Rome's Age of Revolution : Augustus, Empire and the Making of Christianity

Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publish date: 25 June 2026
Pages: 384
Language: English

Subjects: History, Ancient, Rome, Social History, Religion, Christian Church

'Remarkable ... A joy to read' JOSEPHINE QUINN, author of How the World Made the West

'One of the most important books on ancient history in many years' HARRY SIDEBOTTOM, author of Warrior of Rome

How did Christianity, starting out as a minor offshoot of Judaism, grow into an international faith that shaped the world as we know it?

Rome's Age of Revolution corrects the triumphalist narrative that the Christian message was so persuasive, and indeed superior, that people converted in huge numbers, abandoning their pagan beliefs, thereby turning a small persecuted sect into the state religion of the Roman Empire.

Tim Whitmarsh shows that Christianity would never have succeeded if it had not taken advantage of the infrastructure and culture of the Roman Empire; in turn the new religion was indelibly shaped and transformed by Roman beliefs and ideas, especially those circulating in the Greek-speaking, or Hellenistic, eastern parts of the empire. This radical transformation, Tim argues, can only be described as a revolution. The consequences are with us to this day.

'Riveting - incisive and stylishly written' EDITH HALL, author of Aristotle's Way

'Fascinating and powerful throughout' ANDREW PETTEGREE, author of The Book at War

'Dazzling' CANDIDA MOSS, author of God's Ghost-writers