This fine volume explores the delayed, and often bewildered, response from the powerful Roman pagans of the first few centuries of the Common Era to the strange group of stand-offish cultists known to them as "Christians."
In the first decades of the 2nd century, Roman government official Pliny struggled to understand and deal with the Christian problem in Asia Minor. His correspondence with the emporer Trajan is a fascinating account from an outsider with regard to what the Romans of the day considered a "political club." Eventually, Pliny and Trajan decided upon a "don't ask, don't tell" policy with regard to the "foreign cultists."
Dr. Wilken goes on to observe that to many Romans, the 2nd century Christians were a sort of "burial club," with unique rituals surrounding the handling of their dead. These same pagans were themselves religious people (a fact often overlooked by Christians from all ages), and from time to time had to remind the Christians of that fact.
Another aspect of the difficult Christians had with established, pagan Roman society stems from the inextricable nature of politics and religion in pagan Rome. A civic function was likely to involve sacrifices to the local pagan gods. A person who failed to participate in such state actions, therefore, might be called an "atheist" (as Christians were so called).
The pagan philosopher Galen (last part of 2nd century CE) informed himself about Christianity and saw it as a competing philosophy. (About this time, St. Justin Martyr similarly described his Christian beliefs.) Galen was the first informed critic to attack specific perceived weaknesses in Christianity: How could God create everything from nothing? He rejected Christianity as unprovable and requiring too much faith.
Next, Celsus (about 170 CE) was even better informed about Christian claims. He was also clever and sarcastic. In fact, Christians spent generations refuting the issues he brought up. Celsus called Jesus a "magician" (similar to Jewish claims probably from the same time period preserved in the Talmudic writings), and wondered how shameful Christian claims that God could come to earth could possibly be taken seriously. Why did God wait until just recently to send his son? Did he not love people before? If the Christians have one God, why do they also worship his son? Celsus concluded that Christians were merely a sect in apostasy from the more ancient Judaism. These and other criticism kept Christians from later generations (such as Origen) busy.
The great (neo)Platonic philosopher, Porphory (3rd century) went to battle Christianity for the minds and hearts of his civilization. By his time Christianity had grown into a major religious and philosophical force, and Porphory went to work. Christians were responding to him into the 5th century! Porphory had been aquainted with Origen and probably knew Christian sacred writings fairly well as evidenced by his criticims of the Book of Daniel with regard to history vs. prophecy, and the authorship of books attributed to Moses. In fact, Porphory subjected Christian sacred writings to an early form of historical criticism and required Christians to re-examine those books. But Porphory also found the Christian unwillingness to participate in the traditional politico-religious life of his beloved civilization offensive and dangerous to society.
The book ends with Julian "the apostate" (late 4th century) and the last view of Christianity - now a powerful force - through devout pagan eyes. Raised a Christian, Julian became a devout, religious pagan. A convert to the ancient gods of classical culture, he attempted a short-lived program to restore them, but died after less than two years as emperor. But his attacks from Christian scripture against Christianity were intended to prove that Jesus was merely a man, and his criticisms of sacrifices disstinct from those of his pagan heritage were designed to show that they were false.
For all students of early Christian history, this is a great look at the early Churches and the early Church from the outside, through fresh eyes.
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