There Is No Crime for Those Who Have Christ
Subtitle: Religious Violence in the Christian Roman Empire (Transformation of the Classical Heritage)
Edition: 1 edition
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: October 14, 2005
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 410
ISBN-13: 9780520241046
Subjects: Christianity; History of religion; BCE to c 500 CE; Church history; Religion - Church History; Religious aspects; Religion; Persecution; Ancient - Rome; Christianity - History - General; Religion / General; Ancient - General; Christianity - General; 4th century; Violence
First sentence: In late February of 303, the emperor Diocletian and his imperial colleagues issued an edict ordering churches to be destroyed, scriptures to be burned, and Christians to be dismissed from government service and stripped of civil rights.
Description: Focusing on the 4th and 5th centuries, Michael Gaddis explores how various groups employed the language of religious violence to construct their own identities, to undermine the legitimacy of their rivals, & to advance themselves in the competitive & high stakes process of Christianizing the Roman Empire.