12-10-2012, 10:34 PM
I decided to read Peter Brown’s Through the Eye of a Needle: Wealth, the Fall of Rome, and the Making of Christianity in the West, 350 – 550 AD when I read a raving review by Tom Holland, of all people.
One thing that is slightly misleading about the title is the ‘Fall of Rome’ part. The fall of the Empire in the West is only a bit player in this drama, where the two principal characters are wealth and the Church(es). Don’t expect long passages about armies and battles. Even the emperor is largely referred to as an institution, not an individual.
It was absolutely fascinating to read about how wealth worked in Roman society during this period, what Church fathers thought about wealth, how they got it, and how churches used that wealth when they finally possessed it.
Brown weaves most of his story using individuals such as Symmachus, Ambrose, Augustine and a host of other colourful people. This makes it a bit choppy at times, but I think using this approach was a very good idea. The subject of wealth and the Church could have easily become yawn-inducing, but by focusing on such interesting characters and their activities it was a great read.
I like Brown's writing style. He somehow combines the use of words like ‘vertiginous’ and phrases like ‘keep on keeping on’. The prose is straight and clear, and makes use of enough eye-catchers like those I mentioned to keep the reader engaged and interested.
I do have a few caveats, however. First, I really wanted to know Brown’s opinion on the old idea that the Empire fell because wealth and talent went to the church instead of the state. He never addresses this, but I believe someone could make a good case against it by using much of the material in this book.
The other problem is a huge one, but it is not the fault of Brown. In the introduction, he is abundantly clear that he stopped researching in 2010, which is before the publication of Alan Cameron’s Last Pagans of Rome.
Last Pagans is not simply the elephant in the room when it comes to the topic of religion in the city of Rome. It is the elephant holding a machine gun and a megaphone, and it knows how to use both. It demands attention. So at several occasions while reading Through the Eye of a Needle it seemed as dated as if I was reading a pamphlet about the theoretical possibility of hot air balloon flights while 747s whizzed by overhead. Last Pagans changed everything, and unfortunately this book doesn’t take it into account. But still, they only infrequently overlap, so the lack of using Cameron’s book certainly doesn’t ruin Brown’s.
I recommend this book.
One thing that is slightly misleading about the title is the ‘Fall of Rome’ part. The fall of the Empire in the West is only a bit player in this drama, where the two principal characters are wealth and the Church(es). Don’t expect long passages about armies and battles. Even the emperor is largely referred to as an institution, not an individual.
It was absolutely fascinating to read about how wealth worked in Roman society during this period, what Church fathers thought about wealth, how they got it, and how churches used that wealth when they finally possessed it.
Brown weaves most of his story using individuals such as Symmachus, Ambrose, Augustine and a host of other colourful people. This makes it a bit choppy at times, but I think using this approach was a very good idea. The subject of wealth and the Church could have easily become yawn-inducing, but by focusing on such interesting characters and their activities it was a great read.
I like Brown's writing style. He somehow combines the use of words like ‘vertiginous’ and phrases like ‘keep on keeping on’. The prose is straight and clear, and makes use of enough eye-catchers like those I mentioned to keep the reader engaged and interested.
I do have a few caveats, however. First, I really wanted to know Brown’s opinion on the old idea that the Empire fell because wealth and talent went to the church instead of the state. He never addresses this, but I believe someone could make a good case against it by using much of the material in this book.
The other problem is a huge one, but it is not the fault of Brown. In the introduction, he is abundantly clear that he stopped researching in 2010, which is before the publication of Alan Cameron’s Last Pagans of Rome.
Last Pagans is not simply the elephant in the room when it comes to the topic of religion in the city of Rome. It is the elephant holding a machine gun and a megaphone, and it knows how to use both. It demands attention. So at several occasions while reading Through the Eye of a Needle it seemed as dated as if I was reading a pamphlet about the theoretical possibility of hot air balloon flights while 747s whizzed by overhead. Last Pagans changed everything, and unfortunately this book doesn’t take it into account. But still, they only infrequently overlap, so the lack of using Cameron’s book certainly doesn’t ruin Brown’s.
I recommend this book.
David J. Cord
www.davidcord.com
www.davidcord.com
