Description
Renowned historian Jaroslav Pelikan details the reactions to the fall of Rome by the Church fathers, who set the pattern for interpreting this momentous event for succeeding centuries, & examines Gibbon's interpretation in the light of the original Christian response.
Preface
Introduction: The fall of Rome as historical paradigm
The social triumph of barbarism & religion
History as divine apocalypse
The register of human follies, crimes & misfortunes
The founding of the Christian empire
The inevitable effect of immoderate greatness
The terrestrial glory of an excellent empire
The inestimable gifts of Roman civilization
Notes
Index of Names
Preface
Introduction: The fall of Rome as historical paradigm
The social triumph of barbarism & religion
History as divine apocalypse
The register of human follies, crimes & misfortunes
The founding of the Christian empire
The inevitable effect of immoderate greatness
The terrestrial glory of an excellent empire
The inestimable gifts of Roman civilization
Notes
Index of Names
