Constantine: Unconquered Emperor, Christian Victor
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.25 (790 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0857381660 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2018-02-22 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
His publications include The Legend of Basil the Bulgar-slayer (2003) and Byzantium's Balkan Frontier: A Political Study of the Northern Balkans, 900-1204 (2000), both for Cambridge University Press. . Stephenson has researched and taught in the UK, Ireland, Germany and the USA. Paul Stephenson is Professor in the Department of History at the University of Durham and a specialist in the early and middle Byzantine periods
In 312, Constantine - one of four Roman emperors ruling a divided empire - marched on Rome to establish his sole control of its western half. Constantine founded Constantinople on the site of the ancient trading colony of Byzantium, a new Christian capital set apart from Rome's pagan past. Thereafter the Christian Roman Empire endured in the East as Byzantium, while Rome itself fell to the barbarian hordes in AD 476. Constantine is a masterly survey of the life and enduring legacy of the greatest and most unjustly ignored of the later Roman emperors - from a richly gifted young British historian. Having claimed the imperial capital for himself, he then converted to Christianity and led its emergence from the shadows, its adherents no longer persecuted. Paul Stephenson offers a nuanced and deeply satisfying account of a man whose cultural and spiritual renewal of the Roman Empire gave birth to the historica
"Scholar Stephenson offers a stately though academic biography of the first Roman emperor who converted to Christianity, with a heavy emphasis on the archaeological record Stephenson's knowledgeable account pursues a wide variety of historical branches of Constantine's story." - "Kirkus" "Everyone interested in the classical period should read this exemplary biography, which eschews psychological speculation and instead builds its case inventively from primary accounts and the iconographic record in statuary, architecture, and coinage."-"Library Journal" STARRED REVIEW
Well written , thought provoking Biography Paul Stephenson's examination of Constantine's enduring legacy on the history of the West and his contribution to the spread of Christianity is a rare book that combines individual biography with cultural and social trends seamlessly. He successfully traces Constantine's life in the context of the broader historical forces at work during his reign and places equal significance on both the individual contributions that Constantine made and social/political circumstances that coincided with them. His analysis suggests that there were social movements afoot that would have support. "How the focus of this allegiance switched from the Roman gods to Jesus Christ in the course of Constantine's lifetime is a good" according to Johnmeli. Stephenson's account of Constantine's life is deep in detail about the ceremonies and rituals of pagan Roman religion, particularly in regards to its employment in the Roman army. Simply put, the religious rituals of pagan life were essential in shaping and expressing a soldier's loyalty to the army. A soldier publicly swore allegiance to his commanders and mates via the scheduled rituals and deity worship. How the focus of this allegiance switched from the Roman gods to Jesus Christ in the course of Constantine's lifetime is a good story. You had to been very brave to be a Chr. if pretentious scholarship puts you off, this book is for you. yongbing1 A non-scholarly written book but still chock full of data. It helped me in my research. I recommend the book as a compact source of data on Constantine's battles. In that, the author did a solid job. So, if pretentious scholarship puts you off, this book is for you.