Summary of James J. O'Donnell's Pagans

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The Roman Empire was vast, and it was a privilege to be Roman. But the empire also had many different religions, and the Romans did not care for them. They thought they were better than everyone else.

#2 Christianity was successful because it was divinely engineered. The undevout are left to scramble for material explanations, and they end up accepting Christian exceptionalism.

#3 When we visit Rome, we should go and sit with a cappuccino or gelato and think about how to make sense of what we’ve seen and heard. Afterward, we can walk along the Tiber River to the oldest place in the city, the cattle forum at the bend of the Tiber where the low pass between the Capitoline and Palatine hills comes out.

#4 Caesar Augustus was the ruler of Rome in 17 BCE. He had been promoted to the position after the assassination of his uncle Julius Caesar in 46 BCE. He had survived several attempts on his life, and was now Augustus the ruler in the way that posterity would remember him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822513266

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Insights on James J. O'Donnell's Pagans

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The Roman Empire was vast, and it was a privilege to be Roman. But the empire also had many different religions, and the Romans did not care for them. They thought they were better than everyone else.

#2

Christianity was successful because it was divinely engineered. The undevout are left to scramble for material explanations, and they end up accepting Christian exceptionalism.

#3

When we visit Rome, we should go and sit with a cappuccino or gelato and think about how to make sense of what we’ve seen and heard. Afterward, we can walk along the Tiber River to the oldest place in the city, the cattle forum at the bend of the Tiber where the low pass between the Capitoline and Palatine hills comes out.

#4

Caesar Augustus was the ruler of Rome in 17 BCE. He had been promoted to the position after the assassination of his uncle Julius Caesar in 46 BCE. He had survived several attempts on his life, and was now Augustus the ruler in the way that posterity would remember him.

#5

Augustus was responsible for rebuilding Rome and making it a city of marble, instead of brick. He built temples to various gods, and honored his benefactor, whom people believed had become a god.

#6

The heart of the city was the Forum, which was surrounded by hills. Outside the city limits was the Campus Martius, which was the field of Mars. It was also the place of assemblies and elections.

#7

The story of Valesius and the Tiber river is a legend