Review: Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World

Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World by Larry W. Hurtado
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Larry W. Hurtado's book Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World, early Christianity is shown as a very different kind of religion compared with the religious thought of the ancient Roman world. Hurtado, an Emeritus Professor at the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, unfolds the little-known origins of Christianity in a thoughtful and thorough monograph. Throughout the book, he highlights the features of early Christianity that were different than those of ancient Romans, and how these differences became widespread assumptions about religion in general in the modern era.

In the preface and the introduction, the foundation of the study is laid by describing the Jesus-movement that emerged during the first three centuries CE. Despite the many differences that made Christians stand out among the ancient crowd, the religion spread throughout the Roman empire. The most dangerous difference was the refusal to serve the gods of the empire in preference to worshiping the one God, which was seen as offensive and irreligious by contemporary people of the day. The first chapter dealt with the hostility early Christians endured during the first centuries and the pagan criticism behind the persecutions, including Tacitus, Suetonius, Pliny the Younger, Galen, Marcus Aurelius, Lucian, and Celsus. The author made a very good point at highlighting the economic factors presented by the early Christians who urged others to stop sacrificing and worshipping other gods, which impacted the livelihood of craftsmen and those who raised the animals for sacrifice.

In chapter two, Hurtado explains in depth the differences in what modern people would consider "religion" and its connection to this time period. For the Roman people, religious responsibility was a public service that included reverence and respect to the various gods of the empire, the town, and the family. Even the Roman people's sense of piety and virtue, their idea of prayer, and observances to the gods contrasted with the early Christians, enforcing their outsider status. In chapter three, the idea of religious identity is explored. In the Roman world, one's religious preference was conferred at birth and everyone was presumed to honor the gods as appropriate to their Roman culture and heritage. The Romans enthusiastically embraced the religious cults of other cultures, including Persia and Egypt because they were similar to their own religious beliefs. The problem the Romans had with the Christian religion is that Christians were expected to reject other gods and religious services, which was seen as abhorrent and atheistic.

Chapter three reveals one of the issues that enabled Christianity to persist into the following generations. Christians were prolific in their writing and sharing of their sacred texts. These texts became important and were incorporated into their worship, which was different compared to other religious groups of the day who did not have sacred writings of this nature and used scrolls instead of books to archive and share with others. In Chapter four, the setting of the Roman era is explored. The violent contests, infant exposures, and sexual escapades were acceptable in Roman culture but contrasted greatly with Christian practices of moral behavior.

Destroyer of the Gods is a readable and inspiring discussion about the beginning of Christianity and how it differed from any religious thought before (except for Judaism). The vocabulary and organization created a monograph easy to follow no matter how much knowledge you have about the topic. Hurtado beautifully reveals how these differences subtly become the norm in modern culture and how its roots were formed and flourished against all the odds. As a whole, the text makes a considerable contribution to the understanding of the ancient period between the first and third centuries and delves into a forest of information with an eye for detail and thoughtful interpretation.

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