The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World is a 2017 book by Catherine Nixey. In the book, Nixey argues that early Christians deliberately destroyed classical Greek and Roman cultures and contributed to the loss of classical knowledge.[1][2] The book was an international bestseller, was translated into 12 languages and was a New York Times Notable Book of 2018. The New York Times called it a “ballista-bolt of a book”.[1] The book received positive reviews from academics such as Peter Frankopan, professor of Global History at Oxford University,[3] and others who praised its style and originality. It received criticism from some scholars of late antiquity and the Middle Ages such as Averil Cameron, who accused it of telling a simplistic, polemical narrative and exaggerating the extent to which early Christians suppressed aspects of older Greek and Roman cultures.[4]
 First edition (UK) | |
| Author | Catherine Nixey |
|---|---|
| Genre | History |
| Publisher | Macmillan Publishers (UK) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (US) |
Publication date | September 21, 2017 |
| Pages | 352 |
| ISBN | 978-0544800885 |
Content
editAfter expressing the opinion that traditional historical narratives tend to depict pre-Christian Rome in an unfavorable light (chilly and nihilistic), Nixey proceeds to describe what she sees as an attack by Christians against classical heritage during Late Antiquity, which is a period generally encompassing the Later Roman Empire and the Early Middle Ages. The assault she alleges is both physical and cultural, taking the reader from the murder of Hypatia in 415 and the destruction of pagan statues, to the closing of temples and destruction of books.[2]
For Nixey, these episodes of violent religious zeal are explained by a widely promoted belief that pagan religions actually harbored demons, and also by the powerful rhetoric Christian leaders used against the enemies of the early church. In that sense, she thinks the foundations of later religious persecution were laid at that time.[2]
Reception
editAmong the general public
editThe Darkening Age was chosen as one of The New York Times' "Notable Books" for 2018 and was listed on "book of the year" lists by The Telegraph, The Spectator, The Observer, and BBC History.[5]
The book received widespread positive reviews in the media, including in the New York Times, The Spectator, and The Times. A.C. Grayling named it as his favourite book of the last 12 months.[6]
Among scholars
editEmily Wilson, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, gave the book a positive review, calling it "funny, lively, readable guide" to the darker side of early Christianity.[7] Peter Frankopan, professor of Global History at the University of Oxford and director of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research, found the text "bold, dazzling and provocative" that challenges received ideas about early Christianity.[3]
Professor Tim Whitmarsh of University of Cambridge said, "in seeking to expose the error and corruption of the early Christian world, Nixey comes close to veiling the pre-Christian Romans’ own barbarous qualities," but added it is, "a finely crafted, invigorating polemic against the resilient popular myth that presents the Christianisation of Rome as the triumph of a kinder, gentler politics."[2] University of Oxford professor of ancient history Peter Thonemann says that Nixey makes broad generalizations based on limited evidence and that the Christian book-burning was not typically directed towards classical literature.[8] Medieval historian at the University of Exeter Levi Roach called it "a salutary reminder of the darker side of the rise of Christianity" but argued the book endorses an outdated vision of the European Middle Ages as an intellectual backwater.[9] Richard Tada, Ph.D. in ancient Greek and Byzantine history from the University of Washington, states that Nixey ventured "into areas where she is clearly out of her depth" and criticized the book for having "cherrypicked" incidents without considering contrary evidence.[10]
Reaction from Christian institutions and publication was also less positive, with criticism about the choice of sources, the limitations of the evidence presented and what they see as the author's tendency to draw wide conclusions from isolated incidents. Philip Jenkins at Christian Century,[11] Averil Cameron at The Tablet,[12] and Johannes van Oort at Reformatorisch Dagblad[13] are examples of this point of view.
Accolades
editThe book won second prize in the 2015 Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Awards for Non-Fiction[14] and the Morris D. Forkosch Book Award for the Best Humanist Book of 2018.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Hughes, Bettany (June 18, 2018). "How Christians Destroyed the Ancient World". New York Times. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Whitmarsh, Tim (December 28, 2017). "The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey". The Guardian. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "The Darkening Age by Catherine Nixey". www.panmacmillan.co.za. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ Cameron, Averil (September 21, 2017). "Blame the Christians". The Tablet.
- ^ "The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World". HMH Books. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ "Twenty Questions with A. C. Grayling". The Times Literary Supplement. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ "Emily Wilson, Author at New Statesman". New Statesman. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
- ^ Thonemann, Peter (September 17, 2017). "Book review: The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World by Catherine Nixey". The Sunday Times.
- ^ Roach, Levi (November 1, 2017). "At Cross Purposes - The Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World Hard". Literary Review.
- ^ Tada, Richard (August 11, 2018). "The Myth That Christians Destroyed the Classical World Dies Hard". National review. https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/08/book-review-the-darkening-age-catherine-nixey-christians-and-antiquity/
- ^ Jenkins, Philip (April 19, 2018). "Did Christianity destroy classical pagan culture?". Christian Century. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Cameron, Averil (September 21, 2017). "Blame the Christians Hard". The Tablet.
- ^ Prof. dr. J. van Oort. "Britse historicus Nixey vertekent de opkomst van het christendom fanatiek". Reformatorisch Dagblad. February 5, 2018. https://www.rd.nl/artikel/743504-britse-historicus-nixey-vertekent-de-opkomst-van-het-christendom-fanatiek
- ^ "RSL Jerwood Awards". The Royal Society of Literature. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "Morris D. Forkosch Book Award". Secular Humanism. Retrieved October 27, 2022.