέας κατέβαλλε αξιέπαινη προσπάθεια να στοιχειοθετήσει την απροκάλυπτη πολεμική της με εκτενή και σχολαστική παράθεση πρωτογενών πηγών， με εστίαση σε πατέρες της εκκλησίας όπως ο Ιωάννης Χρυσόστομος， ο Τερτυλιανός， ο Ειρηναίος κ。ά。 。 。。。more
Maelen
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If you can read this and still remain a Christian， you should be ashamed of yourself。 Christianity literally terrorized and murdered its way to a dominant position in Western society， winning out in the end because its bloodthirsty proponents were willing to kill anyone who disagreed with them。 I am glad to be living in the age where this stain on human history is beginning to fade， though there are other threats in the picture that require equal vigilance。 Jesus has been dead for two thousand y If you can read this and still remain a Christian， you should be ashamed of yourself。 Christianity literally terrorized and murdered its way to a dominant position in Western society， winning out in the end because its bloodthirsty proponents were willing to kill anyone who disagreed with them。 I am glad to be living in the age where this stain on human history is beginning to fade， though there are other threats in the picture that require equal vigilance。 Jesus has been dead for two thousand years。 It's time to let the poor schmuck rest in peace and move on from the graveyards and torture chambers that his unworthy followers slanderously fathered on him。 。。。more
Mark Davis
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An excellent although rather depressing read。 Good old religion， with its dogma， its doctrine， its intransigence， its intolerance， its closed mind， its despotic， controlling， demanding， demeaning， sadistic， torturing， brutal， miserable force for suffering and denial。 Humanity is the curse and stain on the planet， and religion is the curse and stain on humanity。 So much destruction of such countless wonders， works of art， writings of scientific， creative and philosophical genius， all proudly expu An excellent although rather depressing read。 Good old religion， with its dogma， its doctrine， its intransigence， its intolerance， its closed mind， its despotic， controlling， demanding， demeaning， sadistic， torturing， brutal， miserable force for suffering and denial。 Humanity is the curse and stain on the planet， and religion is the curse and stain on humanity。 So much destruction of such countless wonders， works of art， writings of scientific， creative and philosophical genius， all proudly expunged by the Christian zealots and sadists。 Superbly written by Nixey， bringing to light a less well-known and less talked about aspect of the "great" work of those early Christians。 A must-read。 。。。more
Nathan
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Given some of the caveats the author gives at the start of the book it seemed like she might be pulling punches。 She was not。 At some points I just had to put the book down and go read something else。 Absolutely fascinating and horrifying; if you are on the fence about reading this， you absolutely should。
Steve Cran
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The beginning days of Christianity read out a lot like the emergence of ISIS out in the Middle East。 Both were born of a fanaticism that excluded all else and did not rely on reason。 The notion behind the way these things were carried out is born of arrogance and ignorance。 Christianity has a bloodier history than Islam does。 Yet history repeats itself。At the outset in the Roman empire where Christianity first took hold around 300 AD， one could envision scenes of mad religious lunatics destroyin The beginning days of Christianity read out a lot like the emergence of ISIS out in the Middle East。 Both were born of a fanaticism that excluded all else and did not rely on reason。 The notion behind the way these things were carried out is born of arrogance and ignorance。 Christianity has a bloodier history than Islam does。 Yet history repeats itself。At the outset in the Roman empire where Christianity first took hold around 300 AD， one could envision scenes of mad religious lunatics destroying ancient artifacts。 This is exactly what happened。 Fanaitical Christians tore through places like Syria， Egypt， Greece， Anatolia and Italy。 Black robed monks would storm through a city with hammers and other objects of destruction and destroy ancient statues and temples。Christians were not thought of too much by any major players in the Roman Empire。 For the first few hundred years there is scant mention of them in any writing。 Most educated people thought them to be rather stupid。 All the great philosophers were empriricists demanded proof and the use of scientific method。 Christians took things on blind faith。 The Christian polemics like to go on about how badly the Roman Empire persecuted Christians。 In fact they were not more persecuted than anyone else who refused to give offering unto Cesar。 The roman were open minded about gods and would admit any of them to the Roman religion provided that they still followed the Roman religion and made offering to Cesar。 The Christians did not but the Roman Pagans sought to persuade the Christians to do the right thing and often the Christians refused。 Only after several attempts were they finally punished。 Christians were hungry for martyrdom。 So hungry in fact that many who were not persecuted enough chose to die by suicide。Once the Christians gained the upper hand they engaged in a massive campaign of censorship。 Classic texts written by well known philosophers were thrown to the flames and destroyed。 Some works were saved which did not conflict with Christianity。 Even then it was edited。 Anything erotic or theological that went against the Christian line was censored。 Soon the whole lifestyle of the empire was thrust aside for a more Christian Empire。 Philosophers were driven out of the empire。The more things stay the same the more they stay the same。 The Christians engaged in mindless destruction the worlds pagan past。 This meant the destruction of temples， statues books and wisdom。 So much wisdom has been lost and never to be retrieved again。 Humanity does the same thing repeatedly。 。。。more
biggus yossif
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5。6-6。4/10expected a more scientific approach and was a bit disappointed。 even though the author offered historical facts and tried to explain the relations between the parties involved， I was left with a feeling that some things were repeated and as a whole that more could be said in less words。 most of it was in a sarcastically ironic rhetorical questions type of speech， not really disinterested。 however， when all is said and done， I believe you need to read stuff you find boring， in order to 5。6-6。4/10expected a more scientific approach and was a bit disappointed。 even though the author offered historical facts and tried to explain the relations between the parties involved， I was left with a feeling that some things were repeated and as a whole that more could be said in less words。 most of it was in a sarcastically ironic rhetorical questions type of speech， not really disinterested。 however， when all is said and done， I believe you need to read stuff you find boring， in order to perfect your reading skills， I believe。 after all， most of your continuous book type of reading is around schoolbooks， which are by default not that interesting to the average pupil， nevertheless you do most of your basic skill-learning during those years。 。。。more
Joss
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Interesting， although it felt more like a connected series of essays， with occasional repetition across them。 An engaging read nevertheless。
S Ray
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Although philosophically predisposed to like a book on this topic， this one disappointed greatly。 It's "breezy" style of writing tries to obscure its lack of logic and clear evidence in many cases。 It is often unclear when an account is intended to support or refute the author's premise。 There is considerable repetition。 Reviews by knowledgeable readers （citing references） indicate the "evidence" presented is biased and cherry-picked。 Sadly have to suggest you seek elsewhere。 Although philosophically predisposed to like a book on this topic， this one disappointed greatly。 It's "breezy" style of writing tries to obscure its lack of logic and clear evidence in many cases。 It is often unclear when an account is intended to support or refute the author's premise。 There is considerable repetition。 Reviews by knowledgeable readers （citing references） indicate the "evidence" presented is biased and cherry-picked。 Sadly have to suggest you seek elsewhere。 。。。more
Bhrashtbuddhi
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It is an exceptional book for people who are not very aware of this particular part of the history or world。 It is not written as a boring manuscript but as an interesting story which is very fascinating。 It is peppered with information that is very interesting for casual reader and anybody who enjoys a well doled out dose of History。
tpg0
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As an AI language model， I don't have personal opinions， but I can provide factual information。 The book "The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World" is a historical book written by Catherine Nixey which discusses the impact and consequences of Christianity on the classical world。 It argues that Christianity was involved in the destruction of much of the classical heritage， including art， literature， and philosophy， and the suppression of pagan beliefs and practices。 The author supports her arguments with historical evidence， including accounts of destruction and persecution of pagan temples and the murder of pagan philosophers。 Overall， the book is an exploration of the tension between Christianity and the classical pagan world。
tpg1
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As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions or beliefs。 However， I can provide a brief overview of the book。 The Darkening Age is a historical account written by Catherine Nixey， where she argues that the rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire led to the destruction of classical culture， particularly the pagan religion。 Nixey describes how Christian leaders and followers destroyed pagan temples， burned books， and persecuted non-Christian philosophers and scientists。 The book also examines the impact of Christianization on art， architecture， and literature。 Overall， it is a controversial and thought-provoking book that raises many questions about the relationship between religion， culture， and power in history。
tpg2
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As an AI language model， I do not have personal preferences or opinions， however， the book "The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World" by Catherine Nixey is a well-researched and controversial historical work that focuses on the way early Christians systematically destroyed ancient pagan knowledge and culture in the name of religious orthodoxy。 The book has received mixed reviews， with some praising it as a fascinating and thought-provoking read， while others criticizing it as an overly biased and sensationalistic interpretation of history。 Ultimately， whether one enjoys or dislikes the book may depend on their personal interests and perspectives on religion， culture， and history。
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