Ramsay MacMullen
American historian of the Roman Empire and long-time Yale University professor, noted for influential work on Roman social history, corruption, and the spread of Christianity; author of works such as Corruption and the Decline of Rome and Christianizing the Roman Empire.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
-
1. Christianizing The Roman Empire
A.D. 100-400
A concise analysis of how Christianity moved from a marginal sect to public dominance between the second and fourth centuries, emphasizing social mechanisms over doctrinal persuasion. It highlights the roles of urban networks, patronage, miracle stories, and the appeal of communal authority in attracting adherents, then shows how imperial favor, legal privileges, and occasional coercion after Constantine accelerated the shift. The picture is of religious change driven by public performance, prestige, and power as much as by belief, supported by epigraphic and archaeological evidence.
Purchase from Bookshop.org