Jak se náš svět stal křesťanským – Veyne Paul (2024)

How and why did the Roman Empire Christianize in the fourth century AD, at a time when ninety-five percent of its population was pagan and Christians were perceived as 'abnormal' people by the majority society? What prompted the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great to decide to convert to Christianity one October night in 312? Did he do so based on political calculation or from sincere conviction? What did this event mean for the further development of the Western world? How did the new religion differ from traditional paganism? And above all: Can it be justifiably claimed that Europe has 'Christian roots', or is such a claim merely a cliché that, upon closer examination, proves to be an empty phrase? Are we still Christians, and if so, in what sense? These are the questions addressed in his compact yet intellectually stimulating book titled How Our World Became Christian by one of the greatest contemporary experts on ancient Greece and Rome, renowned French historian Paul Veyne. His answers, based on decades of systematic research and reflection, will surprise many... The book How Our World Became Christian (2007) received the Gobert Prize (Grand prix...