Summary of Rodney Stark's The Triumph of Christianity

By IRB Media

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

#1 The Romans were not the only ones to adopt a polytheistic religion. The Jews in the West and the Zoroastrians in the East rejected these ideas about the gods, and instead adopted a morally demanding monotheism.

#2 Despite worshiping many gods, societies were not religiously diverse. The primary mission of pagan temples was to ensure that the gods favored the state and its ruling elite, and they served a clientele rather than a membership.

#3 The Jews and the Zoroastrians were the first major groups of monotheists. They both faced the challenge of explaining the existence of evil. Judaism postulated the existence of Satan, while Zoroastrianism taught that Ahura Mazdā was engaged in a battle with the inferior Angra Mianyu.

#4 The Romans were far more religious than the Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, or other pagans of their era. The Romans had a very free marketplace, and no state religion. Instead, they had many different faiths that were supported by voluntary contributions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669394877

IRB Media

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Insights on Rodney Stark's The Triumph of Christianity

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The Romans were not the only ones to adopt a polytheistic religion. The Jews in the West and the Zoroastrians in the East rejected these ideas about the gods, and instead adopted a morally demanding monotheism.

#2

Despite worshiping many gods, societies were not religiously diverse. The primary mission of pagan temples was to ensure that the gods favored the state and its ruling elite, and they served a clientele rather than a membership.

#3

The Jews and the Zoroastrians were the first major groups of monotheists. They both faced the challenge of explaining the existence of evil. Judaism postulated the existence of Satan, while Zoroastrianism taught that Ahura Mazdā was engaged in a battle with the inferior Angra Mianyu.

#4

The Romans were far more religious than the Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, or other pagans of their era. The Romans had a very free marketplace, and no state religion. Instead, they had many different faiths that were supported by voluntary contributions.

#5

Roman paganism was extremely diverse, and it was this diversity that allowed the Romans to adopt so many different gods from the conquered territories. The Romans also had a large number of temples, but they still needed more religion.

#6

The Oriental faiths, which were inspired by the Greek gods, were very popular in Rome. They were extremely focused on one god, and they developed congregations that met regularly. They did not disparage the other gods, but they did not attend to them.

#7

The Roman Empire had many temples dedicated to different gods, and Mithraism was one of them. It was a mystery cult that promised an attractive life after death and inspired deep commitment among its male-only members.

#8

The first reason the Oriental faiths were so popular in Rome was because they gave greater satisfaction. They appealed more strongly to the senses, and their stress on celebration, joy, and ecstasy was much more appealing than the traditional Roman religions’ tepid civic ceremonies and periodic feasts.

#9

The traditional Roman religions had no scriptures, and did not offer any means of atonement other than through rites and rituals. The Oriental religions, on the other hand, had written scriptures that captured the educated mind.

#10

The Roman gods had only clients and festivals, not members and regular services. The new religions, on the other hand, offered a new sense of community and a much stronger type of membership. Their followers had a singular religious identity.

#11

The Roman Empire was extremely intolerant of any organizations that could be used for political purposes. The Oriental faiths, which were able to generate congregations, were often persecuted by the imperial government.

#12

The term Bacchanalian refers to people who are committed to drunken orgies, because that’s what the Roman Senate claimed about the group when they ferociously suppressed the cult of Bacchus in 186 BCE. But the charges were probably false.

#13

The cult of Bacchus, which was a popular religion in Rome, promised its members that they would be welcomed into a blissful afterlife. The Roman Senate saw this as a threat, and suppressed the group’s congregational features, which included regular meetings, a formal organizational structure, and strong ties among members.

#14

The Romans tried to suppress Isiacism, but they were never able to do so completely. The religion was still practiced, and there were even more temples to Isis built in Rome than to any other god or goddess.

#15

Cybele, the goddess of Rome, was brought to Rome by the Senate in 204 BCE. She was one of the gods of Rome, and was worshiped there for more than five hundred years. However, her priests were secluded and inaccessible to Romans, and Roman citizens were prohibited from becoming priests.

#16

The classical world was rife with anti-Semitism. The Romans often justified their repression of the Jews on spurious grounds of immorality, and they would often banish them from the city or slavery if they didn’t obey.

#17

The Roman Senate, which was dominated by the priestly class, often complained about the sexual immorality of the Jews. These complaints were often based on tales of sexual immorality spread by the priests.